Guardian
by yasha012
Summary: I used to want to save existence... I saw it as this beautiful place, capable of fostering life in all of its many forms. A place with the potential to nurture so much Light. But the closer I got to it... the more I fought for it… the better I could see the Darkness waiting within… the evil we would all rather forget. (Part 4 of the Hero series; sequel to "Eternal Shadow Falls".)
1. Prologue Part 1: Shadows

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this message of Truth… especially for the one who so long ago wrote it.

 **A NOTE:** For those of you who may later grow concerned over it, allow me to provide a quick explanation. This story starts off focusing on two enemies to varying degrees. Only _one_ is actually important, but he doesn't fully come into play until later. The other one, being of very little importance overall, is only mentioned and never really shown. There will still be plenty going on without that first enemy having any specific interactions with the characters, though, I promise. Trust me, the second enemy will bring plenty of action to the tale. Also, as always this is an M-Rated story due to swearing, fight scenes, and such.

Okay? Now, I hope you all enjoy the story.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Prologue Part 1: Shadows"**

 **~保護者~**

 _"Truth is lost in the vastness of this sea of lies. It watches as it destroys us, hungry for our pain. In Dark waters its fangs are bared, ready to devour, seeking to consume all Truth and all Lie and, in essence, everything._

 _Truth and Lie._

 _Where does one end and the other begin?_

 _Understanding is… dangerous._

 _No one speaks of it. No one tells the tales of the day the shepherd's staff became the shepherd's sword, the shepherd's gun, the physical manifestation of the shepherd's will to live. It is never discussed anymore why we bear the marks we wear so proudly, these honored gifts once given solely to those who stood as pillars of Hope and Light against the devastation of the Night. As our many ages of prosperity and Truth came screeching to a halt, we stood defiant against the coming end. We were the first line of defense… and in many ways the last. But no one speaks of those things. No one speaks of the Truth… or of the Lies the Night brought._

 _What I wish to convey is… understanding. Benign comprehension. Logic without judgement._

 _The stories people tell these days… They sing tales of Light and of Darkness. But something, something out there has transcended such unimaginative limitations and rules. It's far easier to believe in the madness of normality than it is in this, but… I cannot deny the things I sense, the whispers I continue to hear day after day, night after night. Truth is something I have long sought to reclaim, ever since the Night swallowed us whole, but something always hinders me._

 _Secrets._

 _Creation is, in many ways, built upon secrets and the encryptions that keep those secrets safe._

 _They say truth is where we seek it, but what are we meant to do when all we seek is hidden by secrets we alone cannot uncover?_

 _The whispers once took enough form to resemble a genuine voice, a voice which seemed to say, 'Burn the world. Burn all words. Burn them all away until they cease to be.' It is a Lie, one I have been presented with before. The Lie of power in exchange for Death… I will not fall into such treachery. It asks then, it always asks, 'What is your answer, then, when the only True answer is extinction?'_

 _'From the space between realms is where I come,' it tells me. 'Fragments of stars and realities burn in my footsteps and shine in my path. In my hands I hold the Truth of Life and Death, the Truth to all that you seek.'_

 _This power, whatever it may grow to be, is but a spark now, it is true. But I often have to remind myself that sparks are just as capable of giving Life as they are of utterly taking it. In response, it tries to convince me that sometimes the only answer to it all is to burn everything away… to start anew. I suppose it is fitting, then, that we have weaponized the once-unknown. If this force continues as it is now, I will have burn it away until there is nothing left, lest it do the same to us all. Until that day, the Lies are destined to continue. The Secrets will forever remain in my way. The Truth I seek will lie buried someplace where I cannot reach it._

 _Few speak of the Night that once tortured us. They refuse to remember, to understand that there are yet more shadows, always more shadows, rising from the Darkness and hungering for all our hope and all out Light._

 _My own Light flickers, at times. It grows weak._

 _I seek to understand, to know without bias and without opinion. To simply know and be, and this forces me to study. To learn. I study this essence, whatever it may be, and I know it does the same. It will learn little from me… and I little from it. We are trapped, in a way, each seeking what we cannot attain, each striving for what may be impossible so long as we remain as we are. But that does not mean that there is no… connection. I have learned some things from it, things I never had any desire to know._

 _From this essence, I know pain._

 _It is nothing like I had ever believed it to be before._

 _It is ice, and it is fire. It is the Light of a thousand burning suns and the Darkness of a million dying worlds. It is everything and nothing, yet still something. It is Truth and Lie and Secret all at once, and yet none at all. It is unfathomable agony, yet it is unattainable bliss. It is nothing… and everything._

 _I feel I drive myself to the edge of madness, rambling hopelessly while trying to explain what cannot be put into words, to explain what I simply know._

 _In reality, its simplicity is staggering. The simplicity, that is, of Truth and Lie._

 _New voices often reach out and seek to challenge the new energy and its will, saying to me, 'Before you lie two paths. There is the worship of Death, the world-killing way where you live as Death and Devastation. There is the Sky, our Light, in which we build new life against the onset of ruin, striving toward a gentler future. You have walked with us this far. Do not abandon us.'_

 _This new essence, these voices, they whisper unto me, 'Let us speak of the terrible beauty of becoming ourselves. We are the gaze and glory of Light and Darkness together, the cunning and knowledge, the triumph and brawn… we are everything they are and can be, and yet we are beyond them utterly. Love and the desire to kill... the Truth you seek says that they are one and the same. You may not believe these words yet, but the rest of what we have told you over all these years… why do you ignore them so?_

 _You deny Truth until it becomes Lie.'_

 _And there it was. The moment of understanding. The time when I finally knew where one ended and the other began. But understanding always seems to breed new questions, and now I am forced to ponder the morality of this all… and, above all, whose Truths to believe. In years long past, the answer may have seemed so obvious as to be a pillar of Light in the center of Zyr, but now… Now I know not what I believe, let alone what I should believe._

 _I am lost… and this time I do not think I will be able to find my way alone."_

 **~保護者~**

 **1,137 words this time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The linebreaker just reads "Guardian", by the way. Posted (at about 10:00 a.m.) 10-23-18.**


	2. Prologue Part 2: Annihilation

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this bit of contemplation… especially for the one whose doubts grow stronger.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES FROM THE END OF "ETERNAL SHADOW** **FALLS":**

 **Hello, Blazing Winds! Your review to Chapter 17: I'm sorry. XD**

 **Your review to Chapter 18: I knoooow**

 **Your review to Chapter 19: As does mine X(**

 **Your review to Chapter 20: Really? I didn't think I had _mentioned_ it to you that long ago.**

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES FROM LAST CHAPTER:**

 **Hello, Blazing Winds! Haha, yep!**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Lol, _maaaybeee_. XD I sure did tag his butt, and you'll see why later. XD Glad you enjoyed the first part! Hope you enjoy this next one as well, short though it is.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Prologue Part 2: Annihilation"**

 **~保護者~**

 _"I promised to myself once, 'I will learn all the secrets of our destiny, and in doing so reclaim the Truths we once treasured.' But these days… these days I am forced to wonder if I am growing into a nihilist. It all, in many ways, seems so pointless. My actions lack the meaning they once held to even me._

 _These days, I don't do much except break things. Evil things, granted, but regardless. I break creatures, people, kingdoms, worlds, realms… when the need arises, I make them cease to be. But to die is to have existed, and they will forever remain in some way or another. Sometimes, it feels as though no true lasting good comes from my actions… even if they do save the lives of those I am supposed to yet care about._

 _The voices whisper, 'The only way to make something good, something undefeatable, is to make something that cannot be broken. The only way to achieve this is to break everything.'_

 _They say that existence itself runs on Death. It may be yet another Lie but, in a way… it almost feels more beautiful to know."_

 **~保護者~**

 **206 words this time. I know this is short, but it's supremely important nevertheless. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 8:20 a.m.) 10-25-18.**


	3. Prologue Part 3: Transcending

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this ancient journal entry… especially for the one who is destined to Transcend.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Well, not _too_ short. Just the right length for what it needed to say, actually. :) Anyway, I will, thank you. XD**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Prologue Part 3: Transcending"**

 **~保護者~**

 _"They have begun a new message. They often repeat their old phrases, but now and then they say something new, something that catches the attention and forces the mind to ponder._

 _Now they say, 'You made them strong. Follow my trail and you will lead them into Eternity. You love them, and love is war. Love is of Death as Death is Love. Love is Life, and Death is Life. Life is Love and Death. If truly you feel these things, then follow me._

 _I am the breaker of wills, yet I have not broken you. Your existence, as all are destined to be, is and always will be war, too. I will give you nothing to aid you… Nothing but my Truths and this mark that all deserve to bear._

 _What is at war is healthy. What is at peace is forever ill. As you learn more Secrets, your power grows, and as your power grows you learn more secrets. One such Secret is that the only meaningful relationship there can be is the attempt to destroy. The only true right is existence while the only true wrong is nonexistence._

 _You wonder often what will become of you when you truly die. It suits you to consider such matters. You may not yet see it, but in all you have done in your life you have become a great ally of Death. Continue on your current path, slaughtering all who believe and act opposite of you, and you may yet become synonymous with Death itself._

 _You yourself have died many times, but these deaths were only temporary. Your echoes, the echoes of your past Deaths, haunt you, and rightfully so. For each Death is a failure, and failure deserves only punishment and more Death. These are my rules, and yet you turn your head to me. You listen, fascinated, to each word I deign to speak. When you call upon my power, should you ever choose to, you gamble with your own soul. It is why you hesitate and never reach back to me, why you still remain as weak as you were._

 _Your mind alone is an unfathomable weapon. When you think, worlds break. The slightest inflection of will may shatter realities by the dozen. Secrets, though none mine, peel apart for you like the skins on a fruit. But you are a rare thing, for there have always been too few of your kind. Your kind lost their way immediately after the departure of the Faein. You were weakened, lost, wielding powers you knew so little about. Yet, in doing all that you have done, you have surpassed all that came between you and those first four. But you can be so much more than this._

 _Walk with me._

 _Transcend.'"_

 **~保護者~**

 **426 words this time. A bit longer this time but still short, yes. However, this is definitely still very important. Hope y'all enjoyed. Posted (at about 10:00 a.m.) 10-26-18.**


	4. Prologue Part 4: Hell Rising

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in the aftermath of this carnage… especially for the dark one.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Well, there are gonna be a couple more than four prologue chapters. But, anyway, that's a really good guess! You'll just have to see if you're right about them being about him.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Prologue Part 4: Hell Rising"**

 **~保護者~**

In the aftermath of a long fight, a man walked alone. Heedless of the corpses surrounding him, of the lakes of blood, of the gore, he strode toward the largest victim of them all. It was a huge beast, grotesque in shape and snarling even in death. Once, it had been a mere dragon, but what it had touched today had irreparably changed it, corrupted it. Clenched tightly between it's huge, mutated fangs was a shard. It would have seemed inconsequential to most, but he knew better. He knew far, far better. This was a Twilight Shard, and it was something he wanted. Needed, even. And this beast had been fool enough to try to keep it from him… _Powerful or not, you were doomed from the start…_ He paused briefly, contemplating the gruesome nature of it's demise. _Fitting,_ he decided slowly, _that you should die such a bloody death when the last moments of your life were spent feasting upon the blood of others._

Ripping the shard free of its narrow confines, the man turned away. He tucked the large shard under his left arm, the same arm that was currently holding his sword. His other hand casually wiped some of the dripping blood and gore off of the blade, revealing some of the black metal beneath. Idly flicking the detritus off of his hand, he resumed his earlier walk. Smoke hung heavily in the crimson skies, an endless reminder of the bloody conflict that had just taken place. Fires raged all around as the screams of the few survivors were cut off one by one by his hordes. He reveled in the slaughter, unable to restrain a small laugh from bubbling up inside of him when he heard someone beg for their life… only to have said life be ruthlessly taken from them not a second later.

With a dark smirk, he approached an as-of-yet still living victim of the earlier carnage. She was young, fit, covered in blood. She was a pretty little thing, really, but he had no care for it. As she lay there in the oversaturated dirt, unable to get up or even move on her own, she dared to shoot daggers at him with her eyes. It was a look he had seen before, and one that meant nothing to him. Kneeling down, he set the shard aside and then placed a finger under her chin, tilting it up so that she was forced to look directly at him. "Tell me something…" he murmured, smoothing down some of the feathers on her cheek with a bloody thumb. It was a sinister gesture, and she shuddered terribly as a result. "Why did you think you and your little friends could survive this...?"

Predictably, she spat at him (literally, even) and did her best to intensify her glare to frightening levels. "Even if we fail," she growled as best as a mere bird could, "others will come. No one is about to stand aside and let you go through with this…"

" _Let_ me?" Another laugh escaped him, this one shorter and decidedly darker than the first. She trembled when he grasped her chin again. His grip with tighter than before, demanding focus. Attention. Belief. "I ask for no _permission_ to do as I please, dove. And, in case you were somehow unaware…" He suddenly shifted his hand to the side of her face and jerked her head to the side, effectively slamming it into the ground and forcing her to stare at all the death around them. By now, tears were forming in her eyes as fresh terror set in. "You lot have already failed. There is no _if_. Your comrades are dead and, eventually, you will join them. And the others… the rest of your people? They are just as doomed. This brazen attempt at _stopping me_ has done nothing to save any of them, or anyone else."

The woman swallowed thickly, apparently trying to steel her nerves. She shut her eyes against the torn and bloody world, denying it… and him. "No. Someone _will_ stop you," she told him in as even a voice as she could manage. "You won't win."

"I already have, dove." His hand shifted higher, fingers tangling into her hair and pulling hard. Standing, he lifted her up with him, eliciting a cry of pain from mortal lips. His smile long gone, he muttered to her, "You are not _strong_ , girl. You are not _brave_." Though it was futile, she tried to struggle. Her expression wavered between terrified and weak attempts at confidence and dignity in the face of her situation. "You have merely attempted to forget the fear of _death_." He raised his sword, watching as the tears finally began to spill from shimmering violet eyes. "Allow me to _reacquaint_ you with that fear…"

Swinging his arm, he sliced her open deeply, then turned and walked a few feet to the right as she cried out her pain for all to hear. With no remorse and no expression, he threw her down a fiery chasm to a horde of starving beasts below. Her screams lasted for a regrettably short time, but that was a matter he soon put out of mind. Taking the Twilight Shard out from under his arm, he contemplated the blackness of the glass-like object and his own dark reflection within. _So the Babylonians have finally decided to interfere…_

He tilted the shard this way and that, almost idly, as he thought. Blood-red light from the crimson sun above caught the shiny surface with each slight movement, tinting the shard with one of the most favorable colors in existence. Eventually, he smirked. _The portal is far from finished… I suppose I have time for some more fun._ Grinning darkly to himself, he turned and began walking toward a distant citadel sitting atop a rocky cliff. Who knew… perhaps he'd even have an opportunity to kill that damn hawk and his friends, too. But, for now…

For now, he had a shard to place.

 **~保護者~**

 **1,025 words this time. Dark though this is, I hope you all enjoyed. There are only a couple more parts to the prologue stuff, then the main story will begin. Also, the line, "** **You are not strong, girl. You are not brave. You have merely attempted to forget the fear of death." was taken from Destiny 2's original main villain ("Gaul" I think is what his name was). Posted (at about 10:00 a.m.) 10-27-18.**


	5. Prologue Part 5: Star Sky

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this bit of dialogue… especially for the one to whom spring is like an old friend.

 **~保護** **者**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! It wasn't Wave, promise. Just a random Babylonian woman, which is still sad of course. But yeah. Good guess, though! :) Anyway, yeah, that chapter definitely was dark, but actually you'll see why it was important.**

 **~保護** **者**

 **"Prologue Part 5: Star Sky"**

 **~保護者~**

It was silent outside save for a cool summer's night breeze. The grass was soft, lush, and the tree above towered into the night sky. Cherry blossoms so pure that they seemed aglow in the moonlight drifted down now and then, coming to rest around the two figures seated amidst the roots of the tree. Two pairs of eyes, both blue, gazed deeply into the stars, as though those distant lights held all the answers to everything. Yet, they knew the stars could do little more than evoke hope… Hope, a weapon that had long since proven to be far from enough. Nothing was ever enough anymore.

A voice gradually broke the silence, it's tones soft and undeniably female. "My kind has always survived by the grace of nature," she murmured. Her words were a reminder, a truth as ancient as she. "It is through nature that my people returned, even when I was once the only one left." Her eyes closed as another breeze sifted through the clearing. A lone blossom drifted down the hill. "This creature… this entity… there seems nothing _natural_ about it."

The other individual seated here, a male young in appearance yet ancient beyond what most could comprehend, blinked slowly. When he spoke, his words were just as hushed and as a reminder of his own. "It is natural…" he argued, "and I cannot kill it."

Her head dipped down. "Not as you are now," she agreed quietly.

After a moment, he turned his head to look at her. "I seem to recall," he said slowly, "having this conversation once before."

His words evoked a small smile from her. Not because he was right - though he was - but because he was speaking more than he normally did. That was a rare thing, and she always enjoyed it when he opted to indulge her in conversation. "That would be because we have… and it is not like you to forget much, when you forget at all." A soft hum served as his only response to that. "Guardian, are you so certain that you will never be the one to end our foe?"

At this, he turned his gaze back to the stars, quietly contemplating every faint glow. She didn't doubt that he saw more, _understood_ more, about those distant lights in the heavens than she ever could. "It is… unreasonable to assume that I will be strong enough to kill it before it is too late. As you are no doubt aware, even my kind can only gain new strength so quickly."

Of course, she understood the implications. Though he wasn't looking at her, she knew he could sense how troubled she had been growing this evening. Her aura would give her away as surely as the grass was green. "But the only being out there who _is_ strong enough is…"

He cut her off, tone deceptively calm and unconcerned. "I know."

She shook her head slowly, dismayed. "If he is the one to kill that monster… he will then take the beast's place as the most powerful evil entity in existence." She looked directly at him, hoping to gauge the subtleties of his vague responses. "You would have to kill _him_ instead."

Though normally loathe to repeat himself, he soon closed his eyes and did just that. "I know." This time, the response was soft, almost pained, but the hint of emotion his voice had betrayed was hidden away no sooner than it had escaped. "But that fight is not due to take place for many, many years. Our more immediate concern is-"

"Your student, I know."

It seemed as though he actually sighed. "Yes." She watched him as he moved to stand, bracing a hand on his knee to push himself up. The purity of his white attire caused him to glow softly in the moonlight, much like those pink cherry blossoms that still littered the grass all around. In lieu of a proper farewell, he simply told her, "It is late. I need to return to A'latria."

"I understand." Shifting, she rose to her own feet. "Will you visit again?"

"Soon." From him, this simple response was a promise… One that lingered, long after he vanished.

In the silence that followed, her eyes again drifted out into the starry skies. A hand clasped lightly over her heart. _Time is running out… and he knows it._ Closing her eyes, she allowed her head to slowly dip down in sorrow once more. _Ythene, if you can hear me… Now, more than ever, we need help…_ Deep within the heavens, the light of a distant star suddenly flared bright enough that it startled her into opening her eyes. The Voice spoke then, filling her thoughts and seeming almost to smile.

 _"Young One… you needed only to ask."_

 **~保護者~**

 **816 words this time. Main story starts tomorrow, guys! The prologue is officially over now, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. :D Posted (at about 7:20 a.m.) 10-28-18.**


	6. Faces of Old

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this reunion… especially for the one who hasn't changed a bit.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, Blazing Winds! Yeah, that was a while ago, huh? Anyway, not surprised that you remember darker of those two chapters, since it's so important and all. I mean, they both are, but yeah.**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Good guess! One of those certainly _could_ be Jet. ;) You'll get your answer this chapter, don't worry. As for who the characters in that chapter were talking about, you'll learn over time. Promise. Anyway, I'm glad that you're on board, too! And I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far. :)**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **BEGINNING OF PART ONE**

 **"Faces of Old"**

 **~保護者~**

It was late in the day when Sonic awoke. Hoping to reclaim the peaceful dream he'd been having, he squeezed his eyes shut a bit tighter. Inwardly, he lamented the end of his nap. It had been so pleasant, and he'd been so tired. _That's the last time I stay awake for that long just to help Emi further perfect her racing techniques._ Stifling a yawn, he shifted a bit… and gradually came to realize how quiet it was. The inner world of the Master Emerald was always peaceful, sure, but this level of silence was… unnerving. He knew nothing could be wrong (after all, everyone here was _already_ dead), but something told him he should probably go ahead and get up.

With a sigh, Sonic ignored that little voice inside for just a bit longer. Was basking in the sun and enjoying it's warmth in peace really so much to ask? _Except… it doesn't feel as warm as before._ It took a minute of puzzling for him to actually realize that the world around him was steadily growing colder… and he could no longer feel the grass beneath him. The moment realization hit, he finally gave up on resting and sat up. When his eyes opened, they instantly widened at the spectacle of lights around him. "Holy sh- _Ythene_! _Seriously_?!" he shouted into what was rapidly becoming blank nothingness. "The hell's going on?"

The sound the infamous disembodied voice made was one Sonic swore was akin to a soft ' _tsk_ '. _"Be calm, Savior of Mobius. You are being revived."_

" _That_ much is obvious, but _why_?" Sonic exclaimed. Regaining his feet, he tried to decide whether he was more excited… or concerned. One thing was certain, though. _When I come back, Amy's gonna kill me for not saying goodbye first._

 _"A time of great darkness has arisen again,"_ was the solemn reply. _"An old ally needs your aid again, whether he knows it or not."_

Off of the top of his head, Sonic could think of five prominent figures whom he'd once been close to but whom he also knew also weren't in the emerald yet. Only three were male and that meant three distinct possibilities as to who he was being sent to. _Something tells me that I'm gonna have to find out for myself who it is, though. It isn't like I'll be told._ "You didn't give me a chance to say anything to the others," he groused like the old man he had been when he'd died… and still was. At his age, how could he even do anything to help?

 _"There was no time,"_ came the only explanation he'd get. _"The need is great for you to join the turmoil now, not later."_

This news made his stomach churn a bit, even as soothing waves of light washed over him over and over again. "It's that bad, huh…?"

 _"No,"_ Ythene remarked blandly. _"It is worse."_

 _Coming from a being affected only by logic and not emotion… that's… bad._ "Ythene, _look_ at me!" he protested. "How can I possibly-"

His words were cut off almost immediately. _"Look at yourself,"_ Ythene responded with the barest inflection of tone.

Confused anew, Sonic glanced down and saw nothing terribly different. Bemused, he sought another means of doing what he'd been told when it occurred to him that he was wearing his communicator. Using the dormant screen as a mirror, he looked upon his face for the first time in several months… and was startled to see a twenty-one-year old him staring back. "You- You-" he stuttered, too stunned to formulate an adequate response.

 _"Magic,"_ was the almost smug response. And then there was silence.

Sonic smothered a sigh in favor of grumbling some choice words under his breath, then switched gears. _Pretty sure revival doesn't normally take this long. Actually, I think it's supposed to be more or less instantaneous._ Glancing around, he came to a quick conclusion. _Something tells me that this mess, whatever it is, will be a lot worse than Ythene bothered to hint at… hence the rush to start reviving me. So why's it taking so long?_ Thinking it best to try to savor these last few moments of quiet before he was thrown into whatever was waiting for him once this process was complete, he closed his eyes.

That was when the voices started. The first one earned a frown from him, one borne of confusion. The voice was that of a young boy he knew he'd never heard before, and the alarm carried in that tone alarmed Sonic as a result. But what really stunned the hedgehog was the mention of a name - or, rather, a title - that he hadn't heard anything about in millennia. _"Guardian! Guardian! The Tel'or are here!"_

The second voice, one that Sonic couldn't _not_ know, sent his eyes flying open. _"Take shelter. Now."_

There was the first voice again, replying with a quick, _"R-right!"_

An explosion shattered the fragile remnants of Sonic's earlier peace as he was dumped quite unceremoniously into fresh snow. _Gah, snow! Must it always be snow?!_ Scrambling to his feet, Sonic looked around, expecting to see the fight unfolding around him, only to be met with more silence. Uncertainty plagued him as he pushed himself up and to his feet. Snow billowed around him, the frigid winds making him shiver. Already, he missed the warmth he had been enjoying so recently. Hugging himself to maintain body heat, he trudged on through the snow. Following his ears, he hoped to find evidence of the fight he was pretty sure he'd begun to hear before he'd been fully revived - an explosion, the shriek of clashing blades, _anything_. But there was nothing. Everything was still. _Did I… No, don't be stupid, I couldn't have imagined that. But then why is everything so…?_ A fang found his lower lip. _It's too damn quiet._

Continuing his slow walk, he gradually found himself impeded by yet more snow. Squinting up at the sky, he read the clouds and determined that a storm was coming. With no shelter in sight, he feared how high his chances of freezing to death might soon get. _If the temperatures get too low, I'm sunk. I'm like dad, built for heat. Mom and Silver are better suited for an environment like this._ With chattering teeth, he fought to discern anything through the snow flurries, and suddenly made out the faint outline of… a castle?

 _No way is there a castle out here._ He picked up the pace and hurried forward. The illusion, or what he'd first believed to be an illusion, failed to fade. Surprise made Sonic's right ear flick. _...Okay… so there is a castle… but why?_ Driven by the need for shelter, he made the decision to press forward. With ears strained to pick up any sound, he walked and listened… and walked and listened… and walked and listened some more. Eventually, he was just able to make out a child's voice right as a heavy pair of double metal doors came into view. Though he'd only heard the voice once, he recognized it immediately as the voice of the boy he'd heard earlier. As he stepped closer, he began to make out words… and those words were not the ones he expected to hear.

"Hold on- Someone's… someone's _here_. I'll call you back."

After that, silence. _Question is, is that good or bad?_ Sonic had only barely began to gather up the courage to knock when, suddenly, the door on the left cracked open. To his astonishment, the boy before him was clearly Babylonian. His feathers were the color of a blue sky near dusk, his eyes the color of pure amber. The outfit he was wearing was, for lack of a better description, a hooded cloak that was long enough to end just above his ankles. It was dark purple and adorned with thin metal-platings that seemed to act both as decoration - and as light armor. The adornments rose up in the pattern of flames from the lowest edges of the robe about midway down the child's shins, golden color glinting in the light. A quick glance to abandoned hood showed that the entire opening was ringed by smaller versions of these dame decorations. Even the boots matched.

The boy's voice called Sonic out of his thoughts. "Who _are_ you? And how did you _get_ here?"

Sonic reached up and ran a hand over the back of his head, fingers running through his hair. "That's hard to explain, um…" He hesitated, but only long enough to recall the other voice he'd heard earlier, he asked, "Listen… is Jet here?" The boy stared at him, shocked and confused, eyes unfaltering in their scrutiny. He seemed… mature, for his age. Frighteningly so. But perhaps that was just Sonic's eyes and mind playing games with him. He repeated his question. "Is Jet here?"

When the reply finally came, it was said as more of a statement than a question. "You're him."

Ears twitched, betraying his lack of understanding. "'Him'?" he echoed.

"You." A finger pointed, accusing, then the hand it belonged to dropped back to the boy's side. "You're him. _Him_. The one he used to talk about."

"You're… talking about Jet?"

A nod. Curt. Rushing to the point. "No random stranger would know Guardian's actual name, let alone a random hedgehog. It's been _ages_ since he's been back to-" He paused, shook his head, then continued. "You're supposed to be dead."

At this, Sonic managed a wry sort of smile. "I still am, technically. I was revived, sure, but not fully. A person only ever gets about three full revivals, ever. Maybe four. And when someone is revived, it takes a while for their life-force to _fully_ return to them."

The boy shook his head. "I've seen your grave."

"I _am_ still dead. Just not exactly."

"If it wasn't for the fact that I'm used to Guardian's riddles, I'd say that you were being ridiculously confusing."

"Sorry about that." Sonic glanced up at the distant and high roofs of this isolated castle. "Do I have to ask my question again, or…?"

This made the boy shake his head again. "No. I…" He paused, sighed. "No, you don't. I'm sorry. This is just… more than I'd expected."

Sonic could hardly disagree with that statement. _I think this is more than either of us bargained for today._

"Anyway, he isn't here. Not right now, at least. Maybe if you'd come earlier…" He moved, stepping away from the door he had opened as though to let Sonic in. "But he'll be back," he stated with confidence, "once it's safe again."

Taking the unspoken invitation, Sonic stepped out of the cold and into the surprising warmth of the castle. "I didn't sense any danger," he admitted. He chose not to mention the things he'd _heard_ earlier.

"Well, they weren't exactly _here_ ," was the shrugging reply. The door closed with scarcely a sound. "The enemies, I mean. They were just beyond the barriers, out in space."

"Barriers?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah. They're what keeps this place safe." The boy paused, giving Sonic another scrutinizing look. "And usually keep visitors out."

Sonic's hands raised almost defensively. "It's not like I _flew_ here or something. I just _appeared_ here. It wasn't something I could control." That just earned a shrug from the boy. Sonic glanced around the large front room, somehow unsurprised by the extensive collection of books within it and the mild clutter they created. There were quite a number of shelves full of them, a table with several stacks atop its smooth surface, a sort of sofa with two more piles resting on its cushions, and even multiple stacks on the floor between the two pieces of furniture. "Guess he still loves to read."

The boy glanced about as well, as though noticing for the first time in a while the semi-organized chaos around them. "Yeah, but so do I. Some of those books are mine."

Emerald eyes landed on a faded manuscript left open on the table. Words spread across the pages in a language he had no hope of deciphering or recognizing. "Are you a student or something?" he found himself asking.

"More like an apprentice," the boy hedged. "He used to call me a _te'naki_ sometimes."

"Guessing that word itself means 'apprentice', then," Sonic ventured

"In an old language," the boy agreed. There was a lull in the conversation for a time before he asked, "Your name. It _is_ Sonic, isn't it?"

A smile tugged at Sonic's lips. _So he was told about me. About us, probably. Amy and the others, too._ "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

Apparently satisfied, the boy nodded. "Mine is Cadora."

"Definitely a Babylonian sort of name," Sonic chuckled.

Cadora gave another nod, this one of agreement. He shuffled his feet, suddenly shy and perhaps uncertain. "Guardian says my mother picked it for me."

Sensing the sudden onset of sadness, Sonic sought to turn the conversation elsewhere for now. "Why don't you just call him by his name?"

"He's always been 'Guardian' to me," Cadora shrugged, "ever since I can remember. And, besides that, it's his title. Sort of like calling a teacher 'sensei'. And besides that, it's isn't as though he's my father or something. There's nothing else really _for_ me to call him."

A memory from earlier tugged at the fringes of Sonic's mind, soft but insistent. _Something about the Nocturne War… Ix said something… Something about a… a Sixth Guardian, I think…_

"You do plan to stay, don't you?" The question was just sudden enough to startle Sonic out of his thoughts. "Guardian will want to see you. ...Though, he may not let onto it much."

Something about that last comment made Sonic smirk fondly. _That sounds like the Jet I remember._ "I'm sticking around," he assured. "Trust me, I want to see him, too. We were best friends, once upon a time."

Yet another nod. "He's told me."

Suddenly curious, Sonic leaned against the table and asked, "What else has he told you?"

"Many things." Moving aside some books, Cadora claimed a seat on the sofa's right cushion. "Too many things to recount or remember forever. They used to be just stories to me then, when I was little, so I didn't try terribly hard to keep them in mind. By the time I understood how real they were, I'd let most of them slip pretty far away." He shifted to get more comfortable, then murmured, "It's been a long time since he's told me any of those stories." Sonic tried to think of a response, but stopped when Cadora looked him square in the eyes. "But I do remember one thing."

Emerald eyes blinked. "What's that?"

"That if ever anyone wanted a dangerous break from the monotony of 'ordinary' life, _you_ were the person to hang around."

Silence settled as Sonic took in these words and sifted through their multiple meanings. Then, suddenly, he found a laugh bubbling forth. He could feel Cadora watching him, possibly confused, but his merriment was too great to let it go right away in order to explain. When he eventually could talk again, he offered one lame piece of the explanation the teenager seemed to be wanting. "When he and I were kids, maybe about your age, he and I used to make very similar claims about each other all about the time. Life rarely got boring for us, but when it did… well, we each have always had a knack for finding trouble or otherwise drawing it to ourselves, whether we meant to or not." Slowly, his head tilted back eyes drifted up to the ceiling. Still smiling, he murmured, "It's nice to know that there are things he hasn't forgotten, even after so much time has passed."

"Guardian doesn't forget much," Cadora revealed with an audible smile of his own, though his was smaller. "And what he _does_ forget is usually by choice. Things like nightmares and such."

"He still has those, huh?"

"Yeah. He never says what they're about, though."

"Trust me, if they're still about the same things as they used to be, you're better off never knowing."

"That's what the Lady Mother told me."

Confusion prompted Sonic to look at him again. "'Lady Mother'?"

Cadora shifted again. "Sometimes she's just called the Mother, or the Mother Tree." Expression blank with deepening confusion, Sonic merely stared at him. It was with a sigh that Cadora gave in and divulged, "She's the mother of the Gardenian people, their protector. She used to be the last one of them, but her roots dug deep. Her seeds fostered new life."

"Gardenian?" Sonic asked slowly. The name was unfamiliar to him.

A nod, almost eager. Bright curiosity and enjoyment shone in young eyes. "They're _plant_ people."

In an instant, memories slapped Sonic hard in the face. "Cosmo's people?" he breathed, not expecting Cadora to hear nor answer. But an answer was just what he got.

His own eyes now a touch wider than before, Cadora asked, "You know her name?"

"...She named a descendant after herself?" Sonic asked slowly. "Or someone else did?"

This time, Cadora gave a vigorous shake of his head. "No! Cosmo is… Cosmo. No one else is."

The explanation was sorely lacking in, well, _explanation_ , but Sonic followed anyhow. The implications of it struck him hard, as did the disbelief that surged within him. "She _can't_ still be alive. She's not an Immortal."

"She doesn't have to be," Cadora answered. "Some mortal races have abnormally long lifespans. Your own race, the Tokarians - you know, non-Mobian hedgehogs that _live_ on Mobius - , are an example of that. But some live lives far longer than even that. Her race is one of the longest-lived in existence. And, besides that, there are ways to live for _ages_ beyond your lifespan without that sort of thing on your side, anyway."

Stunned, Sonic could only think to ask, "It's… actually her, then?"

"There's no one else it _could_ be," was the firm reply, "especially since Guardian knows who she is. _Really_ knows. He told me a story once about her, too, something involving robotic enemies named after plants and an evil prince from another timeline and stuff like that. If anyone would know her, it would be him."

 _Because he's also still alive… and he pays attention to the things that matter to him. Always._ Swallowing hard, Sonic dared to ask, "Who else is still around? People from my time."

"I don't know, exactly," Cadora admitted readily. "I mean, I know some of his allies and stuff, but I don't know if any of them lived that long ago." He stopped for a second, then reiterated, "Guardian would be a better person to ask. He'd know."

For some reason, Sonic sighed. "Yeah… I suppose he would."

Cadora slid off of the couch. "Come on, I'll show you were the kitchen is."

Mood already lightening back up some, Sonic managed a smile and moved to follow the boy. "Because you're hungry, or because you think _I_ am?"

Unabashed, Cadora replied, "Both."

Chuckling to himself, Sonic followed the young apprentice toward the promise of a meal.

 **~保護者~**

Feeling hazy, Sonic squeezed his eyes shut tighter than they had been and turned his head from one side to the other. It took a rather long period of vague contemplation for him to realize that he could feel something sort of… poky against his face. It took even longer for him to understand what the pokiness really was, an understanding that only hit him when he heard birdsong overhead. _I'm… outside? …So… this is… grass?_ Shifting, he braced his hands on the ground and, with a groan, forced himself to sit up. Once he was up, he opened his eyes.

Sure enough, the ground around him was covered in thick, luscious grass. There were trees all around. Flicky birds flitted about overhead, filling the otherwise empty air with their merry tunes. Some of the haze lifting from his oddly tired mind, Sonic looked around. _Where is this? ...A forest, obviously, but… where? This can't be anywhere near that castle, can it? It was extremely snowy there, kind of… everywhere._ Rubbing a hand on his head as though that alone would clear it, he stood up and looked around some more. Once he did that, a new thought occurred to him. _Wait… Flickies?_ There was a small pause, then realization slapped him in the face. _Those are only on Mobius!_

Eyes wide, he dashed up a tree, coming to a stop on the highest sturdy branch he could find. With this new vantage point, he attempted to try to determine where he was. _With how long it's been, though, there's no telling how much this place has changed. I can't even tell where I am from here. It's just a forest._ He looked around for a moment longer, then zeroed in on a very distant mountain range in the distance. _That would make a better vantage point, being higher and all. ...In theory, at any rate._ Mind made, he jumped down out of the tree and, after taking a second to snag a fruit off of a low-hanging branch, he took off across the land. Taking a bite, he smiled to himself. _There. That feels better._

With a fairly minor increase in speed, Sonic made it to the mountain range in less than three minutes. The timing pleased him enough to make him smile again, but the sight of some snow in the distance made that quickly falter. He was forced to question, of course, how he was _here_ now and not where he had been before. _Was that even real?_ he found himself wondering as he began to ascend the nearest mountain. _That boy I met, Cadora… what happened to him? How did I end up here?_ Now feeling troubled, he reached out to Ythene in the hopes of receiving an answer. But, of course, there was nothing. _Of course not._

Sighing to himself, he slowed to a stop atop the relatively small mountain's slightly frosted peak. _Hm… looks like this forest is a lot larger than I thought,_ he decided as he peered down at the land below. He turned slowly and then paused again, squinting in an attempt to see further away. This was a process he had to repeat several times before he actually saw something in the distance. _Is that a house?_ Though he squinted harder, even going so far as to lean forward and shadow his eyes as though that would help, he was unable to make out any useful details of whatever he was seeing. _Ythene, did you drop me near someone?_ Several moments passed, and he sighed. _Still ignoring me, I see._ Predictably, there was no response. With a huff, he let the matter go and took off.

Before too long, Sonic made it to the home he had seen in the distance. It was nothing especially remarkable, he decided, but there was a young couple working in a garden outside of it so he called out to them. After an awkward beginning and some half-explanations as to how and why he was lost in the woods, the pair genially agreed to provide him with a map so that he could orient himself and determine where he was. It was an amazing piece of holographic technology, as it turned out, and he secretly scanned it into his communicator. Then, with a cheery farewell, they took their map back and he took his leave.

Alone again in the woods, Sonic opened the scan of the map on his communicator. "Looks like it's a map of this whole continent," he mumbled to himself. "It's going by a different name now, but with how large it is… this has gotta be Yueisha. The continent most of us used to live on. It's even roughly the same shape, somehow…" His eyes roamed over the image on his screen. "Jeez, this place has changed… There are cities and towns and even villages _everywhere_ , even where there used to be nothing but nature. Let's see…"

Zooming in with his fingers, Sonic began reading the names of settlements that now occupied the areas where his family and friends had once lived. As he did so, he continued his trek through the forest, which he quickly determined was a new one in a place where there hadn't been one during his time. Namely, it sat smack-dab in the middle of the huge area the city of Station Square had once occupied. That meant he was on the east coast, a detail which helped immensely when it came to orienting himself.

He read for a fair bit of time, reminiscing about old locations and working on memorizing new ones, until one caught his eye. _"Century City"... It's right where Future City used to be._ Zooming in further, he was able to gain a holographic view of what the city itself actually looked like from above. The appearance caught his attention further. _It looks a lot like Future City did… only even more high tech than before, of course. ...Damn… the tower where Wave, Jet, and Storm used to live is even still there._ He started to head that way, only to pause when he zoomed back out of the screen.

Not terribly many miles to the west from where he was was the area where little Leaf Forest had once been. It seemed there was still some woods there, but it had no formal name attached to it. Just a nickname in quotation marks. _"Iridescent Woods"... It's definitely in the same place that Leaf Forest used to be._ He lifted his head, looking that way even though he had no chance of seeing the woods from here. _That's w_ _here Tails used to live._ Teeth sank into his lower lip. _He never appeared in the Master Emerald with us. He was still around when I died, and I was the last to go. He did age a bit, but he didn't die because his mutations were keeping him alive._ He bit harder, winced at the pain, then quickly released his lip. His mind still raced. _What are the chances that he might still be here, let alone there, specifically?_ Heart pounding, he decided to head there instead of the futuristic city. If there was any chance that there was a friend there, he was going to take it.

After turning of his communicator's screen, Sonic took off toward the wooded area he had once known so well. He reflected, as he went, how he had first met Tails in Leaf Forest all those years ago. _How fitting it would be to first meet him there and later reunite with him in the same place, but… really, what are the odds?_ His heart pounded a bit harder. With hope, with anticipation, with stupid, pointless nerves… But more than anything else, he held onto that hope. It took wonderfully little time to reach his destination, even with him not running anywhere near his full speed, and he slowed to a stop.

He nearly froze as soon as he saw it. Standing before him was a _blissfully_ familiar home and workshop, both clearly still in near-immaculate condition. Neither had experienced any degradation or anything else and both showed signs of recent occupation. Both doors were open. Lights were on deep inside the workshop, shining out from the door. Faint sounds of movement were emanating from the house. Though he hardly dare to breathe, as though the slightest exhalation would banish the illusion before him, he stepped forward toward the house and weakly called out, "T… Tails?"

More movement. There was a bump, and something fell. Then there were footsteps. Something near to the door was pushed noisily aside and then… him. Looking nearly as young as ever, maybe a year or two older, _he_ stepped into view in the doorway. Rectangular black-framed glasses rested over bright blue eyes. A flowing labcoat covered his body, doing nothing to disguise the twin tails idly moving behind him. His gloves were white on the backs, but the front halves were black. His shoes were different, too, with the white and red patterns different than before. The tips of his ears had darkened to blackness. Where his yellow fur had once met the white fur of his twin tails was a somewhat jagged ring of more black. A triangle of the same color marked the back of each arm, with the base somewhere under the gloves and the points extending out to about midway to his elbows. The same thing happened on his legs (more specifically, from the ankles to across the shins) with the points ending midway to his knees. He was so different in appearance, and yet… Tails was still _Tails_.

Clearly in shock, the fox pulled his glasses off. Then, in spite of his shock, he smiled. "Sonic…? Oh my god… it's you?"

Too shocked to say much, Sonic just mumbled a small, "Yeah… Yeah, it's me."

Instead of asking anything else more specific, the inventor just gestured for Sonic to come inside and inquired, "When?"

"Uh… this morning. I think." Lame explanation aside, Sonic really _wasn't_ sure how long he'd been revived. It all depended on whether or not his encounter with Cadora earlier that day had been real or not. And he simply didn't know if it had been. However, he brushed that matter aside in favor of taking Tails up on his offer and stepping inside. They had a lot of catching up to do.

Tails followed Sonic inside. "You're _young_ again," he commented quietly. "How? Ythene?"

"Yeah," Sonic responded just as quietly. He managed a small but wry smile. "Feels nice not being an old coot for a while."

"You _were_ old, but never an old coot," Tails laughed. "Senile and eccentric _hardly_ were accurate descriptions of your golden years. _Crotchety_ , however-"

"Hey, now," Sonic cut in, already laughing as well. Whatever awkwardness and tension there might have been was rapidly dissolving into nothing. "I was never crotchety. _Storm_ on the other hand…"

"You were _both_ cranky old farts," Tails responded in sheer amusement, folding up his glasses in his hands. "Seriously, if you two had been old at the same time and could've found the energy to beat each other with your canes, you would've."

"I never used a cane!" Sonic protested, albeit with another laugh. "And neither did he, come to think of it. He had a staff, remember?"

"Aw, same difference," Tails joked. He set his glasses on a nearby table.

"Hardly." At Tails's unspoken invitation, Sonic took a seat in a nearby chair. He gestured to the glasses while Tails also took a seat and changed the subject. "You actually need those now?"

"Yeah," Tails smiled, "but not for the reason you're probably thinking. See, remember how I developed that weird power not long before you death that allows me to see at the microscopic level?" Sonic nodded. "Well, I _still_ can't always prevent the power from activating by itself which, as you might imagine, causes problems when I'm trying to just see normal things. I use these glasses to keep my eyes focused so that I can see normally when I need to." Tails offered him a smile. "So, needless to say, my glasses _look_ normal but aren't."

"Kinda like how your home and workshop look about the same as they ever did… but almost certainly are very, very different."

"Yeah, exactly."

"And what about you?" Sonic leaned back in his chair. "Your fur, I mean. I can understand the change in gloves and the like, but your fur?"

"Oh, that?" Tails glanced at his right arm. "Well, it's pretty normal for fox fur to darken as we age, but in my case… I think the more dramatic darkening, and the appearance of a whole new color, can be attributed to my mutations. From the radiation, as you may recall."

"Right… that's how you got so many odd new abilities," Sonic murmured thoughtfully. "...And how you're able to regenerate so much that you barely age."

A nod. "Yeah, exactly." Tails offered another smile. He seemed full of those, just as he'd been in the past. It was a wonderful revelation. "So you do remember."

"Yeah, a bit, but you've gotta take into account how _long_ it's been," Sonic replied sheepishly. "And I was _old_ , so my memory retaining abilities were hardly great. Cut me some slack."

"Alright, if you insist." Tails tossed Sonic yet another smile. "It's great to see you Sonic, really. We've missed you terribly. All of you guys."

"'We'?" Sonic found himself immediately questioning instead of commenting on the rest of what Tails had said. "You mean you and Jet?"

"Yes, but not just us," Tails answered.

 _Right… Cadora said Cosmo's still around, too. ...Assuming that conversation actually happened._ Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Tails stood.

"Come on," the fox invited. "I have an appointment to keep, but why don't you come with me?"

"Appointment?" Sonic echoed.

"Yep," Tails smiled. He picked his glasses up off of the table and slipped them back on. "I have someone I'm supposed to help today, but you'll want to tag along. Trust me."

Sonic stood up and watched as Tails grabbed a box-like case by the handle and lifted it off of the table where his glasses had been resting. "Okay… why?"

This time, Tails's smile held a sort of secret… and a promise. "You'll see. Now, come on. We'll never get there in decent time on foot, or at least _I_ won't, so we'll have to use a teleporter."

"I can teleport us," Sonic pointed out even as he moved to join his old friend.

"You've only just been revived today," Tails responded evenly, "and I don't want you to push yourself. You might exhaust yourself without meaning to."

Though Sonic sighed, he ultimately decided not to argue that point. "Yeah, alright. Let's go."

In response, Tails walked reached back to the table, grabbed a tiny device, and activated it. Just like that, they disappeared. In less than a second, they reappeared. "Okay, we're here," Tails announced almost cheerily. Pocketing his device, he laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder and turned him around to face a huge military compound. "The people here can be pretty gruff and cranky, just to warn you, but just keep your chin up and don't let them get under your skin. They're not looking for trouble or anything."

"O... _kay_ ," Sonic responded slowly. "But why are we _here_ , exactly?"

"You'll see." With this chipper reply, Tails released Sonic's shoulder and just… walked right in.

Gaping, Sonic hurried after him. "Tails, we can't just _walk into_ a place like this!" he hissed. The doors closed themselves behind him and locked firmly.

"Sure we can." Tails started off down a hall. "First of all, we just did. Second of all, I do it by myself all the time." Sonic stared at him. "And if you're wondering how I don't get shot or whatever," the fox continued, "it's because I know the guy who controls this place. And all the other military branches, bases, and everything else on Mobius. He's who we're going to see."

Still unconvinced, Sonic dubiously inquired, "And who's he?"

Once more, the response was infuriatingly vague and simple. "You'll see, Sonic."

Sighing to himself, Sonic opted to continue following in temporary silence. _Whoever this person is better not be an ass or I'll have to kick some._ Once the thought ended, he mentally paused for a second. _...Guess I'm still a bit cranky. Hm._ He gave that some further thought for a few moments and then let the matter go. Side by side with Tails, he walked down innumerable halls, none of which he paid much attention to. His mind was preoccupied with attempting to determine exactly who they were going to meet and why Tails seemed so convinced that he'd _want_ to meet this person. _It stands to reason that this is probably some friend of his, or at least an ally. So that's something kind of positive, I guess._ "How much further, Tails?"

"Not much," the fox answered. "We just need to get out to one of the training areas. He spends a ton of time in those. We'll go somewhere more private after that."

"And we need privacy because…?"

"Because I have to help fix something that others don't really need to know much about. And probably don't care to see."

Annoyed by the overall unhelpful responses, Sonic tossed his old friend a dour look. "You're being deliberately ambiguous," he accused.

"How very astute of you," Tails smiled. Clearly, he wasn't bothered by Sonic's attitude. "However, I won't be for that much longer, I promise." Turning his head, he gave the hedgehog a playful wink. "I just enjoy surprising people sometimes."

"You're impossible," Sonic sighed, turning his attention back to the front.

"Not at all," Tails responded in kind. "I'm merely improbable."

"The hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Think about it."

Before Sonic could even think of a halfway-decent reply, Tails walked ahead of him a couple feet. By bypassing numerous security measures that Sonic honestly couldn't describe, the fox got the doors open and stepped outside. As Sonic followed, he couldn't help but wonder, _Why is it that the building itself looks so much like something I'd recognize from my time and yet the tech within is so vastly different?_

"Come on," Tails urged when Sonic's steps lagged. "Pretty sure he's out here."

Sonic glanced about the surprisingly huge space. "How can you tell? There's gotta be at least a thousand people out here. ...And that might be an understatement."

"Oh, it is," Tails assured with a small laugh. "And I suppose that it's just a gut feeling. Instinct, perhaps, though I don't think I'm much prone to such experiences." He led the way through the (somehow) very spread out groups of people, not paying much attention as they all trained with weapons and devices Sonic couldn't even begin to recognize. He seemed to sense Sonic's growing confusion and mingling curiosity, but he volunteered no explanations. And, for now, Sonic didn't ask. Instead, the pair just trekked along in relative silence. That silence lasted for so long, however, right up until Tails stopped, pointed, and smiled. "There." Blinking, Sonic turned his head to look… and completely stopped.

Emerald eyes stared as a futuristic gun-like weapon the size of a handgun was lifted and fired three times in rapid succession. Almost holographic creatures fell "dead" with each shot, all sporting holes in the centers of their heads before they vanished in small flashes of digital light and code. But that wasn't why Sonic gaped, nor was it why he stopped walking. _No way is that…_ Twirling the gun idly in their right hand, the subject of Sonic's shocked scrutiny turned smoothly to look at him and Tails. The shoes, hair, and everything else about them were just the same as Sonic remembered. Even his eyes… those crimson eyes… _No way is he…_

"Hey, Shadow," Tails greeted brightly. That calm yet dark gaze shifted to him. "Look who finally joined us again."

Those eyes slid back to Sonic. "...Hn."

Unconcerned by the lack of significant reply, Tails suggested, "Shall we head inside?"

This time, the response he was given involved actual words instead of just a vague hum. "Yes." Walking past Sonic, Shadow simply told him, "Close your mouth before a bug flies in."

Somehow, this managed to snap Sonic out of it. "W- _Hey_! The hell kind of a 'hello' is _that_?!" he demanded, jogging after his half-brother. Laughing, Tails hurried after the pair.

"A better one than staring like a fool," Shadow snipped.

"You're seriously calling _me_ a fool?"

"I know you didn't go deaf in your old age. You heard me."

" _Look here_ , you rotten bastard-"

"Shut it."

Sonic huffed and crossed his arms. "And Tails said _I_ was crotchety…" Tails covered his mouth to hide another laugh.

This time it was Shadow who huffed. "Because you were. And apparently still are."

"I am not," Sonic glowered.

"And you've given me _no_ reason to believe that," Shadow returned smoothly as the three of them went back inside. They entered through the same doors Tails had opened earlier. He tossed the fox a look then and added, "I told you to stop shutting off the security protocols on my doors."

"Sorry," Tails smiled sheepishly. "It's just faster that way, and he was getting impatient."

"Oi, don't blame this on _me_ ," Sonic cut in. Shadow didn't deign to comment and, for a time, there was silence. They turned a corner down an unfamiliar hall and started down it. Only when they turned into another corridor did Sonic pick up the dropped thread of conversation. "By the way, I seem to recall that you have _always_ been crotchety yourself, Shadow."

"Rumors," Shadow responded immediately.

Much to his amazement, Sonic couldn't tell if his half-brother was being serious or if he was actually… joking. "No, I don't think so. I witnessed your supreme moodiness myself, remember."

"By your seventies, you were by _far_ among the crankiest people in the group," Shadow retorted. He cut Sonic a glance as Tails once more stifled some laughs at their expense. "Evidently, that hasn't changed much."

 _Body of a young adult, mind of the same old coot who died in bed nearly alone… Thanks, Ythene._ "I bet you just missed me," Sonic declared haughtily, though he was mostly joking. Yet, Shadow didn't outright deny it, choosing instead to just look ahead again and continue walking. Astonished by the implications, Sonic let his arms drop to his sides. "Wait, _did_ you?"

Apparently realizing his small error, Shadow replied with an immediate and firm, "No."

Tails finally piped up again, this time taking Sonic's side. "I dunno, Shadow," he grinned, "you don't hesitate to deny things normally, especially when your answer really _is_ 'no'. Hesitation can often be a rather clear sign of someone lying."

Now Shadow gave them both one of his signature glares. " _Drop_ it, or I'll vaporize you both."

Tails waved him off. Literally. "Eh, I'd just regenerate eventually. And I doubt you'd have the heart to use one of your fancy guns on your own family." Now Sonic was smirking, feeling triumphant.

"Shut it," Shadow muttered, choosing in the end to not say anything else about it.

Sonic decided that, while it was strange as all _hell_ that Shadow was so mellow and open now... well, it was actually sort of a nice change. _Who knew the day would come when the words "Shadow" and "mellow" could exist in the same sentence without "is not" separating the two?_ Smirking just a touch wider, he wisely decided to hold his tongue and not share that little thought with either of his companions.

Together, the pair walked into a spacious room that, to Sonic, looked a lot like one of Tails's old workshops. Or even Wave's. When he asked about it, Tails told him, "Oh, that's because this _is_ mine. It's the space I work in when I'm here. I design and build a lot of the things that these armies use, including but not limited to weapons, ships, defensive technology, and medical devices. Kind of like I used to do for you and the others, way back in the day." Turning to Shadow, he added, "Come on, let's get this done. I'm willing to bet you have other things you'd rather be doing."

"Hn," Shadow allowed vaguely, taking a seat on some kind of a nearby chair.

While Tails busied himself with setting down the case he'd grabbed earlier and opening it, Sonic opted to lean against the table Shadow was sitting at. "So what exactly are you two doing?"

In response, Shadow set down the weapon he'd been holding and stiffly released it. He turned his hand over so that his palm was facing the ceiling. "I am a sort of cyborg, as you may recall," he said, voice a touch quieter than normal. When he attempted to open his fingers past their resting position, Sonic heard a painful sound like metal grinding harshly against metal that made him wince. Shadow's fingers failed to extend like they should have. "As with any… machinery… the parts in me need to be maintained and, at times, replaced." Though Sonic knew this, the reminder was welcome. It had, after all, been a _very_ long time.

Frowning, Sonic walked over and, taking a chance he knew _he_ at least would survive because they were family, he lifted Shadow's hand in one of his own. "Damn… that sounded bad. How long has your hand been like this?" He inspected the hand closely, noting just how stiff and inflexible it currently was.

"He told me it's been weeks, with it steadily worsening day by day." Tails walked over, usual smile gone in the face of a stern frown. "I still say that, trouble or no trouble, you should have called me _immediately_ when this started happening. It'd have been more manageable early on."

"I hardly had the _time_ ," Shadow retorted. He pulled his hand away from Sonic, though not roughly, and set it back on the table. Sonic opted to turn away, not wanting to watch as Tails set about carefully opening up Shadow's hand to get to the problem.

"Next time, _make_ time," Tails scolded, "because you had better believe that you'd be facing a _far_ harsher tongue lashing right now if it was Jet who'd gotten your message and not me. You're _lucky_ that he's been so busy."

Sonic's head snapped to face Tails. "You've been in contact with Jet?" he demanded sharply.

Tails chanced a quick glance up at him. "Yeah, off and on over the years. But it's been quite a few decades since any of us have last heard from him. Like I said, he's been busy."

"'Any of us'...?" Sonic questioned, breathless.

"Not all have died," Shadow told him softly. "A few remain."

Though he hardly dared to ask, Sonic did so anyway. Because, though he felt like he should have known, it wasn't like he did. Considering the fact that a person's soul could "sleep" (so to speak) for so many eons or longer after death - as both of his parents' souls had when they had first died in ancient times - before appearing within the Master Emerald, and that the inside of said emerald was as large as Mobius itself… there was just no way for him to know for certain at any point who was dead and who wasn't. Not while he himself was dead. "...Who…?"

"Aside from us and Jet, there really are only a few," Tails told him. "But we all do have a _reason_ for being alive still, if nothing else. For us three, it should be obvious. Jet's an Immortal, so the chances of him dying permanently are… well, slim isn't near a strong enough word. I'm only still here because my radiation mutated me enough to give me new abilities, as you know, thus allowing for things such as regeneration. And Shadow's a cyborg, so as long as all the implants in his heart and brain and whatnot are kept in working order and replaced whenever better technology comes around… well, there's no telling how long he might be able to stick around. Really, there's no telling how long _any_ of us might be able to keep surviving."

Unable to think of any adequate reply, Sonic nodded. _That all makes sense, but…_

Not yet finished, Tails continued. "Aside from us, Wave is still around, as are her father and younger brother. Not sure if you ever personally met either of them. But you do remember what her dad is, right?"

Honestly, Sonic _did_ vaguely recall that Wave wasn't pure Babylonian, but his memories from that long ago were kind of hazy at best right now. "Not… really," he admitted. "Something that _looks_ Babylonian but isn't is all I remember."

"The term is 'Hexan'," Tails supplied, "so named because of that race's notoriety for their love of hexes and extreme magical ability and might, among other things. They _also_ happen to be among the longest-lived mortal races in existence."

Understanding came easily with that statement. "Like Cosmo's people."

Blue eyes glanced up at him briefly. "Yeah, exactly like them. Though, one does live longer than the other. Not sure which one."

"The point is," Shadow cut in, "even being half-breeds, Wave and Alec have immense lifespans as well. They are young yet."

"Are they here, too?" Sonic asked quickly. "On Mobius, I mean."

"As often as they are not," Tails answered. "Wave and Alec tend to spend a lot of time in Han's, her father's, home realm. It goes by the popular nickname of 'The Lost Hex'."

While still processing this, Sonic risked a glance down at what Tails was doing. His stomach churned slightly at the sight of his friend carefully working in and around tissues and whatnot to repair whatever was wrong with Shadow's mostly mechanized (on the inside, at least) right hand. Amazingly, Shadow seemed to feel no pain from the procedure. Sonic quickly looked away again. "Is that everyone who's left?"

Tails and Shadow traded a look so quick and so brief that Sonic nearly missed it. "Not quite," the fox started to reply.

Shadow cut in and supplied the answer. "Espio is alive."

Memories of his half-brother's old friendship with the chameleon flooded Sonic's mind, as well as memories of Espio's crippling injuries and his numerous lost memories. But _nothing_ came to mind that could even remotely explain him still being _alive_. "How?" he breathed.

"That… we don't know. Not exactly." Tails frowned slightly in concentration. "Jet's sort of explained it before, but only vaguely. We really just don't know."

"Is there any chance that we could go see them?" Sonic questioned, beyond hopeful.

"Yeah, just let me finish up here." Tails tossed his friend a smile. "It'd be fastest for us to see Espio first, so we'll do that."

Sonic was satisfied and even pleased with that answer, so he nodded. "Where's he at these days? And, for that matter, where is _this_?"

"Espio still lives up in the mountains of the far north, where old Hyale used to be," Tails replied. "And this place is where one of the old G.U.N. bases used to stand in White Jungle. Though, this place isn't called that these days."

 _Well, it's no jungle anymore. It's barely even much of a forest._ Emerald eyes cut a glance at Shadow. "You used to have a bit of a love-hate relationship with White Jungle and all its mud and bugs and shit. I remember you trained here as often as you griped about the whole place. What made you stick around?"

At this, Shadow offered a one-shouldered shrug. "Familiarity can be its own comfort."

This comment made Sonic's eyebrows draw together in thought. "...Which, I'm guessing, is why you both opted to to live in buildings that look so much like the kind we'd all be able to recognize from the time before myself and the others died." Shadow nodded. Sonic posed a new, more lighthearted question a few moments later. "That also why you haven't bothered to change your outfit after all these years?"

"Oh, he has," Tails cut in. "He just switches back sometimes."

"Ah." Sonic turned his head to gaze out a nearby window.

"Anyway," Tails continued, "I'm nearly finished here. Just give me a few more minutes and we can go."

"Alright."

In the ensuing silence, Tails really got to work and Sonic, for now, allowed his mind to drift. There was much he had to process. _Might as well take advantage of the peace and quiet while it lasts._

 **~保護者~**

 **9,000 words this time. _Whew_ this was a long one! It was gonna be even longer, too, before I took the next few scenes off the end of this chapter and made them their own chapter. Lol. XD Hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 7:00 a.m.) 10-29-18.**


	7. A'latria

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these interactions… especially for the one who puts his unique skills to some good use.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Ah, but that's what she's good at. XD Haha, it's not even the power of fanfiction, it's the power of Chaos! See, there was a reason behind me explaining way back in "Hero" how revivals through the Chaos Emeralds work! Well, besides just using them to bring back Kaden, Locke, and Analia, that is. XD Well, knowing Jet, there are several ways such a reunion can go. We'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"A'latria"**

 **~保護者~**

Eyes trained skyward, Sonic let out a low whistle of pure awe and wonder. "This puts the old Hyale to utter _shame_."

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Tails agreed. "But they took a lot of heavy inspiration from the old one, as you can probably guess for yourself."

Sonic nodded. The similarities, as much as the differences, were readily apparent. As with the Hyale of old, all the houses were built into the trees amidst the branches of a thick forest. The homes maintained their traditional styles overwhelmingly. Yet, it was clear just how much raw technology had also been used in their construction, how much of said tech was currently powering and maintaining the homes. And, to Sonic at least… it looked like there was plenty of magic involved as well. But even if there wasn't, one thing was abundantly clear to him. _This place is as silent and beautiful as it's ever been._ A slow smile spread across his face. _Shadow's right. Familiarity by itself is pretty damn comforting when everything else around you has changed._

Shadow, whose hand was working fine now (and had also been healed right up thanks to some medical device), gestured vaguely upward, forward, and to the right in one smooth motion. "Assuming he hasn't left again, he should be that way."

"Left?" Sonic inquired.

"He's a wandering soul, Sonic, like always," Tails told him with a smile. "He doesn't much enjoy being cooped up, nor staying in one place for prolonged periods of time. Kinda like how you and Jet used to be."

That comment caused Sonic to crack another smile. "Right. I forgot. Sorry."

"It's alright," Tails told him, unbothered. "You _were_ really old when you died and you've only just come back to life mere hours ago, so I'm prepared to cut you plenty of slack." Sonic huffed but opted not to retort as they walked toward the tree home Shadow had pointed out earlier. While he didn't sense anyone in the home, he knew that meant nothing. Someone of Espio's level of skill, especially a _ninja_ , would of course know how to hide their aura (and, obviously, would be _doing_ it like everyone else here seemed to be). Only time would tell if he was really gone or not.

When they reached the home, Tails pulled off his lab coat (as it covered his twin namesakes) and neatly folded it over an arm. With that done, he flew up to the small home while Shadow and Sonic jumped after him. A mostly invisible platform of energy (Sonic couldn't decide if it was technological in nature or magical) supported the trio when they landed, allowing them to simply walk the rest of the way inside. Sonic took a second to marvel a bit at this before going in as well.

There were no lights on inside. That is, there were no _electric_ lights on. A lone candle resting atop a low, oval table in the room provided the only light to be found in the spacious (and equally circular) main room. It was just dark enough both inside and out (outside merely due to unfavorable weather in this area) that Sonic couldn't make out any further details than that. "Espio?" Tails called out, though not in a loud voice. "You home?"

In a rush, well over a hundred other candles around the room flared to life with a resounding _whoosh_. Startled, Sonic jumped and turned as though he would see Espio coming in from the open doorway behind him. However, when he heard footsteps, they came from a completely different doorway on the other side of the home. Turning back around, he watched as the chameleon stepped into view from a hall, out of darkness and into the flickering light.

Once able to fully see him, Sonic quickly took in his appearance. As could only be expected, his left eye was still sealed shut by its old scar and his left arm was kept in a sling under his somewhat open shirt, rendering only some of it visible. As he had opted to do so long ago, he was wearing a traditional kimono (this one black with a silver dragon snaking around it and a dark blue obi tied around his waist), dark blue or black tabi, and simple flat ninja sandals. He looked a touch older than he had once been, but not by any significant degree, and Sonic felt a surge of warmth in him. It felt… amazing, to say the least, to see these people again. "Hey," he greeted quietly before Espio could even speak.

A flicker of recognition and possibly even a twinge of surprise betrayed itself in Espio's one good eye. "...Hello," he eventually greeted. With a slow sweep of his usable arm, he invited them to sit at the table. They all took him up on the offer, sitting on their knees on the cushions already placed around it. Espio then took his own seat near to where he had already been standing. Not usually one to waste words, he jumped straight to the heart of the matter. "You were revived?"

Sonic nodded once. "Yeah. Just this morning, actually."

Eyes betraying some of his worry, Tails asked carefully, "Espio, how much do you remember Sonic? I know you lost most of your memories during the Nocturne War, and more during the Era of Darkness years after his passing…"

Espio gave Sonic a long, heavy look. "I remember enough," he eventually stated with clear confidence.

To his credit, Tails didn't show their old friend any shadow of doubt. Instead, he just gave yet another one of his bountiful smiles. "Alright. I just wanted to make sure."

"Uh, 'Era of Darkness'?" Sonic cut in out of confusion.

"Malevolence did not die when we fought it, as you may recall," Shadow told Sonic in grim tones. "It had another 'long sleep', as some refer to it, then returned. It struck at this world again, an event that happened so long ago that most here only know of it through legend now. In those legends, that dark time is called the 'Era of Darkness'. And with good reason."

Something in Tails's demeanor deeply saddened. "Nearly everyone here, save for maybe a couple thousand here or there, died. And that was in spite of us not even being the _main_ target. Malevolence focused mostly on attacking the Babylonian solar system, where it held Jet and his people under seige for nearly half an eon. I can't even _tell_ you what kinds of horrors they went through, or how much they suffered. As horrible as things were here, it was unspeakably worse there."

"They survived," Espio murmured, "but at two costs. One undeniably good, the other endlessly terrible."

"Costs?" Sonic echoed. "What _costs_?"

Shadow closed his eyes, frowning deeply. "One. Their queen at the time had to make a sacrifice to get Malevolence to finally draw back for a time, long enough for the Old King to come up with a plan. She was consumed by the Darkness, never to know the peace of a true rest."

"And two…" Tails added, "...the Sixth Guardian finally came to be. With the sacrifice and the awakening together, the Babylonians survived."

Espio inclined his head. "And, for now, the Night sleeps once more. But it will not last forever."

It almost seemed that Tails flinched. "No… not with what's been going on out there." Shadow shot both of them a surprisingly harsh look, and Tails's gaze dropped to the floor. The trio fell silent.

Concerned, Sonic demanded, "Wait, _what's_ going on?" _Is this why I was revived?_

Tails took in a deep breath and then let it out all at once. "...You're… probably best hearing that from Jet. Partially because he knows more than we do about the whole situation."

"Good luck getting ahold of him," Shadow told them with a soft huff. "I attempted it multiple times throughout the last month, and he has been silent."

"Oh," Tails sighed. "Yeah, that… could be problematic."

"Why were you trying to call him?" Sonic frowned. "Or… whatever it is you people do to contact others in this day and age."

Just once, Espio blinked. What that reaction _meant_ , however, was unknown to Sonic at this point. Shadow shrugged vaguely at about the same time and said, "I've sensed growing trouble for some time, aside from the threats I've already been dealing with. I'd hoped he could shed light on what, exactly, has been happening as of late."

"Okay, so why not just go see him?" Sonic asked all three of them. "He's just on New Babylon, right?"

"No, not usually," Tails responded. He slipped his coat back on when a chilly northern breeze flowed into the room, making the candles flicker wildly. Briefly, he took off his glasses to clean them with the pristine white fabric. "He hasn't actually lived there in… I don't even know how long. Not since sometime shortly after the siege we were talking about. He still visits there now and then, but such visits are few and far between and usually very, very brief. It's typically just for the sake of business, checking up on the current ruler, and so on."

Sonic sat back a bit. "Well, does he ever come _here_?"

Tails shook his head. "No. It gets too depressing for him, I think. I mean, he used to visit the graves, yours and everyone else's, annually, but eventually I think he just felt like he had to try to move on rather than keep clinging to the past." He slipped his glasses back on. This time, there was no smile to offer. "To a point, Sonic, we've all tried to do that, because we _had_ to just in order to get by. It's… hard to do that when you constantly remind yourself of what was, once upon a time."

"...That makes sense… I guess." Stifling a sigh, Sonic opted to turn the subject back to the more important matter at hand. "So what _do_ you guys know about what's been going on?"

"Pathetically little," Shadow huffed with a slight edge of a growl. "Whatever's been happening, he's been keeping all the details as close to the chest as possible. Meaning we know few things overall."

"He's been even more uncommunicative than normal," Tails lamented. "I don't doubt that he has his reasons for it, but we've been pretty heavily in the dark about… well, a lot."

"But what _do_ you know?" Sonic pressed. "And why are you guys beating around the damn bush so much?"

"We know that Jet has been fighting two separate wars," Espio told him frankly, ignoring the second question Sonic has asked. "One is against a former student of his, an Immortal who turned to darker influences and succumbed to their lure. That student commands armies of his own, armies of a race known colloquially as the 'Tel'or'."

Sonic felt his frown deepen. _When I was revived, and I heard those voices… the voices were Jet's and Cadora's. ...Assuming Cadora is actually real. And Cadora… he mentioned that Tel'or being 'here' just before Jet told him to take shelter. Then I was revived, and when we were talking… Cadora mentioned there being trouble that Jet was off taking care of. Was he fighting them?_ Shaking free of his thoughts for now, he asked, "And what about the other enemy?"

Tails and Shadow traded a long, heavy look. "That threat… is a bit more complicated," Tails eventually said. "And it's the one we know the least about. But we do know the threat is a demonic figure. …Well, the literal god of all demons, actually."

Choosing to ignore for the moment the fact that he hadn't even known before (so far as he could recall) that demons _existed_ , Sonic found himself questioning, "Who… or what… are they?"

Once more, the pair traded a look. Shadow's gaze had taken on a very harsh quality again, and it took no time at all for Tails to relent. "You're really, _really_ better off hearing it from Jet than us. He can explain it far better than we can. It… It might make the news a bit easier to bear."

Espio spoke before Sonic could argue with the fox at all. "For now, Sonic, rest. It may be early, but you will need to reclaim all of your energy if you intend to get involved in any of this."

"In other words, get some damn sleep or we aren't letting you off this planet," Shadow added, tone stern.

Emerald eyes rolled. "Yes, _mother_ ," he responded snarkily. Shadow whacked him over the top of the head. Sonic rose to his feet quickly after that, not eager to take another hit, just as Espio did the same (presumably to show him to a room). _Asshole._

Finally, Tails offered another smile. "See you later, Sonic. We'll be here."

"Right. See you." With that, Sonic followed their elusive host across the room and out of sight.

 **~保護者~**

 _The afternoon was turning late when Sonic felt the chill of the outside world enter the castle on that strange wintry planet where he had earlier met Cadora. It seemed to permeate the whole castle for just a moment, a harsh wind pushing the cold through the corridors and rooms before warmth settled back over them again. Heart pounding with excitement, Sonic turned to run back the way he had come during his wanderings. Cadora had returned to his studies earlier, leaving Sonic alone to explore, and explore he had. He knew which way he had come from, however, and that was the way he ran. Toward the front room, toward the front doors, toward the near-silent footfalls he was hearing._

 _Skidding around a corner, Sonic returned to the front room… and caught sight of someone he had almost never expected to see again after his death. "Jet."_

 _Pure blue eyes glanced calmly his way as an all-too-familiar emerald hawk pulled off a cloak and neatly folded it in his arms. He wasn't wearing the scarf that Sonic had last seen him in, or any scarf at all. Sonic noticed, as the cloak was set on the table, that it matched Cadora's. However, where Cadora wore purple, Jet wore white. Even his boots were different now… if only as far as colors went. Where once there was red, now there was white. Where once there was black, now there was shimmering gold. It was a change, but a nice one. Almost welcome._

 _"...You don't seem surprised," Sonic observed slowly, taking a step into the room from the hall._

 _"No." Jet turned away and unclasped a thin strap from around his waist. It, and the sword it was holding, were set on the table atop the folded robe. Even after all these eons, Jet still wielded the same blade. Alkarus. As Sonic watched, the still-young hawk then flung three tiny spheres at the nearby wall, where they latched onto the stone in a triangle. A shimmering image appeared of a world as it would be seen from space, and it didn't take much imagination to suppose that that was this world._

 _"A surveillance device?" Sonic ventured. He took another step into the room, feeling cautious, as though his friend might flee if he tread too close too quickly. Thankfully, Jet didn't budge. He indulged in a vague hum of acknowledgement instead and busied himself with moving some books off of the table. Sonic thought it looked almost looked like he was cleaning. But that seemed unlikely, in a way. Silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the slight sounds of books moving, until Sonic asked, "Why?"_

 _Jet spared him a glance, but said nothing._

 _Sonic opted to clarify. "Why aren't you surprised that I'm… well, here?"_

 _More silence. Jet cleared off the rest of the table. Eventually, he stated with calm certainty, "You were asked for."_

 _Emerald eyes blinked. Confusion reigned within him. "What?"_

 _"You are here…" Jet explained with deliberate slowness, "because you were asked to be."_

 _The implications were deep. Stunned, Sonic dared to ask, "By you?"_

 _But Jet shook his head. "No. By her."_

 _There was more confusion for a moment before it lifted. "You mean Cosmo," he breathed._

 _"Hnn." Jet flicked a glance at the triangle he had created on the wall, whatever it actually was, then murmured, "She saw the growing dangers and asked Ythene for aid."_

 _"She can talk to Ythene?"_

 _"Yes." Uncertain what to say, Sonic was silent. Jet, however, actually kept talking. "Cosmo asked her for you, specifically. She believes that you are needed."_

 _" Am I needed?" Sonic demanded, now serious._

 _That was a question that Jet didn't immediately answer. In the past, it had often been what he'd not said that had been important, but… was that the case now? When Jet finally did speak, he did so as he was turning to leave the room. "It can be said that that is a matter of opinion."_

 _Cautious, Sonic moved to follow and inquired, "And… your opinion is no?"_

 _"I never said that."_

 _"But you aren't denying it."_

 _"Hnn."_

 _"I can't believe I missed you."_

 _"Nor can I."_

 _"Ass."_

 _"Hardly."_

 _Smirking in amusement, Sonic shook his head. "It really is good to see you," he murmured, tone warm._

 _That made Jet pause. "...No," he eventually responded, shaking his head. "Not yet. If all goes well, we will meet soon. For now, just get up. You have things to do."_

 _Before Sonic could even ask, the dream ended._

 **~保護者~**

With a yawn, Sonic rubbed at his eyes and wandered blearily toward the main room of the home. He wasn't sure what time it was now, but it was still dark outside. A heavy wind storm, coupled with some light rain, brought in plenty of noise from the outside. Most of the candles had long since blown out, leaving the space incredibly dark overall. Instead of being bothered by that, he just walked over to Espio, who was sitting where he had been before. "What time is it?" he asked lowly with a glance at Shadow. His half-brother was sitting against a wall nearby, dozing. He didn't want to wake the other hedgehog.

"Early evening." Espio turned the page in the book he was reading. "Perhaps about seven."

"Seven twenty-two," Tails called quietly from across the room. He was sitting against a wall like Shadow was, picking away at… Sonic's communicator?

A quick glance at his wrist proved to Sonic that that was, indeed, _his_ communicator. "Tails, how did you-?"

"Huh?" Tails replied distractedly. A moment later, he said, "Oh, I asked Espio to pull this off of you while you were sleeping so I could update the tech. Yours is _massively_ outdated, not that that needs saying."

 _Thanks, Mr. Ninja,_ Sonic inwardly huffed. "You nearly done?"

"Just about, yeah." Tails tossed him a glance. "When I finish, did you want to go ahead and get going?"

Sonic turned his head to look at Shadow. "...Yeah, unless you think Shadow really needs some rest, too."

"Nah, he should be fine. He lives off of power naps like that, just like he's always done. He'll be alright."

"Alright. Then, yeah. Whenever you're done, let's go."

"Right."

Some time passed. While Tails worked, Sonic gazed over Espio and Shadow again. _So different… yet so much like what I remember…_ His lips pursed together. _How much different will Wave and the others be? Assuming that dream I had was not actually just a dream, then it seems like Jet's pretty damn similar to what I remember, but… what about the others?_

Tails's voice interrupted and startled him all at once. "Catch."

Purely on reflex, Sonic snatched his suddenly flying communicator out of the air with one hand. "Could you _not_ throw my communicator?" he huffed. He strapped the device back to his right wrist.

"Too late." Tails stood, stretched, then bent back down to put his tools back in the case he had been carrying around since their visit to Shadow hours ago. "Anyway, that's the best I could do with the supplies I had here. I'll work on it more another time."

"Yeah, okay." Sonic tightened the strap, then let it be. "Thanks, Tails."

"Sure thing." Shutting the case and latching it, Tails called out, "Hey, Espio, you gonna come with us?"

The chameleon seemed to give this some consideration. "That depends."

Arms crossing lightly, Sonic leaned back against a wall. "On?"

Espio didn't bother to look up. "Whether or not it's necessary."

"Honestly… it might be," Tails sighed. "Actually, scratch that. It almost certainly is."

Hardly batting an eye, Espio shut his book and rose to his feet. "Fine."

Shadow stirred, no doubt bothered by all the talking, and cracked his crimson eyes open. They almost seemed to glow eerily in the dim firelight. "Must you people be so loud?" he groused under his breath.

Of course, Sonic heard him. "Yes," he deadpanned. "We simply _must_ be." Tails choked on a laugh.

Huffing, Shadow shifted and stood. Scarcely a second later, some sort of technologically advanced lighting turned on. It now filled the space, though Sonic could see no light bulbs, lamps, or anything. There was just… light, as odd as that was. But, before he could even ask, Tails completely distracted him by posing a very important question. "So, how are we going to get there, guys? A'latria is _extremely_ far away, to put it lightly."

"'Al'-what?" Sonic echoed in utter confusion.

"A'latria," Tails repeated. "It's a very, very, _very_ distant wintry world, and it's also where Jet lives. ...Usually." Turning back to Shadow and Espio, he repeated, "So how are we getting there? I had a teleporter on me earlier, but it had limited uses and I'm pretty sure it's dead now. All my other teleporters and whatnot are back at my house. I mean, we can go back there and get them if you guys are up for the trek, though."

"That would be the simplest way to get there," Shadow responded calmly.

"None of us can teleport that far," Espio agreed, his one empty sleeve swaying a bit as more wind from the storm outside rushed in. "Your technology is the best option available to us at the moment if we want to arrive there in any decent time."

"What, has technology for ships not improved by now?" Sonic asked. Honestly, he was more than a little surprised by the prospect.

"No, it has," Tails assured. "But, seriously, this place is _extremely_ far away, Sonic. I can't even properly put into words just how far away it is. Even with modern technology on our side, no Mobian ship would be able to get there very quickly."

"Not even ones made by _him_ ," Shadow added, nodding at their resident inventor. "That should tell you something."

Sonic stifled a sigh. "Yeah, alright, I get it."

"Anyway, I don't know about you guys, but I don't fancy walking out in that kind of weather," Tails smiled. "Someone mind teleporting our sorry butts back to my place?"

Wanting to feel useful for however long it lasted, Sonic volunteered himself. "I got it." No one argued with him and, seconds later, they were all safely reappearing in the fox's home. Tails grabbed a tiny device from off of the table where he had laid his glasses down during his conversation with Sonic earlier, then returned to the others. And just like that, they were on their way.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,030 words this time. A note: "A'latria" is pronounced "Ah-ll-ah-tree-ah" and "Ythene" has a unique pronunciation as well. Her name is said with a very small "yih" sound, then a "th" sound like in the word "thought" and then the sound "een" at the end. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed! Posted (at about 8:00 a.m.) 10-30-18.**


	8. Enter the Guardian

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this explanation… especially for the one whose past haunts them all.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, it had occurred to me that I never mentioned the pronunciation. XD Lol. Well, it's not that cliche, and they've already done a reunion during a fight before, so... just needed something new. :P**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Enter the Guardian"**

 **~保護者~**

 _So this place… was real,_ Sonic mused as the group trudged through thick snowdrifts up toward the main entrance of the lonely castle Sonic had found himself at for the first time just this morning. While Shadow grabbed one of the doors to open it, Sonic asked, "What are the odds that he's actually _here_ right now, Tails?"

"Best estimation… well, it's a pretty small number. But there _is_ still a chance so, you know." The fox followed Shadow up to the door. "May as well check." Shrugging, Sonic walked side-by-side with Espio up to Shadow and Tails. The heavy doors were soon forced open (once they got the thick layer of ice that had started covering them to break) and the four of them walked inside. The odd warmth of the interior was a welcome change to the potentially lethal temperatures outside. Sonic chose to savor it as they shut the doors. Tails, meanwhile, remained focused on the task at hand. "Sensei!" he called. "You here?"

Instead of Jet, the voice that quickly answered was undeniably that of a young teenage boy. "Tails? That you?" Before long, Cadora jogged into view from some obscure corridor. "It is!" he enthused, clearly pleased. "And you brought them, too!" He glanced to Sonic. "Oh, and you're back? I was wondering where the heck you'd gone."

Two pairs of confused eyes (along with one lone eye that disconcertingly showed zero emotion) turned to Sonic who, honestly, was still just as confused. Still, he tried to explain. "When I was initially revived, I was dropped here and, as you might guess, he and I met. We talked for a while and got some food, then next thing I knew I was waking up in some forest out on Mobius." He rubbed the back of his head with a hand. "To be honest, I wasn't even sure until just a few minutes ago if that meeting had actually happened. I'd kinda thought I'd dreamt it or something."

Cadora piped up again. "It was probably Ythene's doing. You know how she is about us keeping our allies close and all that stuff she's always preaching to us. She probably sent you there so that you could reunite with Tails and the others and come back here with them."

"Then why not just send me there in the _first_ place?" Sonic grumbled.

"Ask her that, not me. _She's_ the enigmatic 'Voice of Chaos'." With that, Cadora gave Tails and the others a smile. "Anyway, it's great to see you guys again! It's been forever!"

"Yeah, it really has been," Tails smiled back. "Sorry we haven't visited lately. We'll have to work on that."

Espio's one eye glanced to the nearby table, where Jet's folded robe and sheathed sword still rested just as they had been in Sonic's dream. "Where is your sensei, Cadora?"

"Huh?" Cadora looked up at him with a face that said he wasn't used to hearing the elusive ninja actually speak. "Oh, he's upstairs somewhere. And… I'm supposed to be studying, so…"

Shadow used a nod of his head to gesture for the young hawk to get going. "Go on, then. We can find him on our own."

"Okay," Cadora agreed easily enough. "See you guys later."

"Bye," Tails replied. With that, Cadora headed back off in the direction he'd come from. Tails, meanwhile, followed Espio's gaze. "Well, if he took his armor and weapon off, he's probably staying a while. We came at a good time."

Sonic eyed the unassuming white fabric resting atop the table. "Armor?"

Tails beamed as though he himself had invented the cloak they were gazing upon. "Very lightweight armor, but armor nevertheless. It's amazing, really. I have no idea what it's made out of, but I've seen swords break when they struck that cloak before. Bullets ricochet right off of it, and even magic attacks are just absorbed. Usually, anyway." He grinned. "It's not _just_ for fashion, you know. It's practical, too."

This made Sonic huff, albeit out of amusement. "I highly doubt he'd care about how _fashionable_ it is or isn't, Tails." The fox just laughed.

Turning his head, Sonic looked over the cloth armor again. _Come to think of it, he never bothered with such protection before._

It seemed as though Tails literally read his thoughts. Though, more likely, he'd just accurately read the cues on Sonic's face and in his eyes. "Trust me, with the baddies that are around in this day and age, he needs it. Even if it's good looks _can't_ do any good alone." Sonic couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that one.

Indulging in a rare eye-roll, Shadow started walking. "Come on. We haven't got all day."

"Right, right," Tails chuckled. "We're coming." He and Sonic hurried after the hedgehog with Espio not too far behind. The four of them walked together to some stairs way down a hall and began their journey upward. Tails then nudged Shadow, an action that the dark hedgehog surprisingly didn't even bat an eye at. "I don't suppose your scanners are telling you which floor he's on right now."

"No," was the simple reply.

"Can't say I'm surprised, what with much he loves hiding his presence."

"It is a matter of safety."

"Yeah, I know. I mean… duh."

Rolling his eyes expressively at the pair, Sonic interrupted, "How many floors are there?"

"Six," Tails answered just as the arrived at the second. "And each one is huge, so… guess we're gonna have our work cut out for us."

Sonic glanced about, though there really wasn't much to see in the stairwell. "Okay, so where's he most likely to be?"

Tails counted off on his fingers. "I'd say, either his private library, which we're not allowed into, his room, which we're also not allowed in usually, or the Sanctuary, where we're _definitely_ not allowed."

Honestly, Sonic wanted to pinch the bridge of his own nose from sheer annoyance, but he refrained… if only to prove that he _wasn't_ , in fact, a cranky old man in a young man's body. "Screw his rules for now, Tails. Where are those rooms?"

"Well, we _literally_ can't go into the Sanctuary unless we want to be disintegrated by the sheer amount of magic and universal energies that are in there," Tails was quick to caution. "That's on the sixth floor, as are all of the other rooms he's claimed as wholly his. That includes the library and his room, plus his study and some others."

This made Sonic sigh. "Looks like we have some climbing to do, then." By now, they were nearing the second floor.

"Yeah, but you don't have to wait up on my account," Tails smiled. "I don't think these two would mind, either. If you wanna go on ahead, we'll catch up."

Finally, Sonic also smiled. "Thanks."

"Sure thing," Tails replied warmly. "Now get going. You guys have a lot of catching up to do."

With a nod, Sonic dashed up the stairs. He was at the top floor in less than a second. Slowing to a walk, he headed down the lonely hall, wisely choosing to avoid the door at the very end. With the amount of power emanating from behind that door, he had to guess that that was the Sanctuary, whatever that was. _Really don't want to be vaporized, thanks._ Instead, he went to the one door up here that wasn't actually shut all the way. It had been left cracked open, and some dim light poured into the hall from within the room. That seemed as good a place as any to check, really, so he went ahead and approached. Giving a light knock with one knuckle, he dared to push the door open further. It opened just in time for him to see his best friend turn halfway around to face him, book in hand. Sonic felt himself smile again. "This another weird dream encounter, or is this the real deal?" he joked.

Impossibly young hands closed the book silently. "Reality can be rather subjective, anyway, Sonic." The book vanished. "But, yes. This is real." For the first time, Sonic noticed what a thick accent his friend was speaking in. It was smooth, beautiful (according to Amy in years past), and undeniably Babylonian. He'd always heard it a little when Jet spoke, particularly after he resurfaced at the start of the Nocturnian War, but he'd never heard it so _much_ before.

"Good." Sonic walked the rest of the way into the room. He eyed the thin and rather see-through blue scarf that his friend was wearing, noting the slim gold threads weaving through the fabric. Mood suddenly teasing, he questioned, "Why so fancy? Expecting someone today?"

Jet huffed at him. "A kitan is hardly 'fancy'."

Though Sonic recognized that Babylonian word and knew it referred to a specific type of scarf, he couldn't quite recall if such scarves actually weren't fancy as Jet claimed, or if they were. "If you say so," he shrugged. He glanced to a chair at a desk in the room. "Mind if I sit?" A slow move of the hawk's right hand served as invitation to do just that, so Sonic went ahead and took a seat. Jet chose to just lean back against the wall beside a large window, arms comfortably crossed. "So," Sonic began, "I hear you're the person to talk to if I want to know what in the hell's going on these days. More specifically, if I want to know about who you've been fighting." It was hardly a proper or even emotional greeting but, really, neither was usually the sort to tolerate that kind of thing anyway.

"There is little to tell about the first one," Jet told him, turning his head to the side to contemplate a bookshelf. His eyes roved over the numerous books, few of which had any titles or other writing on their spines. "His name is Tein. He was a student of mine once, another Immortal. I met him when he was a child. He came to us, myself and the other two Immortals, orphaned and eager for a place to belong. We housed him, and I did what I could to teach him."

Sonic frowned a bit. "But something went wrong… didn't it?"

Blue eyes blinked slowly, gaze distant. "He was always drawn to darker things… to evil forces that are best left buried. He began to succumb to their lure when he was barely twelve. By the time he was fifteen, there was no saving him… though we tried. Now he is trying his damnedest to raise an unstoppable army, to kill myself and our other kin, and to conquer or destroy any worlds he comes across." Jet closed his eyes. "But that is my problem. Not yours."

"I can help, you know," Sonic argued quietly. "I may not be unkillable, but I'm not useless."

Jet frowned subtly. "I know that."

Unhappy, Sonic questioned, "Then why do you look so unconvinced?"

Something in Jet's eyes had hardened by the time he opened them. "Sonic, there are far darker forces at work right now. _This_ I can handle alone."

This reminded Sonic of the other enemy he had wanted to ask about. "Tails mentioned that there's some sort of… demon?"

Jet nodded, but didn't have a chance to speak before said fox walked into the room. Shadow and Espio were close behind him. The fox gave a happy wave as he crossed the room to claim a seat on the edge of the bed. "Hiya, sensei." Finally, Jet looked away from the books. A moment after he did, he offered a nod of greeting to the group as a whole. "Did you get to explain about anything yet?"

Again, Jet looked away. "Just Tein."

"Ah." Tails leaned forward on his knees with his arms. As he did so, Espio sat cross-legged on the stone floor near the doorway. "Well, if you're up for some more dialogue, I'm willing to help try to explain about the rest of it." Jet didn't reply, but Tails seemed to read something in his silence that Sonic didn't. "Alright, so… where to begin?"

Shadow, like Jet, opted to lean back against one of the walls with his arms crossed. "Start with the basics, Tails. You can get into worse matters later."

"Right, right." Tails thought for a minute or so, then said, "Well, let's start _really_ basic, then. Sonic, we might have asked you this already, but I just want to make sure. You don't know anything about demons, do you?"

"I had no idea they existed before today," Sonic shrugged. "I mean, I'd heard about them before once or twice, I think. Always kinda assumed they were just myths or something, though."

"Okay, I thought so. ...So, really basic." Tails pushed his glasses up. "Well, to start with, you have to understand something about demons. They aren't people. They aren't animals. They are monsters, but they're _sentient_ monsters with free will - albeit evil will - and personalities and so on. There are also many _types_ of demons. There are vampiric demons, fire demons, rock demons, smoke demons, serpent demons, wolf demons, cave demons, bone demons, blood demons, sky demons, illusion demons… the list just goes on and on and on. Following so far?"

Incredibly serious, Sonic nodded. "Yeah."

Tails returned the nod. "Good. Moving on… Another thing you need to understand is that demons are beings of Darkness even though, obviously, not all beings of Darkness are demons. Not even all of the evil ones are demons, such as Malevolence which is a different entity entirely. Also, not every demon is _born_ demonic. Quite a large number of them were once normal people, animals, or whatever else, but I'll explain about that later."

For now, Sonic chose to accept this. "Okay, fine. What else?"

"While many demons _do_ roam free and do their own thing and whatnot," Tails continued, "they do have leaders. Some are organized by kings and queens, but even those that don't - and those kings and queens and whatnot themselves - have a singular ruler that they follow whether they want to or not… purely because that entity can and usually does exercise full control over them."

Understanding dawned. "You're talking about that 'god of demons' you mentioned earlier."

"Yeah," Tails sighed, gaze dropping to the floor. "That part's gonna take some serious explaining, so just listen. We - meaning Jet and I - did some serious digging into the past some, well, a _lot_ of years ago. When we did, we were able to trace back the line of demonic rulers, gods and goddesses alike, all the way to the probable _first_ ruler. That first ruler was Tajra, a genderless being that took charge of the uncontrolled masses and ruled for somewhere between four to six million years. The next was Kahenra, a powerful goddess who ruled for at least seven million years. The next was a _massive_ beast named Amnikaribah. It ruled for fourteen to _twenty-two_ million years before losing the throne to the current god."

In disbelief, Sonic stared. _Holy hell..._

Tails lifted his head and looked deeply into Sonic's eyes. "Fact is, Sonic, that these guys… they're _powerful_. They don't seem to _die_ unless they're actively _murdered_ , which next to no one can make happen. And the way their throne is passed on is largely to blame for our current problem."

"Is it some sort of royal bloodline or something?" Sonic ventured cautiously. "Some family that's more powerful than the rest or something?"

"No, not at all," Tails responded with a shake of his head.

This was where Jet stepped in again. "Overall, they care little about blood and familial ties. What they _care_ about are cunning, intelligence, power, and other such traits. The god or goddess is by _far_ the most powerful, ruthless, and so on of all demons, the single demon that all other demons want to be… generally speaking. As such, any demon that is _capable_ of potentially killing the ruler often _attempts_ it."

"Usually, exactly _none_ of them succeed," Tails cut in. "But, just a few times, a high-level demon has come along that actually didn't die in the attempt… a demon that actually managed to succeed in their goal."

"Immediately upon spilling the blood of the current god or goddess and ending their life," Jet murmured, "the killer is elevated. They become the new ruler, gain all of the special abilities that come with the role, and so on. This is how the current god came to _be_ the god. He grew _vastly_ more powerful than Amnikaribah, slaughtered it, and claimed the proverbial throne. Now, when comparing him to other evil entities in existence, he is second only to Malevolence itself."

Sonic thought for a moment, then asked, "You mentioned that not all demons are _born_ demonic. Does the god or goddess of demons have something to do with that?'

"Yeah, actually," Tails responded. He pushed his glasses up again, almost anxiously. "See, one of the unique abilities that _only_ the god or goddess has is the power to turn other people, animals, and so on into demons at will, even ones that were never beings of Darkness before. That's what happened to the current god, actually. He was a normal person, once. A semi-Immortal, but otherwise normal nevertheless."

 _A semi-Immortal?_ Sonic thought in surprise. _There aren't a whole lot of those out there, right?_

Tails continued. "Now, normally when a person or whatever is turned, it's done when they're alive. This means that, overall, their bodies and whatnot remain the same. Their powers are unchanged aside from becoming corrupted, demonic versions of themselves - such as a normal fire power becoming Demonfire or Hellfire. The most important thing to take away from this, though, is that they get to _keep_ their own body."

"When it happens to someone who is dead, however," Jet stated quietly, "it is a different matter. The freshly deceased are the only ones who are at risk of being turned, but because they _are_ dead their newly corrupted, demonic souls are often put into the bodies of lesser demons who lack the power to resist these souls taking control of them. Generally, the only exception to this comes when some necromancy is used to reanimate the person's corpse for their soul to reinhabit, thus allowing them to keep their own powers and whatnot."

"'Generally'?" Sonic echoed. "There's another exception?"

"The current god wasn't a mortal," Tails reminded, "and the death he experienced wasn't one of the kinds that could have permanently killed him. As such, he revived, but… Amnikaribah captured and corrupted his soul long before then. So, when he revived, he got to keep his own body without the aid of any black magic or anything. He got to keep all his own powers and whatnot, too, which _definitely_ played a role in him being able to so easily kill Amnikaribah later on down the road." The fox indulged in a heavy sigh. "And… it ties into why we haven't been able to stop him yet." There was a bit of a pause, then Tails gave Sonic a wan smile. "But, that's enough of that for now. You've only just come back, and I'd like to just enjoy that for a short while before we really start dealing with any of this."

Somehow, Sonic eventually managed to smile back just a little bit. "Yeah. I'd like that, too."

"It's just as well, anyway," Shadow suddenly said. "You're still getting used to no longer being old and frail. Some rest and sparring might do you some good."

" _Excuse_ me? Who are you calling _frail_? I'll have you know that even when my body reflects my actual age I can still kick your ass!"

"Perhaps you should _prove_ that sometime."

"You're on, asshole!"

"As _entertaining_ as that would be…" Jet pushed off the wall and gestured languidly with a hand for the lot of them to head out of the room. They all got up and filed out without complaint, and he followed.

Once the door was shut, Sonic decided to prod a bit. "So, seriously, _are_ you expecting someone today?" Nothing _specific_ about Jet's demeanor hinted that he was, and yet there was this sense of _anticipation_ coming from him that Sonic just couldn't overlook. Yet all the hawk did was shrug and head for the stairs. Shadow and Espio moved to follow, but Sonic leaned in toward Tails. "He really hasn't changed that much, has he?"

"In a lot of ways, no," Tails smiled. "But, at the same time, I have to point out that you couldn't be more wrong. His personality may be pretty close to the same one you remember, and he certainly _looks_ the same overall, but there are other ways people can change. You know?" He started walking and gestured for Sonic to come along. "Anyway, I have a feeling I know who he might be waiting for. If so, we have a heck of a show on the way."

"Show?" Sonic echoed, already following Tails back down the stairs after the others.

"Yeah." Tails picked up the pace, clearly excited. "You'll see. Come on."

In response, Sonic hurried his own steps to keep up. "So, wait, _who's_ coming?"

"The Grand Sorceress, who else?" Tails called back, obviously excited.

Bemused, Sonic rushed after him.

 **~保護者~**

 **3,707 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! And Happy Halloween, everyone! Posted (at about 10:50 a.m.) 10-31-18.**


	9. Hex

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this minor clash… especially for the one whose power has only grown.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! He really did, lol. And he's not sorry about it, either. XD Sorry, ruined the interaction between what? I don't understand what you were trying to say there. Also, hope you had a fun Halloween as well!**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Hex"**

 **~保護者~**

"Is there some kind of a coat or something I can wear when we go outside?"

Jet paused what he was doing (namely, picking up some of his young student's books in the front room and putting them away) long enough to think for a second. "No. Just wait." He set down the stack of books he'd accumulated in his arms, leaving them on the table while he disappeared back out into the hall.

Sonic traded a look and then a shrug with Tails. "Maybe he has a blanket or something?" the fox offered, half joking.

"If _that's_ the best he can provide, then I'd have to say that he's remarkably ill-equipped to live on a world like this," Sonic smirked. Shadow actually indulged in his own smirk as well.

"I doubt that he has nothing," Espio interjected calmly. His one usable eye was closed as he sat leaning back against a wall, just relaxing. "Just do as he said and be patient."

"If you _insist_ ," Sonic replied with false dramatics heavily coloring his tone. Tails snickered at him.

Less than two minutes later, Jet returned. In his hands he carried a scarf. But… Sonic realized that it wasn't just _any_ scarf. It was _the_ scarf. The impossibly soft, unspeakably sentimental ruby red one that the Sonic from the Ruined Future had (through Tails and Amy) given to Jet many, many, _many_ years ago. As if that wasn't surprising enough, he also noted that it was actually a bit tattered at the ends, despite the fact that he knew Jet had taken extremely good care of it in the past. But it was clean, didn't seem to have any fresh damage to speak of, and it was obviously still usable. Jet held it out to Sonic with both hands, expression unreadable. "Here."

Before Sonic could even get past his surprise enough to protest the usefulness of a simple scarf in such extreme temperatures, Tails spoke up. "Oh, that? Didn't you get that coated in magic in the past, Jet? So that it was keep the wearer's body temperature regulated or something like that?"

The hawk nodded once. Sonic hesitated. "Are you… sure?" he asked slowly. "I mean… Jet, this is…"

This evoked a huff from his ancient friend. "I'm _offering_ , Sonic," he pointed out smoothly.

Though still unsure, Sonic finally reached out and accepted the scarf, taking it into his own hands. "...Okay… if you're sure."

"I am." With this simple assurance, Jet turned away as though to resume his cleaning, only to pause and glance out the nearest window.

Crimson eyes also glanced that way. "She's coming."

"Yep!" Tails agreed cheerfully. He stood from his seat on the couch and smoothed out his lab coat with his hands.

Jet slid off his "kitan". Then he grabbed his cloak and swung it around in one smooth and practiced motion, clasping it around his neck with a gold-colored piece of metal before grabbing Alkarus as the pristine fabric settled around his shoulders. Sonic blinked. _There's no danger… is he going out to spar or something, then?_

Meanwhile, Tails headed for the door. "Let's go say hello!" Jet vanished and reappeared outside before they fox could even finish speaking.

Hurriedly, Sonic wound his borrowed scarf around his neck, then followed his friends and half-brother to the outside world. "So, anyone gonna tell me who's coming or are you lot going to make me just wait and see?"

"Hm… I think we'll make you wait." Tails tossed Sonic a grin while Espio shut the doors. The four of them together started the trek over to where Jet was standing. "She's coming right now, anyway. It won't be a long wait. Sense all that building magic in the air? That's her. Her magic, that is."

"And… who is she?" Sonic ventured to ask. His senses were wide open, straining to memorize and understand every ebb and flow of the gradually building energy around them.

"You'll see, if you just wait," Tails reminded easily.

Huffing, Sonic turned his attention to Jet. The hawk had already strapped his strap his sword to his waist under his cloak and was eyeing intently a seemingly unremarkable area of the sky. As such, emerald eyes began to look that was as well. _There, then? Is that where she'll be coming from?_ He squinted, but for a time he was unable to make anything out. That is, until a large golden portal of swirling energy burst to life right where they were looking. Warmth poured out from it in waves, somehow not melting any snow even while it heated the onlookers up severely. It became almost unbearable within seconds. _The hell even is this? It's not the magic generating that heat as far as I can tell… so is it the place on the other side of the portal?_

Finally, a figure appeared, bathed in golden light and undoubtedly floating toward them. By the time he blinked, they were emerging, and the portal was beginning to close. His eyes widened a degree when he made out who the person was… and the memories of her past magical might slapped him in the face. "No way in he- Is that _Wave_ , Tails?"

The fox gave a wide grin. "You'd better believe it is."

Astounded, Sonic fixed his gaze on the swallow just as she alighted on the ground not too far from where Jet was. She was too far away for him to make out many details about her appearance other than that she appeared to be wearing the same outfit she had worn in the past. Golden, glowing markings that appeared tiny and indistinct from this distance bathed her in continual light for several moments before gradually fading away into nothingness. Nearly the moment they were gone, she gave their elusive ally a friendly hug. Sonic couldn't hear what was said when she pulled away, but the exchange was warm. And yet… there was this undercurrent of building anticipation that filled the area, one that Sonic just couldn't shake. _Something's going to happen._ A small frown formed on his face. _...No… not exactly._ Emerald eyes zeroed in on the swords each Babylonian was carrying at their hips. _They're about to do something._

As always, Tails had an uncanny ability to practically read people's minds without literally being able to do so. And, apparently, he had been watching Sonic as much as Sonic had been watching Jet and Wave. Because of that, he had a response to Sonic's thoughts. "Remember when I said there's gonna be a heck of a show?" he asked in a conspiratorial whisper. On his face was a smile, this one excited and bright.

Sonic glanced at his once younger friend. "Yeah. Guessing their gonna spar?"

"Nailed it," Tails grinned.

Turning his focus mostly back to the Babylonians, Sonic watched them trade a few more words. He'd given up by now on trying to hear them and, besides that, something else had snagged his attention. "If it's just a sparring match… then why are they letting off so much energy?"

"For _them_ , that's not much at all," Tails remarked, expression turning thoughtful. He, too, looked at the pair again. "They've gotten a lot more powerful over the years, Sonic. We all have. But, likewise, so have our enemies."

"Sparring with a lot of power is probably a good idea, then," Sonic mused quietly. "It's good practice, I would assume."

"Yeah, I think so, too. And like I said…" The fox's grin returned. "It's a heck of a show."

Inevitably, Sonic began to smirk. "I should _hope_ so, if they've gotten as strong as you've implied." There was a small, unexpected flash and then the pair were suddenly surrounded by visible but perfectly translucent barriers. Though Sonic couldn't be sure, he suspected that Jet was behind it. Tails was apparently unfazed by this, and he simply took a seat in the snow. Sonic, however, _refused_. He let out a flash of his own, this one a rather harmless burst of fire that melted all the snow within their little protective sphere. The grass beneath was lush and and dry, but un burnt. Satisfied, he sat down on Tails's left side. _Like hell I'll spend my time sitting in snow._ He crossed his legs and adjusted his borrowed scarf. _Bad enough that I need a magically-enhanced article of clothing in order to not freeze to death._

Though Tails laughed softly at Sonic's actions, he made no comment on it. Instead, he merely gestured toward their two old friends. "They're about to get on with it, I think. You'll want to watch them closely. They move _really_ fast."

This was a comment Sonic waved off. "Thanks for the tip, but I'm _pretty_ sure I can keep up."

Tails smiled… like he knew something that Sonic didn't. But, before further dialogue could be exchanged, Shadow stepped outside and made his way over to them. He stepped into the barrier, eyes already on Jet and Wave. "I take it they're about to battle," he remarked rather casually.

"Yep!" Tails agreed brightly. "And I think they're ready to get started, if you want to sit and watch with us." Shadow shrugged, but ultimately claimed a seat off to the fox's left. "Is Espio coming out, too?"

Sonic jumped when the chameleon himself answered… from right next to him. "Yes."

Before Sonic had the chance to vent his irritation at being startled, Shadow unconsciously mirrored his brother's sitting position and stated, "It's starting."

With a huff, Sonic looked over at the pair once more. They had both drawn their swords at some point. A few more words were traded. For a fleeting moment, Sonic swore he might have seen Jet halfway smirk… and then both he and Wave completely vanished from sight in blurs of emerald green and magenta. Again, Sonic was startled, this time by just how little he was able to follow in the fight as it rapidly unfolded before them. What he did manage to glean from the bright, powerful, and extremely _fast_ strikes in the sky was so vague and uncertain that he was left lost and confused in moments. A quick glance at his companions proved that they were following the growing confrontation with much more understanding. They would react, however subtly, to things that Sonic couldn't even begin to follow.

Still, stubbornness was practically a part of his DNA. He chose to continue to try on his own to make sense of what he was (or rather _wasn't_ ) seeing. So far, all he could really tell was that a mostly basic, if far from mild, sword fight was all that was taking place. The bright arcs and explosive collisions told him that the strikes were full of energy ( _Most likely aura,_ he decided). But that was all he could tell on his own. Already weary of watching in ignorance, he sighed and reached over to nudge Tails. "What's happening?"

The fox's smile was knowing, but no teasing came this time. "Nothing super exciting yet," Tails answered. "Just aura-infused sword attacks and plenty of flying. Just wait," he tossed Sonic an easy smile, "it'll get better."

Another sigh. "Mind keeping me informed?"

"Sure thing." Tails leaned back on his hands to more easily and comfortably look into the sky. "And, don't worry. You'll be able to keep up eventually. You'll just need some training is all."

 _That's probably true, but… will I even have time for something like that, with everything that's apparently going on?_

Just then, Tails pointed. "Oh, look. Wave's changing tactics."

Sonic opened his mouth to ask, but the swallow moved well before he could. One arm glowing with strange markings that he had no name for, Wave released a concentrated beam of what he could only assume was magic from her hand. Jet was forced to quickly lunge to the side in order to dodge. However, he had a better plan than just that to react to her. With a burst a of speed, he rushed past her attack and launched one of his own, an explosion of aura energy that sent her rocketing backward and then sliding through the snow. Though she managed to keep her feet, she was _just_ open enough for a follow-up strike… but he didn't follow through.

Puzzled, Sonic leaned in to Tails again. "He had a chance there, but he didn't take it. Why?"

Tails suddenly began to laugh. Sonic's confusion mounted. Then Shadow cut in. Crimson eyes rolling, he huffed, "It's complicated… just leave it alone." As he spoke, Wave regained her feet and brandished her sword anew with a cocky smirk. It seemed she tossed a taunt or something at Jet, but they were still too far away to be heard.

"It's not complicated at _all_ ," Tails disagreed heartily, wiping a small tear from his eye. "It's actually so simple as to be silly."

Up ahead, Wave and Jet clashed blades again. Sonic watched them for a time while Tails got out the last of his random giggles. Unsure what to make of fox's response but undeniably curious, he finally asked, "Okay, so why did he hesitate like that?"

"Come on, it's so obvious!" Tails declared cheerfully. "I'm surprised you don't see it, Sonic."

"Can't you just _tell_ me?" Sonic groaned. By now, the two Babylonians had vanished from sight again while they clashed.

Beside him, Tails grinned. "Nope."

Sonic grumbled under his breath. _Of course not._

"However, I _will_ say this." Tails pointed at Jet. "He's definitely ready to act again now. Keep an eye on him."

In spite of himself, Sonic felt anticipation rise within him. "What's he about to do?"

"No idea." Tails's head canted a bit. "But… whatever it is, it's bound to be bold."

"Bold?"

"Yeah, you'll see."

Curiosity prompted Sonic to focus his gaze on Jet as Tails had directed. Not even a second later, _bubbles_ of all things began popping up around the pair of fighters just as Wave lunged for Jet. Her eyes widened a degree when she saw the bubbles, and she barely managed to dodge around one. This time when she spoke, it was loud enough for her voice to carry to Sonic's ears. "Are you _trying_ to blow me up?!" she yelled at the hawk, though without any genuine anger.

Jet's voice was quiet enough to not carry over like hers had, but Sonic could see his friend enough to read his lips. "I might be," the hawk retorted calmly, a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Blow her up?" Sonic murmured incredulously.

Shadow shook his head. "Those may be bubbles," he murmured back, "but you would be a fool to think that that makes them harmless."

"Each one contains within them a volatile compound of aura energy, storm energy, and magic," Tails explained with obvious enthusiasm. "So, yes, they blow up. Quite magnificently, in fact."

Honestly, this was one of the last things Sonic had ever actually expected to… well, be a _thing_. But, leave it to one of _his_ wacky friends to create such a thing, and the others to be so unconcerned and unsurprised by it. _I don't think I should even be surprised, really…_

The pair of fighters blurred back into motion. Wave conjured up magic in the form of disks that she hurled forcefully at her opponent. After dodging the rest, Jet ran forward and hit one with his sword using enough force to send it flying back at Wave. Wave made no attempt to dodge. It hit her without any real impact, dissolving as soon as contact was made. Both were already rushing forward by the time this happened. Another disk formed in Wave's free hand, but Jet seemed to have anticipated it. He jumped and brought his sword down upon her, forcing her to block. The impact was so powerful that a storm of energy was released from the point of contact between the blades. A deep crater opened up beneath Wave's feet. Multiple bubbles were hit by the flying debris and exploded, further worsening the forces Wave was contending with.

Sonic felt a pang of sympathy for the swallow upon seeing the strain briefly written on her barely visible face. "Are you _sure_ they're just sparring, Tails?" he questioned, ears flattened against the noise.

"Oh, yeah," Tails nodded. "Trust me, for them this is nothing. They could destroy this whole _world_ while just sparring, if they really wanted to." He paused for a moment, then thought to add, "But, then, so can our enemies. With threats like that out there, it's best to make an effort to keep up, don't you think?"

"...Yeah, I get it." Sonic watched as Wave blasted Jet away from her using her aura, knocking him into a deep snow drift several dozens of feet away. Somehow, the impact moved Jet's robe just enough to flip his hood up, shadowing his eyes in an instant.

By the time Sonic even registered that tiny detail, Wave was there pressing her advantage. Her aura exploded outward again just as Jet's did the same. The collision was as volatile as Sonic would have expected, full of energy and bright light. The ensuing explosions (both from their auras and more of those bubbles) knocked both Jet and Wave back, but neither seemed fazed in the slightest. In fact, Wave was smirking. Jet was as unreadable as ever, but Sonic had the feeling that his friend was smirking, too… if only on the inside. _The crazy bastards are absolutely enjoying this._ A part of him was beginning to wish he could join in, too.

Before long, the pair began to speed up again. As such, Tails resumed narrating to Sonic what was going on. From dual magic attacks to violent sword clashes to powerful strikes of lightning to devastating psionic blasts and everything in between, Tails kept Sonic informed of it all… and Sonic could only watch in awe as his friends dueled. If Tails was right and this pseudo-fight really was nothing… then Sonic suspected he had a lot of catching up to do. _But, at least I'm finding this out now rather than later. It would be a lot worse if it was later._ He'd been in such situations before too many times to not know that simple truth. _Still though, if there's really as much danger as Tails and the others have been saying, then when am I even going to have the time to train, anyway?_

A burst of magic startled Sonic out of his thoughts. The golden energy struck Jet too quickly for Sonic to track, and suddenly Jet couldn't move. Tails was quick to explain. "She hexed him," he said. "Knowing him, he'll break the spell in just a few seconds here, but that gives her a chance to prepare her next move. When fighting the sorts of foes we see in this day and age, moves like that can be the difference between victory and defeat, life and death." It was a lesson, of sorts, a warning. Sonic wisely took it to heart.

By the time Tails finished speaking, Jet was already free. Energy surged around him and Wave, his magic and hers. The energies inevitably collided, and the ensuing battle between them was… well, _cataclysmic_ was the word that came to Sonic's mind. Somehow, though, he doubted that was accurate. It didn't seem like anything was being _destroyed_ , after all. Still, he was blinded despite closing his eyes and covering them and even turning his head away. Though he swore he didn't hear anything any point from this clash, he felt deafened. Physically speaking, he couldn't feel anything at all. Then, all at once, the magic receded and all of his senses returned to him as though they had never gone. He opened his eyes, blinking and confused.

The questions on Sonic's mind had no chance to be voiced before, suddenly, Shadow stood up. "They're done," he said before Sonic could even think to ask.

Sure enough, a quick glance at Jet and Wave proved that they had ceased their not-so-relaxed sparring and were sheathing their blades. It struck him as rather anticlimactic, but he hardly dared to say such. As Sonic watched, Jet offered Wave a hand and helped her out of a pile of snow. It seemed he'd gotten some small revenge on her for earlier, but there were clearly no hard feelings. He noticed that their fingers seemed to sort of… linger for a few seconds even after the two of them started to pull their hands apart. But then the moment was gone. And suddenly, Sonic knew what Tails had been on about earlier. _So that's what it was_. Turning his head to face the fox again, he suppressed a smile and asked, "So now what?"

"For now, we should all really get inside," Tails answered. "We may all have our own means of staying warm, and Jet's pretty much immune to this weather by now, but not all of us can stay out here for hours on end without freezing our butts off."

"I dunno, I'm pretty sure everyone's rears are still attached right now."

"I wasn't being _literal_."

"I know."

Trading grins, the two of them stood up. Shadow was already walking back to the castle by now. Only now did Sonic realize that Espio had already vanished sometime before. There wasn't even an impression in the snow where he'd been sitting. Tails, apparently, noticed what Sonic was thinking about, for he said, "Oh, he does that. Just up and disappearing, I mean. He _is_ a ninja and all. It's kinda in the job description."

Sonic huffed, but only out of amusement. "Whatever you say, Tails." He began trekking through the snow back to the castle, literally following in his brother's footsteps. As much as he wanted to greet Wave and all, he suspected that she and Jet were discussing something at the moment. They certainly seemed to be, at least. So, for now, he opted to just wait and let them be. There would be plenty of time for "hello's" later. Or at least… so he hoped.

Tails hurried on ahead. "Come on, let's get inside. They might be a while, depending on what they're discussing."

With one last quick glance at the ancient (though young-looking) Babylonian pair, Sonic jogged after his friend.

 **~保護者~**

 **3,873 words this time. I'm so sorry that this is late in the day, but work was _hell_ today and I've only been off for a couple of hours despite having clocked in at around seven this morning. :( Sigh... anyway, hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 6:40 p.m.) 11-01-18.**


	10. Once Upon a Dark Night

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this ominous time… especially for the one whose music box plays.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, he sure was (or at least he was among the fastest _mortals_ alive). But he definitely needs some training and such these days. XD**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Once Upon a Dark Night"**

 **~保護者~**

Several hours later found the group (sans Cadora, who was still studying) loosely gathered in the front room of Jet's extremely isolated home. With all the reunions and whatnot over with for now, the lot of them had settled down for now and were relaxing while they could. While the others, even Jet a few times, participated in their own conversations, Tails had focused on providing Sonic with some more information on demons and similar creatures. None of the information especially important, but even just learning these basics helped Sonic to understand more about what they were up against.

He was gearing up to ask a question about this apparent _god_ that he now knew was out there when a clatter of wood on the stone floor startled everyone into momentary silence. Every eye turned to the source of the noise, an object Sonic had vaguely noticed earlier but barely paid attention to. It was a box of sorts made to open down the middle. The box was small enough to fit easily in the palm of a person's hand and it was square in shape, though where a normal square had corners this one had sharp diagonals instead. It had fallen off of the table where Jet's sword and robe still rested.

The group had fallen oddly silent. Jet bent down and picked the box up, then set it back down on the table beside his sword… only for some unseen force to fling it back down to the ground. With a noticeable frown, Jet again retrieved the box. A bit more firmly this time, he set it back down on the table. This time, nothing. But, though the spectacle was apparently now over, Sonic was left rather confused. "What just happened?" he found himself asking.

Wave sighed. "That's a cursed object, Sonic," she explained. This didn't seem to be new information for anyone else. "And, no, I don't have know specifically what curses are placed on it." A slight pause, then, "That sort of thing just happens around and to such objects sometimes."

"Who would curse a _box_?" Sonic asked dubiously, eyeing the unassuming wooden object.

"Music box," Wave corrected, "and who knows? It and the curse are both a lot older than any of us, so there's no telling who cursed it or exactly when or why."

"And… _why_ are you keeping a cursed object around?" Sonic questioned, gaze shifting to Jet.

Jet, eyes focused on the apparent _music_ box, gave a slow blink. "Because…" he admitted just as slowly, "...it was your father's."

"He owned it for the vast majority of his life," Wave confirmed with a nod. "Not sure why or anything, of course. I - well, we - just know that it only opens, and thus only plays its tune, when his life is in danger."

What Jet had said hit Sonic _hard_. So hard that he barely even heard anything Wave had just said. Much harder than he would have anticipated, really. "...Dad's?" he whispered. Jet just nodded. Sonic felt numb. He hadn't seen or heard anything about either of his parents since they had been killed during the final fight against the Nocturne Clan. He'd come to understand since then that they were semi-Immortals, but no one had ever been able to tell him whether or not their deaths on that day had actually been permanent or not. _But if they revived, wouldn't they have come back by now…? Or at least called or something?_ He wasn't sure if anyone here had any answers for him, but he found himself desperately asking regardless, "Is dad… still alive?" Tails's gaze dropped straight to the floor. Shadow was suddenly scowling at nothing. Sonic pressed on. "And mom? Is she…?"

"We… don't know about your mom," Tails answered very slowly. "No one does. We're as in the dark about her fate as we were in the past. ...Not that we haven't tried to find her, though." He met Sonic's gaze earnestly, eyes pleading for understanding. "We tried, Sonic, to find out anything about what happened to her. Anything at all. We really, really did."

Sonic couldn't decide how to react to that right now, so he just asked again, "And Dad?"

It was Shadow who answered this time, though it took nearly a full minute for him to do so. "Father lives."

The answer made Sonic sit straight up. _He's… he's… alive?_

"But… Sonic… It's not so simple," Tails cautioned. He was pleading for understanding again, this time through his voice, though he didn't outright explain _what_ he wanted Sonic to understand. Instead, he told Sonic, "And, before you ask, no… we can't go see him or otherwise contact him."

"Why not?" Sonic demanded, voice almost breaking. He was already feeling emotional, though he was doing his best to curb it. He suspected he was on the verge of failing.

"Because he doesn't have a communicator on him anymore, or anything else we can use to contact him," Tails murmured.

"And the world on which he now reside," Jet added simply, "is so vastly dangerous that venturing there for _any_ reason at all is a fool's errand." It honestly startled Sonic to see his friend's gaze suddenly so distant… and so dark. He spoke, it seemed, from experience… awful, awful experience of a sort that was often better left unexplained. "Setting foot on that world would be the _only_ way to contact him, but to do so would be to invite death itself to try its hand at ending you."

"But why?" Sonic heard himself blurt out. "Why would he be in such a horrible place, let alone _live_ there? It doesn't make _sense_."

"Let's just… say he lives for danger these days," Wave answered with another sigh. "Trust me, it doesn't bother him at _all_."

Sonic didn't understand. Not fully, not yet. "How could you know that if you can't get anywhere near him?"

"We have still run into him a few times," Espio suddenly said, speaking up finally. "We know enough from those encounters."

In the process of trying to, well, _process_ this, Sonic was unprepared for it when the music box was again flung off of the table. This time when it hit the ground, it snapped open. It skittered to a halt sitting upright, a simple yet ominous tune now emanating from it. All eyes locked on it again, then Jet and Wave traded a sharp look. Jet broke the eye-contact quickly, grabbed his cloak and sword, and vanished.

Still feeling numb, Sonic got up and walked over to the music box. Though Wave cautioned him against it, he bent down and picked the box up in one hand. Gazing at the sun-dial normally covered by the lid, he took in the unfamiliar markings… and the fresh knowledge that this song meant his father's life was again in danger. He swallowed hard and started to stand, only to freeze when the song suddenly cut off and the lid snapped shut. The clap of wood on wood was almost deafening in the newfound silence. Heart pounding, Sonic looked up at Wave. The fear in her eyes reflected his own. And yet… somehow he suspected that the _reasons_ for her fear were different than his.

Choosing not to ask for now, Sonic stood and slowly set the music box back onto the table.

 **~保護者~**

 **1,273 words this time. Short, but nevertheless important. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 10:25 a.m.) 11-02-18.**


	11. Reminiscence

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) on this quiet night… especially for the one who has _all_ the secrets (just as was once true in the very _darkest_ arc of "Hero").

 **ALERT:** Just a reminder that the stories in this series are M Rated for a _reason_. This one doesn't _show_ anything graphic, but there is a decent chunk of dialogue about a subject that isn't suitable for younger audiences (nothing involving mature romance, for those of you with your heads in the gutter). So, yeah, you've all been warned.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Nope, no reference to Sans. I've never played Undertale. XD Sans in this case just means "minus" or "except for", purely to highlight that Cadora wasn't there. :P And yep, Kaden is alive, and in danger at a bad time. Because of course he is. XD Anyway, yes, Analia did die at the same time as him. But as to whether or not she _actually_ died or in fact survived... you'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Reminiscence"**

 **~保護者~**

The Vault of Time

Twelve Thousand Years Ago

 _With a soft hiss, heavenly blue magical light split a clean line between one giant stone slab and another. The lines of magic spread from that seam, creating two perfect rectangles. Those rectangles then vanished. Slowly, the newly formed doors began to open, allowing in fierce wintry winds and thick billows of snow. Jet slipped inside the dark and cavernous space well before the doors were fully opened, then proceeded to immediately close the doors again with an idle wave of his hand._

 _Pulling his hood off, Jet strode across the vast space. As he walked, he flicked his hand several times, creating and spreading out several dim blue lights. He stopped in front of an icy rack holding seven swords. He lifted the most ornate and powerful of the blades in one hand. Voice scarcely a whisper, he said, "You know what your master has become. You know he seeks you out. Scatter. Let no one find you."_

 _When the blade began to shake, he released his hold on it. In an instant, it shot up into the air and vanished in a flash of magic that was not his own. One by one, the other six swords began to do the same. However, he grabbed the largest of them before it could vanish. It shook in his grip, eager to follow its brethren, but he refused to relinquish it. "No, not you. You will be needed yet." Gradually, the struggling ceased. Humming a soft approval, he turned to leave._

 **~保護者~**

Castle A'latria

Present Day

The time, Sonic decided, was getting too late. It had been hours since Jet had left, hours since the music box had ominously silenced itself. Shadow had long since dozed off on one of the couches in the front room. Tails had turned in for the night in a guest room nearby after having made sure that Cadora had also gone to bed. Espio sat on the floor near Shadow's improvised bed, meditating, while Wave did the same thing on the other side of the room. The only difference was that _she_ was levitating. However, Sonic only noted these things vaguely.

Eyes shifting away from his comrades, Sonic gazed out the nearest window. A fierce storm raged in the dark cover of night, snowflakes and tiny bits of ice pelting the windows and walls with slightly concerning force. _Definitely the sort of weather Jet would prefer, but…_ He glanced back over his shoulder to the table where the hawk's robe and sword had been earlier. _He's hardly here to enjoy it._ He looked back to the window. _And neither is Dad. Jet left because Dad isn't here and he was apparently in trouble. So, it stands to reason that they're together. But… where in the hell are they?_ Stifling a sigh, he let his eyes fall shut. _Dammit, Jet, why couldn't you have taken me with you or something...?_

The sigh he'd been holding back escaped him. It sounded very loud in the silence of the room, though he suspected that was just his own ears overreacting to the noise. Still, the small sound apparently was enough to rouse Wave. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. There was a question in her gaze. Unsure how to answer, he just shrugged. ...Which apparently was an invitation for her to get up and walk over. "What?" he found himself asking, voice low.

She arched a brow in a very Jet-like manner. "I was going to ask you that." Her hand made a slight movement, and with that a dimly shimmering barrier appeared around them. She explained why it was there before he could even question it. "Now we can speak normally without bothering the others."

"Oh." Sonic glanced at his half-brother, thinking about various things before murmuring, "You can go back to what you were doing, you know."

"Oh, I know." Wave took a seat in the nearest chair. "But I also know that you need someone to talk to. So, talk."

The corner of Sonic's mouth twitched up vaguely. _Yeah, I guess I do._ "...You sure you don't mind, Wave?"

Wave idly fiddled with a bracelet on her right wrist. He hadn't previously noticed that it was there. "Not at all."

Eventually, Sonic spoke again. "Tell me about them?" he asked softly, eyes again on his brother. "It's… been a really long time, and all. What have they been doing? _How_ have they all been doing? Just…"

In spite of his lame explanation of his question, Wave seemed to understand. "Well, one person at a time," she said with a small smile. "Tails is the easiest, so we'll start with him. Fair enough?"

"Okay," Sonic agreed.

Not wasting any time, Wave jumped right in. "He's been doing well for himself, as you might expect. He's been as busy as ever inventing things, improving upon old designs, tending to Shadow's mechanical parts, and so on. He explores space now and then to work on his old starmap, too." Finally, she stopped fiddling with her bracelet. "Nothing terrible has happened to him since you last knew him. He's had some bad times just like everyone else, yes, but he's been fine. His life has been quiet and peaceful, overall." She shrugged. "But, then again, he could have easily had adventures without telling anyone, so who knows."

Satisfied, Sonic nodded to Shadow. "And him?"

Wave's own gaze shifted to the sleeping hedgehog. "He's… got a lot on his plate these days," she began. "It's why he's so tired." Her head canted a bit as though she was thinking. "Don't let him fool you into thinking he just runs the whole Mobian military, Sonic. He's practically leader of the entire planet at this point, and people treat him as such. It's been a long and hard journey for him to get to this point, but he's made it this far regardless. Somehow I doubt he'll be quitting now."

So that explained _what_ he'd been doing, to a point. Sonic still wanted to know _how_ his brother had been, though. _If he's been through anything, I want to know. I need to know._

Once more, Wave thankfully seemed to understand. She continued without prompting. "Unlike Tails, Shadow has… seen some really dark times. And, no, I'm not just talking about battles and the like." Something in her blue eyes softened. "Don't expect him to ever admit it, but he's missed you. Your guys's parents and the rest of the family, too. All of you dying… that left him in a dark place. Probably in an effort to cope, he turned back to some old, self-destructive behaviors he apparently took part in before any of us knew him. Behaviors such as training himself nearly to death, for example."

Sonic's brows drew slowly downward. "...That's not all he did, though, is it?"

"No," Wave sighed. "It would seem that he also picked up on your father's unsavory fondness for smoking as well." He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Unfortunately, he hasn't quit yet that I know of."

Though this news sucked, Sonic was more concerned about the fact that there seemed to be _something_ she wasn't telling him. "There's something else, too, isn't there?"

Her eyes saddened but, though she didn't seem to want to, she relented. "During one of the wars he fought in on Mobius years ago… long before he was in charge of anyone besides himself… Shadow was captured by the enemy. He was still caught in that self-destructive spiral at the time, meaning he was left… vulnerable. Especially to unsavory… _influences_ like the ones he was exposed to."

"What happened?" Sonic demanded, though he was suddenly wary of the answer. Something in her tone _made_ him wary of it.

Wave shrugged, but answered. "Whoever captured him apparently realized the mindset he was in at the time and they opted to take advantage of it." He was about to get on her for being vague again, but she immediately elaborated. A part of him almost wished she hadn't. "He was… drugged. Repeatedly. I don't know with what, exactly." Her eyes closed. "Essentially, it was torture. I'm sure you've heard of this form of torment before. But, in case you haven't, here's the brief explanation. The goal is to get the victim addicted to something, then deny them whatever they get addicted to in order to extract information or whatever else the torturers want. Then when the victim does what was ordered, they're given the drug or _drugs_ that they now crave, paving the way for future cooperation." She frowned slowly. "I'm not sure if that's _why_ they did what they did to him, but at this point I suppose it doesn't matter anymore, anyway."

His heart had sunk so low that Sonic swore it would make him sick. "That _happened_ to him?" he heard himself whisper.

A nod. "Yes. And before you ask, no I don't know how long he endured it. It wasn't very long, but long enough to be effective. And, unfortunately… the substances they injected him with were powerful. He was probably hooked after the first hit of each. And… they were ones he knew how to get ahold of once he was free again."

Understanding dawned and Sonic's ears dropped low. "...So he used them on his own."

"For years," Wave confirmed. "Many years. Like I said before, he was in a dark place back then. But… you have to understand, he _did_ quit." The relief Sonic felt at hearing this confirmation was nearly debilitating. "He got clean of his own accord and of his own strength. He's over that part of his past now and he's moved beyond it. We all still keep an eye on him just in case, but… aside from some lasting symptoms of occasional depression and the like, he really is better now."

Sonic pursed his lips together. "Has he ever regressed?" Almost as if he somehow knew he was being discussed, Shadow turned over in his sleep, facing his back to them.

"During the process of cleaning up, he slid back multiple times," Wave answered carefully. "Most people do. But since then, no. From what I've heard, he _nearly_ did a few times here and there, but… he hasn't actually done anything. He doesn't even own any needles or the like anymore." She met Sonic's gaze and told him quietly, "The risk of it happening is always there, yes, but he's okay now. He has been for a long time."

Relieved anew, Sonic questioned, "Did he start smoking because of that mess?"

" _I_ think so, but I can't say for certain," Wave sighed. "However, the timing seems to suggest that he turned to smoking to help cope with his withdrawals. Trading one addiction for another, you know?"

Though troubled anew, Sonic chose to only ask one last question on the matter for now. "Jet and the others know?"

Wave actually smiled. "Yes. Believe it or not, Jet was really concerned about Shadow's recovery back then. He helped your brother a lot, right alongside Tails and Espio. It's part of why they get along so well now."

Somehow, Sonic managed to also smile. If only a bit. "Okay." He finally looked away from his sleeping brother. "So, what about Espio, then?"

"Oh, that's _quite_ a story, though I can make it short," Wave laughed. "If it doesn't surprise you, then nothing will."

That made Sonic frown. "...Suddenly I'm afraid to ask."

In response, Wave shook her head. She was still smiling just a bit. "No, don't be," she told him. "It really is an interesting story."

"Is it _bad_?" Sonic asked.

Suddenly, she was serious again. He gave up trying to make sense of her constantly shifting moods. "It… could be," she answered slowly. "So far it's not been, but we'll see in due time."

Well, that cleared up a lot. Or not. "Okay… so, what happened?"

"Long story short," Wave smiled again, "our ever-neutral and formerly completely emotionless ninja friend here fell in _love_."

Sonic's eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped open. "Wait, _seriously_? That's more unlikely to happen than Knuckles or Locke deciding that punching their enemies is a _bad_ idea as opposed to a _good_ one!"

She kept smiling. "Yep. Want to hear the tale now?" Stunned, Sonic just nodded. "I don't know the woman's name, but I do know that she and Espio met by chance a number of years ago. Apparently, they were enemies practically on sight, and they've been battling on and off for as long as they've known each other. Espio himself has said that she's 'violent, hostile, dark, and perhaps a bit sadistic', and yet somehow he apparently began to care for her over the course of all their battles. She's apparently aligned with various evil forces and, as you might guess, is evil herself. Predictably, she shows _no_ signs of wanting to become 'good' or anything like that. But... he continues to love her regardless. I'm not sure if he's ever let onto it, unintentionally or not, around her."

Puzzled and also concerned, Sonic looked over at the silently meditating chameleon. _Your emotions have all been lost to you since the Nocturnians did whatever they did to you, but somehow someone like that managed to get you to feel something again? And for it to be that feeling, no less…_ Bemused, he shook his head slightly and refocused on Wave. "Does… she love him back?"

Wave shook her head, "Somehow I doubt it, but who really knows?"

That somehow made Sonics protective instincts kick in. "Has she hurt him at all?" he found himself demanding. "In _any_ way?"

She shook her head once more. "Aside from normal battle wounds now and then, no. Not that I've ever been able to tell." Sonic quickly relaxed. "And, honestly, I doubt he would let her, anyway. He may be in love with someone he's better off not caring for, but he's hardly the type to let that rule his actions and reactions toward her."

 _...True. But, still, the idea that Espio would end up falling for an apparent sworn enemy… And someone who's apparently evil, too… That's just… I don't even know. "So… he's okay, then?"_

"Completely, somehow."

That answer was satisfactory, so Sonic let the matter go for now. He'd ask some more questions later, if they came up. "So, has anything _else_ happened to him?"

"No, nothing of any particular note," Wave responded. "His life has been mostly calm and quiet, if also rather mysterious. But that last detail is mostly just because he's always been the reclusive, secretive type."

"That definitely sounds like him," Sonic agreed with an airy chuckle. It was quiet for a few moments, then he gestured to her. "So, what about you? What have you been up to?"

"Well, there isn't much to tell about me," was the mild reply. "After everyone passed away, I spent a long time just… you know, trying to move on with my life by doing what I always did. Racing, inventing, traveling, keeping an eye on Jet, that sort of thing." Her smile turned wistful. "My dad and Alec, my little brother in case you forgot, were traveling between realms in the meantime. Mostly, it was just back and forth between this realm and my dad's home."

Despite how long it had been, Sonic still recalled the travels Han had always done. He was pretty sure he remembered where the man had come from, too. "His home being the Lost Hex, right?"

"Right. So they kept doing this for years, mostly because Mom was long dead by that point and Alec enjoyed it anyway." Wave shrugged. "Eventually, I went with them. Only this time, we went to live in the Hex. We stayed there for years so that Dad could more easily teach us how to use the magic that we'd inherited from him. When we were strong enough, we began traveling to other realms to further our training. I worked hard and brought myself to the point where I could help Jet both keep and eye on and defend existence as much as possible. And… that's really it."

Sonic felt a smile tug at his lips. There were a lot of comments that he could have made here, but the one he settled on was a small joke. "Isn't that strictly an _Immortal's_ job, missy?"

She grinned. "Bite me."

Laughing, he briefly flashed his fangs at her. "Don't tempt me."

"Aw, was that a threat?"

"It might've been."

With a small laugh of her own, Wave shifted in her seat and then asked, "So, on to the big fish in the sea. You have questions about Jet, too, right?"

For a moment, it surprised Sonic that she knew… until he decided it didn't. _Guess it was probably pretty obvious._ "Yeah, I guess I do," he admitted.

"Ask away, then," the swallow invited.

"...I think for now," he decided slowly, "I'll just stick with the same sort of questions as before. You know, what he's been doing, how he's been doing… that sort of thing." _I can ask him some more specifics later. Assuming he'll tell me._

Accepting this, Wave settled back in her seat again. "It would take too long to tell you _everything_ he's been up to over the years. The conversation would just go on and on for practically ever. But I can tell you some small things that he's done."

"Okay," Sonic agreed. Though, really, he would have greatly liked to have more information than he was likely about to get.

"It probably goes without saying," Wave began, "that he's fought in a _lot_ of wars since you died. He also wiped out the entire Therian race, sans two individuals, and their planet. Though, that's a whole long story in and of itself." Sonic gaped at her. Wave just continued. "Alongside various others, he had a hand in raising just about every descendant of all of our friends and family up until… roughly a couple thousand years ago. That means your descendants, Cream's descendants, Locke's, Marthal's… you get the idea."

 _Well,_ Sonic thought wryly, _someone's been busy._

"At one point," Wave continued on, "he scoured Mobius for important relics, artifacts, and so on that are better off guarded somewhere rather than left alone there. One of those relics was Caliburn, by the way."

Sonic straightened. "He has it?"

"Yeah, but you'll have to ask him exactly _where_. I don't know where he stashed it." They were both silent, Sonic because he was processing things again and Wave because she seemed to be thinking of what to say next. She settled on something before too long. "Oh, also, he underwent a lot of training like I did. Though, for obvious reasons he had to be his own teacher much of the time. Still, he's learned how to use a _lot_ more of his Immortal abilities, though there's still a lot more he can't yet access. And he's trained under most of the Gods and Goddesses as well, so there's no telling what he learned from them."

"What about his normal powers?" Sonic asked, curious. "His storm powers and whatnot."

"He's basically perfected those," Wave answered. "Being the _perfectionist_ that he tends to be." Sonic chuckled. "Anyway, like I said before, there's just way too much to tell. These were just a few interesting things I could remember off-hand."

"Okay," Sonic replied.

"As for _how_ he's been… well, it's difficult to say. It depends on which part of his past you look at." Wave gained a faraway look. "There were times when he was doing really well and was even, dare I say it, rather _happy_. Then there were times when he was struggling with depression or he was angry at life. There were times when he was just quietly content with things overall. There were times like now when life has given something to stress over and be serious about, yet he's managing to find contentment the rest of the time, somehow." She shrugged. "I could go on."

Emerald eyes slowly blinked. _So, in other words… his life is pretty much as complicated as ever._ He contemplated this for a second, then a thought occurred to him. _I wonder if that's just an Immortal thing. It was must be the norm for them or… something. He certainly never seems too fazed by it._

Wave chose that moment to stand. "Anyway," she said, "I'm gonna turn in." She stretched before adding, "You should probably do the same."

"Wait," Sonic said quickly. "I have one more question." Truthfully, he had more than one, but the rest could wait for the time being. He wanted to know _this_ now.

"Okay," Wave invited. "What is it?"

Sighing, Sonic asked slowly, "You said that Dad thrives on danger now… but why? Why would he live like that?"

"If anything, you should know that people change," Wave told him, voice soft. "Your father…" She looked away. "He's no exception to that. As I'm sure you recall, he's always been drawn to the darker sides of life. He's _always_ been drawn to combat and struggles and mortal danger and the like. Without your mother around to help keep him safe and _away_ from such a lifestyle…" She shrugged and turned away fully. "Let's just say that that, among other things, had an impact on him."

Before Sonic could press for any further information, Wave dissolved her barrier and walked away.

 **~保護者~**

Jet was in pain when he arrived back at his home. Yet, curiously, he wasn't. He found it strange how he could be so numb to his injuries and yet so completely aware of them at the same time. However, he figured it probably didn't matter, anyway, so long as he was able to heal himself soon. Not that he was suddenly a healer in this day and age. No, not at all. But, that was what the Sanctuary was for. Among other things.

A faint look of distaste crossed his face as he reached for a handle on one of the double doors leading into his isolated fortress of a home. Crimson streaked his feathers and the once white fabric of his robe. The metal decorations on said robe glinted deeply red in the half-light. A wash was definitely in order, he decided. After, that is, he dealt with Sonic. More specifically, Sonic's frankly _noisy_ sword. _It is just as brash as its forger once was… How Sonic bears it so well is beyond me._

Shaking his head, Jet grasped the handle and pulled the door open. A fresh layer of frost and thin ice fell away from the wood, shattering on the ground below. He ignored it and stepped inside, closing the door behind him before continuing on his way down the entrance hall. With the sheathed sword in his left hand, he stepped into the front room. His eyes scanned the remaining occupants quickly. Shadow lay asleep on the couch with Espio meditating nearby. Everyone else, it seemed, had retired to more private quarters.

Walking over, he lightly nudged Shadow with the hilt of the blade (if only because _that_ , at least, wasn't bloody). The dark hedgehog woke with a sort of start and quickly sat up. Espio didn't even so much as twitch. Jet felt a stab of concern when he saw that Shadow's pupils were somewhat dilated, a reminder of those darker days in the hedgehog's past, then reminded himself that it was only because of the low lighting. He berated himself internally for his irrational concern. Then, before Shadow could even speak, Jet murmured to him in low tones, "Your father is alive. He was not injured - greatly. Whatever was threatening him was quite dead by the time I arrived."

This made Shadow frown, but he nodded. "Do you know what it was?"

 _Irrelevant,_ was Jet's immediate thought. However, despite that and the fact that he _really_ didn't feel like talking, he answered the question regardless. "Some clone of Malevolence." He paused, then thought to add, "It was a weak clone. It only endangered his life for a moment due to it appearing by surprise." Judging by the feel of Shadow's aura, the hedgehog didn't know what to feel. Some part of him was relieved, however. Jet left it at that. "Go back to sleep. It's early yet."

Though he grumbled briefly, Shadow did as he was told and laid back down. Jet, meanwhile, turned away and followed the feeling of Sonic's aura to where the hedgehog was "resting". _He should be asleep… so, naturally, he is not._ At the very least, he was laying down. That was certainly better than nothing. _No doubt he is worried about his father as well._ With any luck, once he learned that Kaden was alive and relatively unharmed, Sonic would finally sleep. One could only hope.

He approached the door to the guest room that Sonic had claimed and knocked once, very lightly. Sonic opened the door less than a minute later, and his eyebrows shot up. "What happened to _you_?"

Jet arched a brow just slightly. "You recall what I said about how dangerous your father's home is, yes?" he returned.

Sonic pursed his lips together. "Yeah."

Satisfied, Jet held out Caliburn. "Here." His aura full of as-of-yet unspoken concern, Sonic reached out and took his sword. Then, before he could even ask, Jet said, "Kaden is alive. His injuries are mild at worst. He is fine."

Relief flooded Sonic's aura, but more concern soon filled it. "So how did _you_ get so beat up, then?"

Before he could answer, Jet had to consider _how_ to. "I was forced to aid the God of Demons, very briefly." A slight pause. Then, "He did not take kindly to the assistance."

"Why in the _hell_ would you have to help _him_?" Sonic demanded, all mingling concern and confusion.

Honestly, Jet wanted to sigh. For now, he just spoke instead. "Doing so was the only way to help your father."

That did little to assuage Sonic's fears and concern, and he continued to frown. "You're not telling me _why_ , Jet."

This was a conversation Jet did not want to be having. He wished for it to be over, and now. "Let's just say it's due to _proximity_ ," he eventually said.

" _Proximity_?" Sonic echoed in disbelief. "Are you telling me that Dad lives near that thing?"

"...Near enough." _Enough to matter, at any rate._ Turning, Jet started to leave.

"Wait," Sonic called, stopping him. "You can't seriously tell me that that's the _only_ reason, Jet."

 _Leave it to the father of Silver to be so perceptive at the most inopportune times,_ Jet mused. He turned around slightly, looking at his old friend over his shoulder. "At times, Sonic, the only way to aid friends is to aid enemies. Especially in times like these, we seldom have the luxury of attempting to find other methods of dealing with such threats. The sooner you learn and remember that, the better."

Silence answered him. Jet started to turn away again, but Sonic stopped him one last time. "Jet?" Once more, Jet paused and looked back. "I know what you guys said about the trouble with going near where Dad is and all, but…" Ears lowering, Sonic looked away. His voice was so quiet now, his aura so full of pain… "Isn't there _some_ way that I can see him?"

There were so many things Jet wanted to say in that moment, so many reassurances he wanted to offer… but he couldn't. He _knew_ he couldn't. He just… wished that things could be different, for so many people's sakes. How he _wished_ things had turned out differently. "In all likelihood…" he responded, a sigh in his voice, "you will see him again at some point, regardless of whether or not you yourself go to him. It may take time, but word will spread to him that you are alive now. He will seek you out." Somehow, something Jet said seemed to soothe the hedgehog. His ears weren't quite so low anymore, and the cloud of sadness in his aura lifted somewhat. Jet eyed Sonic cautiously, wary of his friend's pain. Too often, the pain of this man became _his_ pain, one of the many burdens of their bond together. Truly, he had enough pain of his own to deal with as it was.

Eventually, Sonic spoke again. His eyes had shifted to his sheathed blade. "Where did you get this? ...My sword, I mean."

Jet glanced down at Caliburn. "It was stored in a vault. I retrieved it after the fight."

"Well… thanks." Emerald eyes shifted to look into blue ones. "And not just for this. All the talking, too, all the explaining and answering questions. I know you're not fond of it."

Shrugging, Jet turned away one last time. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be busy."

As he started to walk away, Sonic called after him, "You gonna be alright?"

"Yes." With that simple assurance, Jet exited the room and shut the door. His hand lingered on the handle for just a moment when his vaguely tired mind chose to remind him that _no_ , that wasn't going to be the case forever. But… that was a truth to face later, in a battle that was not yet due to take place. He had time… for now.

Shaking his head, he released the door and walked away.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,114 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, as always. Posted (at about 8:20 a.m.) 11-03-18.**


	12. Horizon

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of slowly building tension… especially for the one who really does want to help (even if he is rather stubborn about keeping it some sort of secret).

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, a lot of despair and such for sure. And yeah, poor Sonikku really does want to see Kaden. :( Well, you'll know more about Kaden's situation later on, I promise. Oh, sure thing! No problem. :)**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Horizon"**

 **~保護者~**

Life was… surprisingly quiet for the next several weeks. Though, as Jet had promised, Sonic was kept _plenty_ busy. Mostly, he spent his time on Jet's world training as often as possible with Shadow, Espio, and Tails while Wave and Jet did… whatever it was they did. From what little he'd heard, they were busy trying to deal with Tein and his armies. Sonic was eager to help but, as his half-brother just _loved_ to point out, he was just not ready right now. He would be back to his full strength soon (reviving for the first time after so many years of being dead had taken a big toll on him, apparently), but that time was not right now.

Right now, the pair were inside taking a break so that they could eat some lunch. As Sonic took a bite of his food, Shadow idly picked at his own. His gaze was distant and far away, prompting Sonic to worry. "...You okay?" he asked.

Shadow seemed to stir. A second later, he responded, "Yes."

"You sure?" Sonic pressed, now frowning.

"Yes," Shadow repeated. There was a slight pause, then he sighed and admitted, "I'm just tired." That was something Sonic knew for a _fact_ Shadow would never have told anyone in years past.

"Why?" Sonic inquired, head canting. "Sparring with me getting too much for you?"

Unfortunately, this small joke had no effect on his brother. He didn't even smirk, not even slightly. But, that was probably to be expected. "It has nothing to do with that."

Thinking back, Sonic recalled what Wave had told him about Shadow's life these days. According to her, Shadow both ran the full Mobian military and also basically the planet itself. Well, now it was time to see what Shadow himself had to say on that. "Guessing the people of Mobius are getting to you, then?"

Crimson eyes glanced up at him, but there was no surprise to be found in them. "I'm assuming Wave told you."

"Yeah," Sonic admitted readily. "I asked what you guys were up to these days and, well, she answered."

Suddenly, Shadow seemed tense. "What _else_ did she tell you?"

Sonic decided it would be best not bring up the rest of what he and Wave had discussed regarding Shadow. At least… not right now. "Nothing much, really," he lied, tone casual.

Thankfully, Shadow wasn't looking at him (he had already resumed gazing into the steam of his stew) and therefore didn't see any signs of untruthfulness. He certainly didn't _hear_ any. He nodded once, accepting Sonic's words, and visibly relaxed some. "...It isn't the people," he eventually said. "To answer your question."

Getting the feeling that he was on the verge of getting an answer, Sonic pressed on. "The military, then?"

Shadow seemed to give that some thought. "No… not quite." When he paused, Sonic thought he might need to press once more to get further replies. Shadow, however, continued on his own soon enough. "It's less the _military_ itself that is exhausting and more the _war_ that they're helping to fight."

"The same one Wave and Jet are fighting?" Sonic asked, ears perked.

A nod. "Tein threatens _all_ worlds. Mobius is no exception." Shadow set his spoon down. "As such, it is necessary for our world to fight back and help _stop_ Tein and his armies before they can destroy it as well."

The idea of Mobius ever just being _gone_ was just… a bit too much to bear. "He can be stopped, right?" he asked. "We're not just delaying the inevitable?" _I know Jet insisted that this was a problem he could handle alone, and he hinted that I should be more concerned about that demon, but…_

"He can be stopped," Shadow replied slowly. His words immediately allayed some of Sonic's fears. "However," the darker of the two continued, "it will not be easy. He is Immortal. That alone should tell you enough."

"But there are three other Immortals out there," Sonic pointed out. "Surely together-"

"No," Shadow cut in. "There is no 'together'. Since the Immortals you once met died, the Immortals that have been born all came into being with... dark streaks. Tein outright turned evil. The other two have not, but they have little inclination at this point to help, regardless."

"Why the hell _not_?" Sonic demanded. "They're Immortals! It's their _job_ to deal with shit like this!"

"Not every Immortal is worthy of the title," Shadow stated frankly, arms crossing. "Kathros alone is proof of that."

Sonic's mouth clamped shut. _Kathros… that Immortal who tortured Dad back in ancient times._ His clenched his teeth together. _...Yeah, alright, so Shadow has a point here._

"There is a reason," Shadow continued, "why so few of us are standing together and fighting, Sonic. Not everyone we _should_ be able to trust _can_ be trusted. You would do well to remember that, especially once you join the combat."

Without waiting for a reply, he stood up and went to dispose of his uneaten food.

 **~保護者~**

Without Jet home to actively prevent attacks on said home, Sonic and the others were nearly attacked more than once. Cadora insisted that the barriers would hold whether or not Jet was around, but that only held true until it _didn't_. And when some demonic force punched a hole in the planet's barriers large enough to let a small army through… Well, that didn't go over well.

Really, Sonic reflected, he should have been a bit grateful for the break from his training with Shadow. His brother was not at _all_ gentle about his teachings, especially as he preferred to _demonstrate_ how to do things as opposed to _explain_ them. Usually, that meant demonstrating on _Sonic_. It was effective though, and Sonic wasn't feeling particularly grateful today. Especially not toward some apparent _demon_.

The beast was rather large, to put it mildly. And, frankly, it was pretty grotesque as well. He supposed it was meant to be some sort of towering wolf, but… _I'll be damned if I put that monstrosity in the same category of species as creatures like Azerel._ Babylonian wolves were beautiful, graceful creatures. This thing most certainly was _not_. It was, however, quite strong. He supposed it would have to be in order to so easily break the barriers of an Immortal.

On the bright side, he finally got to see one his brothers fancy new guns in action.

And _oh_ , how he loved that gun. It was so, so much quieter than the guns from his lifetime and, despite _looking_ like a normal handgun, Shadow proved that it was far more accurate and more powerful. Each shot tore a hole in the not-quite-wolf's reddish flesh, right along Tails's own radiation-powered gun. Sonic's and Espio's swords (the chameleon, quite appropriately, wielded a katana) managed to create deep gashes in the beast as well. However, each wound only seemed to fuel the demon's rage… and Tails had a rather unfortunate assessment to make on that.

As the demon breathed literal _hell_ fire at Espio and Shadow, forcing them to all but dive out of the way, Tails called out to the group, "Guys! I think we have a _small_ problem here!"

"You mean _besides_ the giant mutated wolf monster?!" Sonic snapped just before he, too, was forced to dodge a stream of deadly demonic flames.

"Yes, _besides_ just that!" Tails fired twice at the demon, forcing it back several paces. This bought the fox a few short seconds to sprint out of range of the fires now spreading over the once snowy ground. "In case you lot haven't noticed, us attacking it is just pissing it off and the more ticky it gets the more it seems to tap into normally buried reserves of strength!"

 _So, this is like the Knuckles or Locke of demons._ Sonic paused, made a face, then shook his head slightly. _No, I'd rather not sully their memories by comparing them to this._ "So what's the plan, Tails?!"

Tails leapt high into the air to dodge a stray burst of flames. Shadow drew the menace's focus toward himself, buying the fox time to answer. Said fox did just that upon landing again on the ground. "Okay, listen up!" he called out, drawing all eyes toward him for a moment. "The plan is simple! Hit it hard and hit it fast! Shadow, blast the hell out of any weak points you can find! Sonic, don't use your fire, just your sword! Aim for any weak points you can find, too! Espio, do whatever you want as far as attacks go, but also try to cover our butts! I'll work on stripping its defenses!"

With the plan set (Sonic just hoped the beast couldn't understand), everyone went into motion. Sonic didn't pay much attention to what Shadow and Espio did overall, focused as he was on his own task, but he was rather curious to see what Tails was going to do. _Strip its defences… how?_ While he worked on hacking and slashing at any potential vulnerable points, Tails distanced himself and closed his eyes as though to focus. Then, before Sonic's very eyes, the fox gave Sonic his answer.

A controlled beam of radiation shot from Tails's outstretched palm straight into the demon's face. Even if the impact itself hadn't damaged the creature enough, the sheer amount of literal radiation it was exposed to was downright crippling. As disgusting and nightmarish as it was, Sonic was helpless to look away as the creature practically melted. Within moments, it was just… gone. Once he was sure the danger had passed, Sonic sheathed his sword. "That was… ghoulish."

Tails was already walking back over and had caught that comment. "Yeah, well," he responded, "it worked. So let's just count our blessings and not complain."

"You're downright moody today, you know that?"

"Tired, not moody."

A small pause. Sonic eyed Shadow and Espio as they carefully examined the surroundings for any signs of further danger. "...So… not that I don't trust you, but _we're_ not going to be affected by that attack, right?"

"No," Tails assured. "It's too controlled for that. Trust me, my attacks are nothing like they used to be. I know how control it now."

 _Well, that's certainly good._ Deciding to change the subject, Sonic remarked, "I didn't think you swore."

"Feh," Tails huffed, though a small smirk finally began making its way onto his face. "Not as much as _you_. Actually, I'd wager I swear _far_ less than you, in fact."

"How much you betting?" Sonic joked.

"Since we both know I'm right?" Tails returned lightly. "My entire life's savings. You?"

Sonic thought for a moment. "I have… my sword. And my shoes. That's it."

Finally, Tails laughed. It seemed his somewhat sour mood was lifting. "Eh, you keep 'em. I've got my own."

"Shoes?"

"And swords. Dual katana, remember?"

"Ah, right.

More silence. Then Tails brought up a new matter. "So, listen, you know we can't stay here forever, right?"

Blue ears perked in surprise. "We can't?"

Tails shook his head, "No." He was quick to clarify, "Not because Jet wouldn't _let_ us, mind you, but because it's not going to be safe here for terribly much longer."

"Why?" Sonic frowned. "Because of that Tein guy?"

"He is part of the reason, yes," Tails answered. "Our biggest concern by far, however, is-"

"That demonic god."

"Yeah."

Feeling tense, Sonic questioned, "You guys think he'll come here?"

"We know he will," Tails sighed. "I don't know if Jet told you, but he had to… _intervene_ in a fight the god was having and… it didn't go over well. Kind of pissed the guy off, actually. And as you might guess, demons tend to resort to violence we they get pissed."

Sonic pursed his lips together. "So what's Jet going to do?"

"This is likely to erupt into another war, though _maybe_ not a huge one if we're lucky," Tails answered. "Thankfully, he has some time to prepare, albeit not terribly much. All the things he has stored here that can't afford to be lost, ancient texts and Immortal artifacts and the like, he intends to move. He hadn't said where, which is probably for the best. The castle itself can afford to fall. It can be rebuilt. The Sanctuary will remain in essence, so it'll be fine. ...Assuming the God himself doesn't use his own magic to take out the energies containing what's within the Sanctuary."

"And Cadora?" Sonic asked.

"That," Tails admitted with a small frown, "I don't know. This world is the only home the kid's ever known. It goes without saying that he can't stay _here_ , though."

"And what about him and Jet?" Sonic pressed. His question was lame, but he didn't doubt that Tails would understand.

"Jet's not his dad or anything, as I'm sure you know by now," Tails told him. "Not even adoptive, though he doesn't _treat_ the kid any differently than he would one of his own. Still, they don't really have any sort of a familial bond or anything." He crossed his arms lightly in thought. "Their relationship is far more student-teacher than anything else. Jet's certainly the only guardian, so to speak, that Cadora's ever known and it'll hurt him to be apart from that guardian, surely… but for his own safety it has to be done."

The words were true enough. But no one ever said Sonic had to like it. "Where do you think Jet will take him?"

Tails sighed again. "If I had to guess… I'd say to Gardenia. Cosmo's world. Cadora knows her. She can protect him, and teach him."

Well, that was far better than him going off to a stranger's residence. "And what will _we_ do?"

"As much as I wish we could fight, too… for now, we'll just need to go home," Tails shrugged. "Back to Mobius, that is."

Sonic's ears went down a degree. "...I don't… _have_ a home anymore."

Wise eyes glanced to him. "I know. I'm working on that. Don't worry about it."

For a time after that, Sonic occupied himself with just watching his brother and trying not to worry. Said brother was standing quite a ways away from him and Tails right now, conversing avidly (for him) with Espio. The sight of them made Sonic sort of smile. _Hard to believe that they're still friends after everything that's happened and how much time has passed. But, it's also pretty damn amazing._ Glancing to Tails, he let his smile grow for a moment. _Thankfully, that seems true of the bonds between all of us._ He savored the feeling of happiness these thoughts brought him before allowing more serious matters to come back to the forefront of his mind again. "Hey, Tails?" he asked, turning his head to look at the fox again. As he did so, he kept half an ear out for Shadow and Espio.

Blue eyes shifted to him. "Yeah?"

Sonic crossed his arms, mostly in a subconscious effort to maintain body heat. Though, he hardly needed it with the magical scarf he was still wearing. "I need you to try to explain something for me." Tails blinked. "The fact that Jet interfered in a fight or whatever with that demon god… that's not the only reason why they might go to war, is it? I mean, there's the obvious 'good versus evil' reason and similar ones, but… aside from that."

For some unfathomable reason, Tails smiled. A very sad, regretful smile. "The God of Demons wants to replace Malevolence as the most powerful evil entity in existence, remember. He can't very well _do_ that when a stubborn-as-hell Immortal keeps butting in, now can he?"

Not for the first time since he'd been revived, Sonic was struck by a strong feeling. _There's something I'm not being told… something I'm not supposed to know, maybe?_ He pursed his lips together, debating. Should he pry, or leave well enough alone for now?

That was a decision Tails made for him. "Hey, guys!" he called out loudly to Shadow and Espio, who were already heading back over. The pair were soon mere feet away. "Listen, we're going to have to evacuate at some point soon, as you know, but there's a small hitch." He turned his head to look specifically at Shadow. "Sonic needs a place to stay."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "He has one."

"I do?" Sonic interjected in confusion. He chose, for now, not to comment on the subject change.

Crimson eyes met his. "Yes," Shadow answered simply. Sonic didn't follow.

Thankfully, Tails was quick as ever and caught on to what Sonic was missing. "Oh… I get it." He turned to Sonic. "Listen, he's being vague, but basically he's willing to let you stay with him. There are guest rooms in his house."

Silence. Sonic took a moment to carefully process this. Then, all at once, he grinned. "I _knew_ you cared about me!" he taunted.

In response, Shadow immediately whacked Sonic with the butt of his gun. Though, tellingly, he didn't do it hard enough for it to hurt… much. "Press your luck, and I'll leave you to sleep in the snow."

Sonic just grinned, feeling triumphant. And, in spite of all the danger hanging over their heads, he somehow felt better. At least for now. But then Espio chose to speak up. "We should be ready to leave when Jet returns. Hanging about for long after that would be… unwise."

"Yeah, you're right," Tails agreed. He gestured for everyone to start heading inside. "Good thing we don't have much to pack."

Everyone began walking. "I was under the impression that we didn't bring _anything_ with us," Sonic eventually said. "Aside from the stuff we had on-hand, that is."

"Well, no," Tails agreed. He led the way inside, and Shadow shut the door behind them all. "But you have to remember, Shadow, Espio, and I have stayed here plenty of times in the past. That's not to say that we have a ton of belongings here or anything, but we have accumulated some stuff over the years."

Out of nowhere, Sonic noticed that Espio had vanished. _Off to whatever room he uses here, no doubt._ He watched as Shadow also walked off, presumably to also go to some room and pack things. Ear flicking, Sonic spoke to Tails before the fox could leave as well. "So… what do I do?" he asked. "Since I have nothing to pack, and all."

Tails thought for a second. "You could… snoop?" he suggested, mostly joking. "I mean, Silver had to have gotten that habit from _someone_."

"Right, because he _totally_ got it from me," Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Thought so," Tails laughed, walking off. "I'll be back."

"Yeah, okay." Sonic half-watched as Tails left, then glanced about the room. There was no denying that he was curious, but… _I'm not Silver. I don't snoop._ Pursing his lips together, he headed for the stairs to find a decent place to sit down and think or something.

Because he most certainly was _not_ nosy.

 **~保護者~**

Panting, Wave turned her head to look at Jet. Despite the harshness of the battle on this desolate world, he stood immaculate, unruffled and unfazed by the bloodshed around them. Yet, she knew how to see what others did not, what others often refused to see. Her eyes roamed over his form, picking out the slight signs of exertion. _Tense posture, deepened breathing, aura somewhat flared, eyes narrowed just a touch…_ Sighing, she stood from her crouch and sheathed her blade. "Jet," she called, hoping to draw his attention away from all the death. The extreme loss of life bothered him as much as always… despite the fact that every corpse here had once been an enemy.

Blue eyes shifted to her, but he didn't speak. She didn't expect him to. After sheathing her sword, she walked over and laid her hand on his left arm. "We should leave," she murmured. "Staying here isn't good for either of us."

Slowly, Jet looked away again. "...I need to find the-"

"No," Wave cut in gently. "Let me. I want you to go home. Okay?"

He looked back at her. "No," he responded. "No one is safe here alone."

That was true enough, she had to admit. "Alright," she conceded. "Help me, then, but let's be quick about it." Thankfully, he agreed to this without argument. With her by his side, he began walking through the battlefield in search of what had been stolen earlier that day. She shook her head in quiet disbelief and asked him, "How did Tein even get the emerald?"

"The vault," Jet answered softly, "is not foolproof. And even assuming it was… he is Immortal. I can no more prevent his access than he can mine."

She frowned in thought. "Is _that_ why you've been taking things out of there and relocating them?"

A nod. "As quickly as is possible," he answered.

"That requires you to make new storage facilities, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

 _No wonder it's taken so long, then… Immortal-crafted things, regardless of whether they're buildings or weapons or whatever else, take years to be completed._ "If the Vault of Time is compromised," Wave began, "and the other facilities are either full or not yet completed, then what will you do with the remaining artifacts still in the vault?"

"They will have to be moved," Jet shrugged. He didn't specify to where. But, then, she knew already. "It is the only solution right now."

There was silence. Jet bent down and picked up a gleaming yellow emerald. Wave sighed. "Well… at least we don't have to hunt these down this time." _Though I don't know how much good they'll do by themselves._

Jet seemed to contemplate the glow of the emerald intently. "That does _not_ mean that they are safe," he reminded, voice firm.

"Yeah… I know." Leaning down a bit, she again laid a hand on his arm. "How much longer do you have?" she asked softly. "How much longer until you can finish this?"

"It will end soon," he answered her, a promise in his voice.

"And the others?"

"Keep them in the dark. The fewer people we involve, the better."

Something in her eyes softened. "What about Sonic?" she inquired, voice gentler than it already had been. "I know you want to protect him from this, but… as much as it will hurt him, he deserves the truth."

"I have not lied," Jet pointed out with a touch of tension as he stood.

"I know," Wave soothed. "Not blatantly, at least. However, as you may recall, some consider _omission_ of information a lie all its own."

She couldn't be certain, but she thought his eyes sparked for a second. As quickly as the look came, however, it was gone. "I am aware," he finally said.

"Then what will you tell him?" she pressed.

His answer was immediate. "Nothing." When she frowned at him, he huffed and elaborated, "Nothing _now_. It's too soon."

Though a part of her wanted to argue, Wave recognized the truth in this statement. "...Fine," she conceded. "I can agree with that."

"Then leave it be for now."

"Yeah, alright, I will." She glanced around the area one last time. "Come on, let's blow this joint. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of blood and gore for one day."

The corner of his lips twitched up in vague amusement and then, in a flash, they were gone.

 **~保護者~**

Tails had finished packing nearly an hour ago. He and Sonic sat together in the front room of Jet's large home. They had been talking about various, non-important things, but now Sonic had a new topic he wanted to discuss. "Hey, Tails?"

The young fox looked up from Sonic's communicator, which he'd again been working on. "Yeah?"

"Last night, Wave and I talked," Sonic said, "and she told me some of the things you guys have been up to since I died."

"Oh?" Tails smiled. "Learn anything interesting?"

"Kind of," Sonic chuckled, "but I just realized that there were a couple people I neglected to ask about."

"Ah. Shall I fill you in, then?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't," Tails assured him easily, looking back down at the communicator. He resumed fiddling with it. "Who did you want to know about?"

"Cosmo, first of all," Sonic answered. "I know she's alive still, and Cadora sort of explained before _how_ she's alive, but that's basically all I know."

"Well…" Tails trailed off thoughtfully, then continued, "She hasn't been up to much, really, in the sense that she hasn't been having any grand adventures or anything of the sort."

Sonic watched Tails work and asked, "So what _has_ she been doing?"

"I'm getting to that," Tails replied patiently. "Long story short, since the end of that big ol' conflict with the Metarex, Cosmo has been on her homeworld, Gardenia. She took on the form of what's known as 'the Mother Tree', the literal tree that supplies life to her entire planet. She's only something like… the third Mother Tree to have existed. As the newest Mother, she's single-handedly revived her entire species, saved her planet from dying, and brought in a new era of unparalleled peace there. She defends the world when some rare few threats show up, but mostly hers is a peaceful existence, full of life and love." He smiled fondly. "Very befitting of a person like her, wouldn't you say?"

Gradually, a smile formed on Sonic's own face. "Yeah… I'd say it is."

"Her and Jet have gotten really close, by the way," Tails suddenly added. "They're great friends, even if he doesn't let on to it too much. So you'll be seeing her at some point, I guarantee it."

His smile widened. "I'd like that. After so many years… I'd really, really like that."

"Thought so." A brief moment of silence passed, then Tails gave his friend a gentle nudge with an elbow. "So, who else did you want to ask about?"

"There's actually only one other person," Sonic admitted, settling back in his seat on the couch. "At least, he's the only other one I can think of at the moment."

Bright blue eyes glanced at him. "Okay, shoot," Tails invited.

More than ready to jump right in and get some details, Sonic asked, "What's Locke been up to?"

That made Tails completely pause. He fixed Sonic with a long look. For perhaps the first time since Sonic had been revived, the fox looked genuinely puzzled. When he eventually spoke, he kept his tone carefully controlled. "You… think Locke is alive?" he questioned slowly.

Now it was Sonic's turn to be confused. "Isn't he?" he questioned back. When Tails just stared, which frankly made his answer obvious, Sonic shook his head. He was too bewildered right now to be upset, though that would likely change later. "He _must_ still be around, Tails," he insisted. "He never showed up in the emerald. Ever."

In a tone that clearly communicated Tails's reluctance to dash Sonic's hopes, the fox said quietly, "Sonic… he died during that... _mess_ ," God, calling it that had to be the understatement to top all understatements, "with Malevolence, remember? You went to the funeral. We all did."

"I know that. But I _also_ know that there was no body, Tails, no proof that he died aside from the ruins of his house and the fact that he never contacted any of us after the attack." Sonic clenched his fists. "I said it then, and I'll say it now. High-energy or not, a simple blast like that _couldn't_ have killed Locke, no matter how old he was."

Tails looked back down at the communicator in his hands. His brow creased in thought. "Logically, I know I should agree, but… logic also tells me that he couldn't still be alive _now_ , regardless of whether or not he survived that attack. For all his strength and resilience, he was still mortal, Sonic. And, no, his race isn't one of those that can live for countless millennia without being affected."

"There has to be _some_ explanation," Sonic insisted. "Like I said, he _never_ showed up in the emerald. After so many years, he _would_ have showed up if he was dead."

"Obviously I've never been dead, so I'll just have to take you at your word on that." Tails's frown deepened. "I just really don't know _how_ he could still be alive, if he even is. And _if_ he's alive, why the disappearance? Why stay silent for so long, not contacting any of us? It doesn't mesh with his character, Sonic."

Sonic had to concede on that point. "I know… I know. I just…" He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "There's cause to hope, and it's hard not to _do_ it in these sorts of situations, I guess."

Gradually, Tails's frown eased. "Yeah… I get it." Looking over, he laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Listen, I may not necessarily have any answers here, but I'm hardly the only person with a brain around here. I'll talk to people, make some inquiries. If _nothing_ else, maybe I can track down some clues as to what happened to him back then. That could help shed some light on this mess."

The offer of help coaxed a fresh smile from Sonic. "Thanks, Tails."

That smile was easily returned. "No problem." Tails handed off the communicator. "Here, I'm done with this for now. I'll do some more work later."

"Thanks," Sonic said again. He strapped the device back to his wrist.

"You're welcome." Tails started to stretch, his arms reaching high over his head, but stopped abruptly when a small sound emanated from his own communicator. Blinking once, he brought his arms back down and looked down at the device. A second or two later, he was answering a video call. "Uh, hello?"

A voice of indistinguishable gender answered in a language Sonic didn't recognize. He leaned over to look, but the screen was very dark. "Who is that?"

"I… don't know," Tails answered. He tapped his screen once, and a bunch of holographic screens and controls appeared in the air. He began messing with all of them as he stated, "This thing intercepts calls sometimes… it's a bit of a glitch I haven't fixed yet. If you give me a second, I can figure out where this particular call is coming from."

That strange voice answered in that equally strange language again, and Sonic frowned a bit. "I could be wrong, Tails, but this person… thing… whatever, sounds kinda pissed."

"Yeah, agreed."

"Should we be _concerned_?"

"Perhaps."

Just then, the voice switched languages. _"THE DARK HAND OF NIGHT COMES FOR YOUR SOULS,"_ it boomed. Then, just like that, the call dropped.

Trading wide-eyed looks, Sonic and Tails both clamped their mouths shut… then rushed to call Jet.

 **~保護者~**

When Jet didn't answer any attempts to call him, Tails made an executive decision. "Okay, we're leaving. Right now. Sonic, get up." He himself stood up without hesitation. At about the same time, Shadow came down the stairs with a backpack slung over one shoulder. "Shadow, we need to leave ASAP," Tails informed him. "Are you finished packing?"

Shadow walked over to the two of them. "Yes."

"And have you _eaten_ anything recently?" Tails asked him pointedly as Sonic stood.

Black ears lowered defensively a degree. That was a look Sonic had never expected to see on his brother. "...No."

"Go get something from the kitchen while we're waiting for Espio, then," Tails directed, pointing toward said kitchen. Shadow opened his mouth to argue, but the fox wouldn't let him. "No, you're not giving me any of that 'I'm not hungry' B.S. You're getting _something_ to eat. I don't care if it's literally just a slice of bread, but you _are_ eating something." He gestured with his hands. "Go. Shoo. Don't come back until you have food."

Clearly more than a little irritated, Shadow turned around on his heel and stalked off to the kitchen. Sonic, meanwhile, gave Tails a look that was half-puzzled and half-amused. "If we're in such a rush, why are you making him go look for a snack or something?"

"We are in a rush but, like I said, we're still waiting on Espio," Tails answered. "And, besides that, if no one _makes_ your brother eat then usually he _won't_ eat." He glanced toward the kitchen, then looked back to Sonic and lowered his voice. "You mentioned asking Wave about our lives and stuff, but did she tell you about-"

"Yeah," Sonic cut in with a nod. "She did."

Tails returned the nod. "Well, even all these years after he successfully got over his addiction, Shadow's still left with some residual effects. One of those effects is infrequent depression, another effect is some occasional worse insomnia than he used to have, and another is a _significantly_ decreased appetite." He crossed his arms and sighed. "We're lucky if we can ever get your brother to eat more than a few bites of anything. If not for the fact that he's a semi-Immortal like you, he'd be emaciated right now. ...Or he would have just starved to death."

Ears a bit low, Sonic closed his eyes. _Maybe it's for the best that I stay with him, then… I don't know if I could rest anywhere else, knowing that he might be starving himself or something._ Sighing, Sonic opened his eyes again to look at Tails. "Hey… what about Espio? There wasn't even any food in his house. Does he have some sort of similar issue or something?"

"No, not at all," Tails shook his head. "See… just like we don't know how Espio is even _alive_ these days, we also don't understand a lot of the ways that he's _changed_ over the years, either. One of the ways he's changed is that, for some reason, he doesn't seem to _need_ to eat anymore. Or drink anything." He paused, then added, "Or sleep, for that matter. He certainly never seems to have any _desire_ to do those things."

Slowly, Sonic's brows drew downward. "...That… almost sounds like the sort of self-sustaining ability that higher-level Immortals have."

His assessment earned a nod from Tails. "Yeah, I agree. But you know as well as the rest of us that he's not an Immortal. He can't be."

"Yeah." Sonic closed his eyes again. _Man… it's just one mystery after another with these guys, isn't it?_ "Please tell me there aren't any issues with you that I need to no about."

"No, there aren't," Tails smiled. "Aside from my radiation doing it's usual thing like always, I'm fine."

Sonic frowned. "Any risk of _bad_ mutations?"

"Not thus far."

"Good."

Finally, Espio came down the stairs, carrying nothing. Sonic suspected that the ninja had somehow sent his belongings off to Mobius already. A minute or two later, Shadow came back from the kitchen with a simple slice of lightly buttered toast. _Not much, but way better than nothing,_ Sonic decided. "Everyone ready to go now?"

"Should be," Tails answered. He glanced to Shadow and Espio for confirmation. Neither disagreed. "Alright, then, time to go." Reaching over to a nearby table, Tails picked up the couple of bags he had packed earlier. Out of one, he retrieved a teleportation device. Only, it didn't look like one of his.

 _Jet's, most likely,_ Sonic decided. Then they all vanished.

 **~保護者~**

Later that day found Sonic and Shadow walking to the front door of the darker-furred hedgehog's home. He had relocated since Sonic's time and no longer dwelled outside of Empire City. Instead, he was living in a dark and quiet woodland at the base of a mountain. That mountain just so _happened_ to be one of the many that marked the edge of the two-thousand strong range in the far north-eastern corner of the supercontinent of Yueisha. This was the mountain range that had long concealed Chun-nan's ruins. Somehow, Sonic wasn't convinced that his brother had chosen this location by pure _coincidence_.

The home itself, Sonic noted, looked very much like the sort of house Sonic would be familiar with. It was large, but had no second story. The windows appeared to be plain glass, just like windows in Sonic's time, and the door was by all appearances… normal. It wasn't until Shadow went to let them both in that Sonic discovered how _not_ normal some aspects of this home was. In particular, the security was more advanced and in-depth than anything Sonic had ever seen outside of that military base he'd first reunited with Shadow out. But, leave it to Shadow to ensure that every inch of his home was guarded.

"Paranoid, much?" Sonic asked wryly while his brother swiftly gained them access and opened the door.

Shadow snorted. "No." He stepped inside, beckoning with a hand for Sonic to follow.

Taking the invitation, Sonic followed his half-brother inside and closed the door. "Why all the security, then?" he questioned.

He glanced around the front room. With the lights all off, everything appeared so dark as to be black. Off to the left he spotted a sort of dining space with an rigid rectangular table and four chairs, as well as a doorway leading into what was no doubt the kitchen. Beyond that, all the way to the left of the room, was a hall leading who-knew-where. Dead ahead was a hall that seemed to lead down to the bedrooms. To the right was a large and very open sitting area (essentially a living room) with several couches, a coffee table, a wall-mounted flatscreen TV, and so on. Honestly, Sonic was a bit surprised that this was the _only_ furniture in the room. Then again, Shadow had never been one to be too worried about material possessions.

"Since you've been revived," Shadow said, catching Sonic's attention again, "we have all provided answers to your near-endless questions. Rightfully so, since there is so much you have no way of knowing about otherwise." He turned all of his security systems back on, then turned away from the small holographic projections by the door. They immediately vanished. "This time, I suggest you think for yourself. You should be able to figure it out on your own."

"Is that your way of insinuating I _don't_ think?" Sonic huffed.

"No one said that but you," Shadow returned evenly… but Sonic didn't fail to catch the lack of denial to his question.

Stifling his need to fire back, Sonic sighed and gave this matter some light thought. Sure enough, some potential answers came to him. "I've been told that you're in charge of the entire planet-wide military here on Mobius now. That can make you some enemies.

Arms loosely crossed, possibly just for comfort, Shadow inclined his head. "It does now and then, yes."

Okay, so Sonic was apparently on the right track. He ran with it. "And you've practically taken over the kingdom, right? You're on track to being in a position to fully rule the world like our grandparents and dad did." _And like I would have, had I not refused. ...Not that I regret that._

Another vague nod. "That is so," Shadow acknowledged. "Such a thing also creates enemies and, thus, necessitates defensive measures."

Now Sonic nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." He thought some more, but only one other fact occurred to him. One he didn't want to share. Not right now. _You were running with a bad crowd in years past, too… Using drugs, you had to have made connections with dealers and other unsavory folks, and there's no telling how dangerous any of them might have been to you… how much they might still try to threaten you._ Though Sonic preferred not to think about it, he had to acknowledge that this was likely another reason for all the security here.

Shadow spoke up again. "Satisfied?"

Startled from his thoughts, Sonic blurted out, "Huh?"

A brow arched. "Is your curiosity satisfied?" Shadow elaborated.

"Oh, yeah." Sonic rubbed lightly at one ear. "I s'pose it is."

Apparently satisfied with that, Shadow turned away and walked to a panel on a nearby wall. With a simple hand movement, he flicked on all the lights in the dining area and sitting area which, together, collectively made up the very large front room. With the lights on, Sonic was suddenly able to see splashes of color that veritably burst out from the monochromatic color schemes that otherwise filled the space. The marble-like floor was, indeed, black as it turned out. The walls were such a deep greyish-blue that it made sense as to why they looked black in the dark. The table, couches, coffee table, and TV were all black as well, but… amidst all this darkness there _was_ color.

Under the coffee table in between the almost-rectangle that the three couches made was a surprisingly pleasing-to-look at carpet of sorts that was nearly crimson in color. The couches (which Sonic could now see were all fine leather) had some throw-pillows of varying sizes and shapes on them, each differing shades of red and each sporting different black and grey designs. The padded portions of the chairs at the dining table were this deep, deep wine red. The carpet under the table was almost the same shade of red as the one by the couches. But that was all Sonic had time to take in before Shadow began walking, silently prompting the blue hedgehog to follow.

Together, the pair of them went down the hall Sonic had seen before. The first door on the left was slightly ajar, revealing a bed that had clearly been slept in somewhat recently. The nightstand was cluttered with various pieces of half-built tech, and Sonic smiled at the sight. "Guessing Tails uses this room?" he asked. Shadow just nodded. Sonic gestured to the door right across from this one. It was shut. "And this room?"

"Espio's," Shadow informed him simply.

They walked on. The next door on the left was wide open, revealing the bathroom, shower, a towel rack, and so on. The room right across from that was shut and, as Sonic soon noticed, locked via some sort of holographic tech. So, of course, he had to ask. "And what're you hiding in here?"

Crimson eyes glanced to the door calmly. "Not 'hiding'," he corrected. "Merely storing."

"Okay, fine. What are you _storing_?"

"Weapons."

"...I knew that."

Shadow indulged in an eye-roll and continued. The next door on the right was just as securely locked up as the previous one, leading Sonic to suspect that it was concealing yet more weapons. The door on the left, however, wasn't locked at all. That door Shadow opened, revealing an apparently unused guest room. As was the case with many guestrooms in Sonic's experience, it didn't have much in it. Just a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, a closet, a light, and one window. But it was a _room_ , it was a _real_ bed, and that forever beat spending a night trying to sleep in a tree or something. So Sonic was grateful.

Turning back around to look at his brother, Sonic watched Shadow walk the last couple of feet to a door dead ahead at the end of the hall. When he opened the door, he revealed his own room, though it was too dark at the present moment, for Sonic to see much in it (leading him to briefly wonder how in the _world_ it was so dark in here yet so bright outside). Before Shadow could disappear into that darkness, Sonic called out to him. "Hey… thanks." Those crimson eyes flashed him a glance over a black shoulder, then Shadow looked away. With a small nod, he acknowledged Sonic's word, then went into his room. Smiling a bit, Sonic retreated into his own room for now. If Tails's words to him less than an hour earlier were anything to go by, he would need to get plenty of rest today. They all would…

Because the very _God_ of Demons was on the move.

Trying not to think too hard on that, he sat down on the bed he would now be making use of for the foreseeable future. He tried to summon up the willpower to lay down and rest, but rather quickly decided that that would be an utter waste of his time. He wasn't tired, not even remotely, and he had far too much on his mind for him to relax. While he _should_ try regardless and he knew it, he just couldn't.

It turned out that he wasn't the only one who couldn't find sleep. Tails sent him a message out of the blue. All it said was, _"Something for you to read if you're struggling to rest again."_

Intrigued, Sonic opened up the large file that the fox had attached to his message. "What in the world did you send me, Tails?" he murmured to himself, eyes scanning the screen. He bit his lip in thought, caught himself, then stopped. A moment passed before he decided to just text the fox back.

 ** _Sonic:_**

 _What is this?_

 ** _Tails:_**

 _Well, you still have a lot a questions about things, so I just compiled some lists of data that might help to satisfy your curiosity some._

 ** _Sonic:_**

 _Ah. Well, thanks._

 ** _Tails:_**

 _Sure thing._

Now doubly intrigued, Sonic turned his attention back to the file and read the first page of it.

 _Things Shadow Has Done Since Your Death:_

 _-Single-handedly took down G.U.N. (which was deeply corrupt at the time) from the inside and then took it over_

Somehow, Sonic managed a short laugh. "Well, no surprise there," he told himself. "I expected him to do that ages ago." Shaking his head, he kept reading.

 _-Invented somewhere around thirteen new types of holographic weapons testing facilities_

 _-Invented numerous new types of guns_

 _-Decided to take on the role your dad inherited and so briefly himself took on: namely, the ruler of Mobius (a work in progress still)_

Sonic blinked a few times. "So you guys really weren't pulling my leg, huh… Man, imagine that. My brother, the king." A crooked smile spread across his face. "Won't that be something." Equal parts amused and impressed, he resumed reading again.

 _-Took in stray and injured/sick animals more than once and nursed them back to health (he kept a few of them now and then)_

 _-Somehow got himself a wolf companion years ago (though the wolf has since disappeared and he won't say why)_

 _-Put much time and money into rehab programs across Mobius after recovering from his own addiction_

This time, it was a small sigh that escaped Sonic. "Well… at least _some_ good came out of that mess." His eyes were already roving the screen again by the time he finished speaking.

 _-Picked up smoking, quit, then started again_

 _-Learned how to drive just about every car, ship, motorcycle, and hover vehicle on the planet_

 _-Took one of my old warp-drive designs and greatly improved it entirely on his own, purely out of boredom_

 _-Discovered Jet's whereabouts after we lost contact with him (approximately two or three hundred years after you died, Jet vanished for a good few centuries, f.y.i.)_

Now Sonic frowned. _Wait, Jet disappeared? And no one told me?_ Since no one _had_ , it stood to reason that that incident had no huge importance these days. But, even so, he wanted to know what had happened. It would just have to be later.

 _-Underwent training under numerous masters (also trained with Espio) and perfected many of his skills and abilities_

 _Honestly, this was surprising, but not surprising enough to dwell on for too long. As such, he moved on._

 _Things I Have Done Since Your Death:_

 _-The usual inventing, repairing, and so on_

 _-Delved into architecture and subsequently constructed more than three-thousand different types of buildings_

 _-Took the old design of hover vehicles (cars, cycles, trains, and so on) from Future City and improved them, then prepped them for widespread consumer use (they're now used all over the world)_

None of this was at all surprising, but it made Sonic smile nevertheless. "Sounds like you've been busy, Tails," he murmured to himself, settling back on the bed.

 _-Oversaw much of the reconstruction of Future City, now called "Century City" or "Thousand Centuries City", after Malevolence destroyed it (back when the New Babylonian solar system was held under siege)_

The news that Future City, one of his past homes and a place that held so many memories for him and Jet and Wave, had been destroyed made Sonic frown. Still, it _had_ been rebuilt, apparently. _That's something, I guess._

 _-Explored countless miles of outer space for the sake of working on my old starmap (which Jet later combined with his own; I retain a copy to work on and we synchronize them often)_

 _-Trained with Jet some more_

 _-Tried my hand at becoming a chef or baker (fun fact: not my thing, though my kitchen survived)_

That made Sonic choke on a laugh. "Does _everyone_ know about the time I burned down my own kitchen as a kid and Locke whooped my butt?" he asked himself as though someone could hear and would answer. No one did.

 _-Took on a few minor governmental positions, that I still hold, in various cities (partly to help Shadow out, partly because someone had to do it, and partly because I was curious and wanted to attempt it)_

His eyebrows shot up. "...Wow… I don't know whether or not to even be surprised." A smirk played at his lips. Tails had done well for himself, and that was clear. The good news was welcome, and he savored it as he moved on to the next list.

 _Things Wave Has Done Since Your Death:_

 _-Became the Grand Sorceress, the greatest Hexan sorcerer/sorceress in history (as you know; I'm pretty sure she more or less told you the story about how she trained and all that)_

 _-Due to her own steady, patient takeover and unification of her father's home realm (the Lost Hex) and not due to anything hereditary, she is due to become the next Hexan Queen (note, she'd only be the fourth ruler, ever)_

Completely surprised by both the fact that Wave was apparently the best of her kind in history and the fact that she was apparently taking over her home for some reason, Sonic just stared at the screen. For a long moment, he just stared. "What in the _world_ have you been up to, exactly…?" he mumbled. Then, shaking his head again, he resumed reading.

 _-Discovered that, aside from her little brother, she's the only half-Babylonian and half-Hexan person in existence_

 _-Continued inventing and whatnot when she had time_

 _-Aided in the reconstruction of Future/Century City_

Scrolling down, Sonic saw the beginning of the next list. "Jet's next, huh… Well, this oughta be interesting."

 _Things Jet Has Done Since Your Death:_

 _-Fought in numerous wars, especially against the Therians and similar threats_

 _-Raised or helped to raise nearly all of the descendants of you and the others up until roughly two thousand years ago_

 _-Changed outfits (as you know), at first with the intention for it to be temporary, after he fought a battle that mostly destroyed his scarf, goggles, and old boots (he later had them all magically repaired, but never switched back to that outfit for whatever reason)_

 _-Created A'latria (that wintry planet we were on, remember) for reasons he's never shared and made his home there_

For a long moment, Sonic just sat and stared. He'd been told once, he was rather certain, that Jet had created that planet, but for some reason it was just now sinking in. "My best friend… is powerful enough to create an entire world, complete with a castle." He paused, then frowned. "...What the actual _hell_ must his enemies be like if he can do _that_ but they still cause him problems?" Groaning internally, he resumed reading and just tried not to worry (for now, at any rate).

 _-Underwent extreme and intensive training to learn how to use and control more of his Immortal abilities_

 _-Explored countless realms and worlds_

 _-Was forced to destroy several solar system to take out an out-of-control demonic threat_

Once more, Sonic gaped. To say that he was shocked was probably the understatement of the millennia. "How is he even capable of…" He trailed off. A minute or so later, he realized he was basically _inviting_ flies in and closed his mouth. ...Not that that brother of his would _ever_ let something as irritating as a fly into his home. Or any bug at all, really, because he hated bugs. Despised them, even. But reading was way more entertaining than just thinking about Shadow's distaste for bugs, so he resumed doing that instead.

 _-Joined a sort of religious group out of curiosity, staying with the group for over a decade before eventually losing interest and leaving (no idea why he was curious enough to do this, don't ask)_

 _-Dug into his ancestry and learned that he's descended from tribespeople, soldiers, mercenaries, hunters, scholars, mages, assassins, notable explorers, and so on_

 _-Continued work on his own starmap, which he combined with Kath's and later mine_

 _-Created a few realms/dimensions of his own, as well as multiple planets within said realms (all of which he still actively maintains)_

 _-Perfected many of his powers (such as his Storm and aura powers)_

Though these particular notes all surprised (or even shocked) him to no end, Sonic could think of nothing _specific_ to say or think about any of them. He was just speechless this time.

 _-Invented many weapons, vehicles, gadgets, gaming systems, and so on_

 _Things Cosmo Has Done Since Your Death:_

 _(Note that, overall, I have zero idea what she's been up to all these years since I haven't seen her much)_

 _-Revived all of the life on Gardenia (her world), including her people, the animal life, and so on and set herself up as the guardian of all of them_

 _-Became close a close friend of Jet's_

 _-Became a tutor for Cadora to help him with his studies when Jet cannot_

A smile spread across his face. Despite the briefness of this list, it somehow all felt… _right_ for her. She was peaceful, and so was her life. He couldn't have concocted a better existence for her if he'd tried. His only hope was that she was able to enjoy it.

 _Things Espio Has Done Since Your Death:_

 _-Penned but never published several novels and multiple books on battle strategies and war tactics and the like_

 _-Endured years and years and years of war with his people, who were threatened with total genocide by a radical group known as "The Ten Hands" (yes, they won and his people obviously survived)_

 _-Oversaw, alongside a small group of others, the total reconstruction of Hyale after the Nocturne War, after the mess with the Ten Hands, and again after Malevolence's attacks on both Mobius and the New Babylonian solar system_

 _-Trained himself for years, as he's done before, and awakened dormant abilities_

Sonic's eyebrows shot up. "New abilities? Like what?" Of course, there was no one here to answer him. He was determined to get an answer to the question, regardless, but it would have to wait until the next time he talked to Tails.

 _-Traveled the world who knows how many times_

 _-Possibly traveled space on his own for a time_

 _-Taught himself to paint (he's actually very good at it), and re-taught himself calligraphy (which apparently he was taught as a child)_

 _-Kept a sharp eye on that brother of yours and did what he could to keep said brother out of trouble (no, he did not always succeed)_

After reading that last little note, he snorted. "Yeah… he wouldn't have." Smirking, he shook his head and resumed reading.

 _-Did a lot to keep Jet in contact with us, despite Jet's habit of disappearing and whatnot_

 _-Learned how to play some traditional instruments one-handed (he learned how to do a lot of things one-handed, needless to say, though there were many things he could already do)_

At that moment, Shadow walked past Sonic's open door. Emerald eyes glanced in that direction and he called out, "Everything alright?"

"Thirsty," was the simple reply as the other hedgehog made as he headed toward the kitchen.

Shrugging, Sonic returned his attention to his communicator and scrolled down. He had finished those lists (he didn't fail to notice that there were no mentions of Kaden and planned to ask about that later) and was moving on to the next part of what Tails had sent. He moved on to the next page, which contained…

A yawn broke his focus and made his eyes water noticeably. Deciding to be sensible for once, he shut his communicator screen off and laid down to go to sleep. Honestly, he probably needed it. _After all,_ he mused, _there's no telling what the hell's gonna happen tomorrow._ Yawning again, he pulled his blankets up and closed his eyes. Feeling overall safe in spite of what he knew was going on in this era, he soon managed to drift away into sleep.

 **~保護者~**

 **9,934 words this time. Sorry this is being posted so late in the day, I was hanging out with my mum and sisters. :) Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 6:45 p.m.)**


	13. Age-Old

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this discussion… especially for the one who knows so much.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Eh, you can trust 'em just fine. Like you said, they have good reason for the lies. XD Yeah, lying in real life definitely does suck, though. I will agree with that.**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Age-Old"**

 **~保護者~**

Two days after retreating to Mobius, Sonic finally got an answer (via Tails) to a question that had been bugging him. "So… that freaky call we got was probably courtesy of a demon," the fox was telling him. The pair were standing in Tails's workshop, allowing him to work while they talked. "Specifically, Jet's concerned that it was a literal threat pertaining to that god of demons that we were telling you about."

Sonic frowned deeply. "...He thinks that thing wants to kill us and steal _our_ souls?"

Worry pinched Tails's brow as he carefully cut a wire. "I mean, it isn't as though it's not _possible_." His worried look, much to Sonic's surprise, quickly faded after that. "Jet insists it's being dealt with, though, so we'll be alright."

There wasn't anything Sonic could think of that qualified as a reasonable disagreement to that, so Sonic just sighed. "Okay… new question, then."

Tails glanced up at him. "Yes?"

"It's about Shadow." That caught Tails's attention more thoroughly. "He wasn't home much yesterday, so I kinda explored the house a bit."

Before Sonic could even continue, Tails stated simply, "You found his arsenal."

Initially, Sonic was surprised… until he decided he wasn't. _Of course Tails knew about it._ He shook his head in open confusion. "He has enough firepower in that house to put guns in the hands of every soldier in a large army, Tails. Why?"

"Well, think about it," Tails shrugged. "Maybe that's just what he intends to _do_ if and when he deems it necessary."

That made Sonic frown. "What?"

"Think about it," Tails repeated patiently. "Shadow's in the process of taking over your dad's throne, Sonic. That means that all the people on Mobius, every last one of them, are coming under his protection. As their leader, he'll need to be able to provide the means for the people of this world to fight for themselves in the event that they need to. The Tel'or haven't come here _yet_ , but we all know they will someday… if they aren't stopped soon enough."

Sonic's frown deepened. "You think that he's anticipating some sort of war or something?"

Immediately, Tails shook his head. "No, I don't think that's what he's thinking." He turned to Sonic to give him a moment of full attention. "I think it's something different. See… when Jet was still king of New Babylon, he got involved in a _number_ of wars. Mostly against the Therians, mind you, but it still confused me a bit because I know he always hated putting his people through that."

"So you asked him one day," Sonic guessed.

"I did," Tails nodded. "What he told me surprised me, but… it makes a lot of sense. He said that Kath had always told him, 'A wise king never seeks out war, but must always be ready for it'. And I think that that's the same mindset Shadow has right now."

Sonic had to admit… that made sense. _That does sound like the sort of logic Shadow might consider following._

"We as a people been _vastly_ under-prepared for large conflicts before," Tails continued in somber tones. "No one was prepared for it when Gerald crawled out of the woodworks to terrorize South Island, nor when Ivo later showed up to do much the same thing. We weren't prepared to fight forces like Dark Gaia, the beast Chaos, or the Metarex. We had no means of properly fighting against the Nocturnians, not without outside help. And we _certainly_ couldn't combat Malevolence." At all of these painful reminders, Sonic winced. Tails dropped his gaze. "I think Shadow wants to prevent circumstances like those from ever arising again… and I do, too."

Emerald eyes closed heavily. "So do I," he admitted quietly. "I don't think I could stand a massacre like those happening… ever again." _Once was already too much, back on South Island._

Tails nodded a little. With little else to say, he simply murmured, "Yeah."

Seeking to lighten the mood up a bit, Sonic eventually spoke up again and asked a new question. "...So, Jet's not the king anymore?"

"No, he stepped down years ago." Tails turned his head to look over the device he had been tinkering with. "Once Hannah was properly trained to take over, she did that and he stepped down. See, passing along the Babylonian throne is less about birth order and more about which one of the current ruler's children _wants_ the throne and shows the most potential as a ruler. So she took over instead of Suri, who never expressed any interest in ruling."

"And Ten was never eligible because he isn't part of the family by blood," Sonic remembered aloud.

A nod. "Yeah, exactly. So, Hannah's descendants have been ruling since then. However, there have been three or four separate incidents in the past that forced him to take over again until the next of those descendants was capable of taking over again. But those incidents aren't important anymore these days."

Taking the hint, Sonic went ahead and let his questions about said incidents fall by the wayside. "And he's not ruling now, right?" _Pretty sure Tails once mentioned there being a queen right now or something._

"Right," Tails confirmed. "One of Hannah's descendants, Syrin, is ruling. She's the current queen. Jet doesn't interfere with her rule at all. He trusts her implicitly to treat their people well and take care of issues as they arise and so on." He paused to think for a moment, then added, "But like I may have already said sometime before, he also doesn't visit too much, unless 'business' of various kinds require him too."

Sonic's right ear twitched. "For the same reason that he doesn't come here much, _huh_? Because of the memories?"

"I think so," Tails agreed, "but it really is only speculation on my part. He's never _said_ anything about it one way or the other, after all."

"Mm, sounds like him," Sonic mused.

"Quiet to the bitter end, that one," Tails said, managing a chuckle.

"Got that right," Sonic responded, slowly smirking.

Tails turned fully back around in his chair to work on his device some more. "Some things really don't ever change, do they?"

After giving that some thought, Sonic smiled a bit. "No… but I'm okay with that for now. At least in situations like these."

"Agreed."

Sonic closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. _Familiarity is its own comfort,_ he reminded himself. _Comfort is… desirable during dark times._ He let out a breath of air akin to a sigh. _If only it would last, huh?_ After a while, he quietly asked, "Hey, Tails?"

"Yeah, Sonic?" Tails replied easily.

"How long _has_ it been, anyway? It's really difficult to keep track of time in the emerald, and no one's mentioned how much time has passed since my death. At least, I don't think anyone has."

Tails appeared to think for a time. "Hm… I don't have an exact number like Jet probably does, but I do have the closest estimate anyone around here can give you."

Hearing that, Sonic opened his eyes again. "Okay. What's your estimate?"

There was a slight pause, then Tails offered Sonic a slight and apologetic smile. "I'll tell you only if you promise not to freak out."

"I don't 'freak out', Tails," Sonic huffed, eyes rolling.

"Sure. Just promise."

"Fine. I promise. Now tell me, would you?"

Tails once more turned around to grant Sonic his full attention. "This is gonna sound insane, but I promise you this is the truth. See… far more time has passed than I think you even realize." Blue eyes met emerald ones. "Sonic… it's been over eight million years."

Sonic _froze_.

 **~保護者~**

 **1,355 words this time. Short, but important. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 11:35 a.m.) 11-05-18.**


	14. Fissure

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this split… especially for the one who called out.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, I bet you did. XD And yeah, it is quite shocking. But more will be revealed later on. ;)**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Fissure"**

 **~保護者~**

 _"How many times are we going to keep meeting like this?"_

 _Sonic looked around the bleak landscape he found himself in. There was very little here aside from dust and rock… aside from ashen skies and drifting plumes of smoke. And, of course, his best friend. Jet knelt a couple of feet in front of him, sword stabbed into the rough ground as he examined some symbol etched deeply into the dirt's surface. The hawk stood when Sonic spoke. "As many times as you deem necessary," he stated plainly. With his right hand, he reached out and grasped the handle of his sword. "Each time this has happened, you have called out to me. I merely answered."_

 _"Called out?" Sonic repeated, perplexed. "I never-"_

 _"It does not require words, Sonic," Jet interrupted. "Few things do."_

 _"Are… you saying that I did this… mentally?"_

 _"In a manner of speaking." Jet turned his head away, blue eyes contemplating the sky. "But it is not so simple. Nothing ever is."_

Tails's voice echoed into Sonic's mind, bringing his attention back to reality. Or, at least… what his current reality was _supposed_ to be. "I told you not to freak out, Sonic."

"I'm not-" The words came out shaky. Sonic took in a deep breath and let it out heavily. "I'm _not_ freaking out. Okay?" He lifted his head out of his hands to look around. Seated with him in Tails's living room were Tails himself and Shadow, whom Tails had called over here not long after his little _revelation_. "This is just… a lot to take in, Tails. You have to understand that."

"I do," Tails murmured sincerely. "I really do. I promise."

In. Out. Another deep breath never hurt anyone. "I just can't believe it's been _this_ long…"

"I know, Sonic. I'm sorry." Tails lowered his gaze. "I just wish there could have been a way for me to break it to you more gently."

 _Sonic's mind shifted back to his interaction with Jet. He looked around, torn between dual realities and conversations. "Where is this place, Jet?"_

 _"A'mnitar," Jet murmured. He yanked his sword out of the hard ground. "A demonic world, formerly."_

 _Blue ears perked. "...Something evil still lurks here. I can sense it."_

 _"I am aware." And yet, in spite of his words, Jet sheathed his sword. "But for now it sleeps, and it is not a danger."_

 _Uneasy with the situation, Sonic asked, "Then why are you here?"_

 _Jet turned to him. "Retrieval." Lifting his right arm back out of his cloak, he showed Sonic an object that the hedgehog had not been expecting to see. "This was stolen. It appeared here, within that symbol in the dirt. The thief attempted to seal the box here, prevent it from being taken back."_

 _Emerald eyes stared hard. "Dad's music box? Why…?"_

The sound of shifting drew Sonic's focus over to Shadow. "Sonic," he brother called, calm as ever, "what are you doing?"

Sonic blinked at him. "...What?"

Pushing off of the wall he had earlier opted to lean against, Shadow walked over to him. "You have completely zoned out twice now. Why?"

"That's not normal for you," Tails piped up. "What's going on?"

 _This time, it was Jet's voice that called Sonic back. "Focus for a moment." He stepped over to Sonic, box still in hand._

 _Torn, struggling to do as he was told, Sonic muttered, "It's… hard."_

 _There was no comfort offered, no reassurances. "It will remain so, for now. Listen anyway."_

 _Pursing his lips together, Sonic nodded. "I am."_

Suddenly, Shadow spoke again. "You're communicating with Jet, aren't you?"

 _Before Sonic could even answer his brother, Jet was speaking again. "Take this with you. Keep it. Guard it. Cursed though it may be, this box cannot harm you. But it can be harmed."_

 _Though he let Jet place the box into his hand, Sonic asked, "Why are you giving this to me?"_

 _"When it opens and the music plays, it indicates to us that your father's life is in danger. It seldom occurs, but such matters need to be monitored regardless." Jet turned his head away slightly. "I cannot be around to do so myself, Sonic. Not now."_

Tails's voice caught Sonic's attention. "Is that true, Sonic? Is that's what's happening?" He sounded concerned, confused, worried… maybe even surprised.

With tightly gritted teeth, Sonic rubbed his temples, eyes squeezed shut as he fought against a building migraine. "Uh… yeah. How did you kn-"

His brother cut him off. "What is he saying?"

 _Sonic flashed back to his other conversation. Jet removed his hand from the music box Sonic was holding, fingers slipping over the wood and then off of it entirely._

"Sonic?" Tails again. But Sonic couldn't answer him.

 _Jet turned as though to walk away, but stopped. There was a white flash, and suddenly there was warmth where once there had been dark emptiness._

A hand came to rest on his shoulder. Shadow's. "Sonic," he called, voice quieter than normal.

 _The light died down, and the world around them crumbled. Vast expanses of rock and dirt fell away like ash, leaving nothing but horrifying chasms behind. Someone dropped out of the sky at a frightening speed and, suddenly, Jet lunged. Just a second before it was too late, he snatched the person's hand. The momentum and force pulled him roughly to the ground, but he maintained his grip and began to pull the person up. A glimpse of her face was all he got before he was whisked away._

In a rush, Sonic came fully back to himself. Gasping from the surge of motion he experienced when this occurred, he blurted out, "It's Cream." Puzzled expressions met his exclamation. He looked both Tails and Shadow in the eye, heart pounding. "It's Cream," he repeated. Taking in a short breath, he released it and murmured, "She's been revived."

 **~保護者~**

 **1,020 words time. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 5:40 p.m.) 11-06-18.**


	15. Ashes of Time

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this surge of recollections… especially for the one who has so much that he doesn't want to remember.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yep, yep she has... haha. Well, the "how" question will be answered below, but the answer to "why" will come later. ;)**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"Ashes of Time"**

 **~保護者~**

It went without saying that Jet was far from used to this sort of thing anymore.

There was so much emotion in the air, everything from confusion and shock to old pangs of grief and loss, not to mention joy. And then there were the people, two of which he was no longer even used to seeing _alive_. While he was used to - and comfortable with - one or two people being around him at a time, he was unused to being in the presence of an entire _group_ (albeit a small one) of close friends and allies. Not these days. Yet here he was, and here _they_ were, and the scene before him was unfolding irrespective of his growing disquiet.

He was no longer used to this.

Present here were emotions that he was not prepared to face.

There were things he needed to be _doing_.

 _And yet here I stand… unable to leave,_ he mused, watching expressionless as the other people here interacted. It wasn't even that he was _incapable_ of it, either. It was more that he felt somehow obligated to remain… and that sense of obligation kept him rooted to the spot where he stood.

Across the room, Cream tearily hugged and spoke with Shadow, Wave, Tails, Espio, and Sonic. She, like Sonic, had been brought back to a life as a physically younger version of herself (she couldn't have been older than maybe twenty) while retaining her past mental age, knowledge, and memories. A simple assessment of her aura proved that, also like Sonic, her power had not waned in death. She was as strong as she had ever been, that much was clear. What was _not_ clear was why she was even alive now. Why had she been revived? He knew not the answer, nor did he believe that even Sonic did. However, he suspected the answer would reveal itself soon enough. _At least, soon enough to matter._

"-and that's it, really," Tails was saying when Jet finally refocused on the conversation at hand. The fox stood across the room from Jet with the others. They were gathered in the front room of Jet's home (dangerous though it potentially was for them to be here at the moment), and most of the others were seated on the couches. Wave, however, was leaning against a table near the right-most couch. Jet himself was leaning against a wall, arms loosely crossed. "That's everything that's going on right now."

In the wake of Tails's heavy words, Sonic released a gusty sigh. "I wish you would have waited a while before making us tell you this stuff, Cream."

Cream wiped at her eyes (she had been crying with surprising joy for a time) and shook her head. "No… it's better that I know now." She offered one of her almost legendary smiles. "How else am I meant to help you all?"

Her question made Wave's own mouth quirk up into a smirk. "...I suppose that's true enough."

Smile growing a touch, Cream shifted over to lean against Espio's left side - like a daughter would do with her father. It was a scene Jet recognized from his own past, a thought that triggered the recurrence of an old ache in his chest. He strove to banish that feeling, focusing instead on what he was seeing here and now. Namely, that Cream was indeed leaning against the chameleon who had raised her after Vanilla's passing… and Espio was completely allowing it. It was irrefutable proof that their bond remained as strong as ever - proof in and of itself that Espio's emotions were returning somewhat (however subconsciously), and had been since that time so long ago. Bonds, after all, required emotional attachment.

He would know.

Once comfortable, Cream looked over at everyone again. "With all of this going on, what have you all been doing?"

Jet did not answer that question, nor did Wave. Tails, however, was more forthcoming. "Well… Sonic and I have mostly just been hanging around," he shrugged. "Not here, mind you, but back on Mobius."

This question made Cream's eyebrows raise a touch. "This is not on Mobius?"

"No, this is a different world," Tails answered. "It's called A'latria."

"And what world is this?" Cream asked. The question likely could have been worded better, but the others understood.

"My home," Jet answered simply. She asked for no further explanation, and he opted not to offer them. Instead, he looked away, trying to will away his sudden feeling of tiredness. Social interaction always drained him substantially.

Instead of pressing the matter of this world and its existence, Cream asked perhaps the most important question she _could_ have asked at this point. "Why am I alive? And how?"

Tails was visibly struck by this question. He perked up, ears going straight. "Hey, that's right! How _is_ she alive? I thought only Sonic could revive people, and he clearly didn't do it. And I don't think he could have revived _himself_ , come to think of it."

"You're right," Wave answered slowly, shaking her head. "He didn't bring her back, and he didn't revive himself. He didn't need to."

Confused, Cream lifted her head to better look at the swallow. "He didn't?"

"I suppose it's easy to forget," Wave said, "because we have such limited interactions with only one of them, but there _are_ two other beings of Chaos."

Sonic's ears shot straight up. "You mean Ythene and that… Queen of Chaos, right?"

This time, it was Jet who answered. Because, suddenly, he remembered the truth of this matter. He so rarely managed to forget things that this quite startled him, but he made no effort to show it. "Yes. Teyan is unable to act outside of her own realm currently, as their realm is sealed, but with her unique abilities Ythene can manipulate Chaos _wherever_ it exists." He uncrossed one arm and made a slow sweeping gesture toward Sonic. "She is responsible for this. She revived both of you through him."

Silence was the only reply to his revelation for several long moments before Cream breathed, "That's… amazing." Wave gave her a small smile.

Shadow chose that moment to completely change the subject. "You will need some means of defending yourself," he told Cream frankly. "Powers are no longer enough… for anyone."

"Hnn… that matter can be dealt with," Jet murmured. He pushed himself off of the wall and began walking over to the young woman. As he walked, a small and nondescript black box appeared in his hand. Offering no explanation once more, he merely held his hand out to pass the item over to her. Still mostly leaning against Espio's side, Cream leaned forward a bit to accept it.

The moment her fingers brushed against the palm of his hand, there was a spark.

Without warning, they all found their minds lost in visions of Jet's past. Though Jet attempted to block out the flow from entering his own mind as well, he found himself strangely and utterly powerless to do so. The memories came against his will, and soon he was drowning in them… and so were his allies.

(-)

 _Eyes slightly narrowed, Jet crouched atop his utterly wrecked ship as it floated listlessly through the dark depths of space. Looking around, he spied his attacker and muttered a small curse to himself. Malevolence hovered there, not even deigning to give him an ounce of it's attention at the moment. Instead, it opted to examine the small Immortal treasure it had ripped from his ship with the intent to steal._

 _Irritated by everything going on here, he stood up and grabbed the handle of his sword which was sheathed at his hip. "You should be looking this way, bastard," he called coldly._

 _For once, the monster opted to verbally reply to him. "I think not. Everything I need is already in my hand… and you pose no threat to me as you are, worm."_

 _Growing increasingly irritated and now also feeling concern, Jet eyed the stolen artifact Malevolence was holding. He had been transporting it to a sort of safehouse meant for items such as this one. Another few minutes and he would have been there, safe within its defensive barriers, and this wouldn't have been happening. "You can't even use such an artifact," he muttered, hoping he was correct. His teachings, incomplete as they were thanks to the past murders of his kin, left him with so few things he truly knew._

 _"Can I not?" Malevolence challenged, finally turning around to face him._

 _"You can't," Jet reiterated, more firmly._

 _Malevolence canted it's head slowly. "...I see… so you are not as ignorant as I had believed." Jet scowled at it, but it suddenly broke out into one of its signature wild and horrific grins. "But it matters not. You see… this artifact is a conduit used for the magnification of power. I may never be able to utilize it to its full extent as your can may, but it will serve me well regardless… and with it I will lay siege to your precious home as I so long ago promised." That horrible, horrible grin grew as Jet went still from sheer surprise and alarm. "Your people's civilizations will fall," his enemy continued, words slow and menacing. "Their worlds will be turned to dust. All will suffer… and you will bear witness to it all, helpless to perform your duties and defend them."_

 _Before Jet could even react, Malevolence appeared directly in front of him and seized his arm in a vice-like grip. "You're coming with me… king." Unable to fight back suddenly, Jet was dragged along with Malevolence as it teleported to New Babylon. The infamous Era of Darkness had begun._

(-)

 _Jet had retained only the vaguest of memories as he fought against his mysterious illness on Mobius. It had been nearly three days of nothing but suffering. His fever was so high no one could stand to touch him, and it had been causing seizure after seizure to occur on top of everything else. He couldn't hold down any food, drink, or medicine, he was vomiting (or just dry heaving) constantly, breathing was a never-ending struggle, he was in severe physical agony… To make matters worse, he couldn't even get a few minutes of sleep to help get through this. But he supposed, distantly, that it didn't even matter either way._

 _He was going to die, he knew he was. Everyone around him new he was done for. It was just a matter of time before he succumbed to his illness and perished yet again. This was just the curse of his life, forever doomed to repeat this cycle whether he liked it or not. He lived to die, and he died to live… but what the hell was the point of it all? Once, there had been a purpose behind his suffering, a light in his life that had made his burden bearable for a time. Now, however, he saw nothing left worth fighting for. He had so few relatives left, so few friends, and he hadn't seen or heard from any of them in centuries. There wasn't even some sort of grand purpose or goal for him to pursue anymore, no specific evil to hunt down and vanquish._

 _So what the hell was the point?_

 _He existed to live. He lived to die. He died to live. And yet… to die, even permanently, was to have existed, wasn't it? Wasn't continued existence supposed to be a good thing? Something everyone seemed to long for? But existing wasn't the same thing as living. Life meant so little to him these days… Maybe it even meant nothing. He no longer knew. It no longer even mattered, at least for the moment._

 _Breathing was getting harder. The strength to even so much as open his eyes no longer existed within him. His stomach churned and clenched in a valiant effort to empty itself once more, but that task had long since already been accomplished. The time for yet more death was nearly upon him. And in that vague darkness, hovering somewhere between actually being alive and being truly dead, a strange new thought floated through his mind._

 _'If to die is to existed… then why do we live…? What's… the purpose of something so… utterly meaningless…?'_

(-)

 _There was nothing to watch in this memory, as he recalled most vividly the words he had spoken and not the actions he had taken. These words, recorded into a Stone of Lore so like the one he had listened to during the group's first ever conflict with Malevolence, haunted his mind… even so many thousands of years after left his mouth._

 _"What you fail to understand is that I see you._

 _I was there today - perhaps you noticed me, perhaps you did not - as you were introduced to our library, our vast accumulations of knowledge, for the first time. Your knowledge is deep already, but your interest in the Trokkelar army is too great. I see a fire within you, a spark that - if tended to properly - could become the fuel you need to be among the greatest of our kin that has ever lived. But every speck of Light can cast great shadows, and the shadows you already turn to are far darker than you realize._

 _You asked for me by name today as you and your guide toured the building. How you know of it already, I do not know. But you asked, and I watched. I watched as your aura brightened with the chance to test your mettle against someone you view as a challenge. Make no mistake, Child of Valor. I will challenge you. Every step you take, every conclusion you come to, every little thing you think you understand - I will openly challenge it all… but not out of disdain._

 _I wish for you to grow, Tein, to move beyond the shadows you have so unknowingly opened yourself up to. There are many lessons out there for all of us to learn, and one I hope you someday come to understand is belief in yourself and the Light you, like us of all, carry within. If we cannot have faith in ourselves, how can we ever have faith in others?_

 _As of this day, you have no faith. It is why the shadows cling to you, greedy for every bit of control that they can hold over you. Have faith, Tein, and do not fall into the Darkness. You may feel alone now, but nevermore. We are kin, all of us. Even in the darkest of shadows, even when others cannot, I can see you. I can only hope that one day you will find it in yourself to realize that."_

(-)

 _In a memory very much like the last one, there was again nothing to see… merely words to listen to._

 _"I have said it before, but I will say it again… truth is among the only truly Immortal things in existence._

 _I believe that all things, good or evil or in between, do eventually come to an end. As sacred as life is, not one flame of existence can last forever. That is, in part, how people such as I can exist without upsetting the fragile balance of the universe… because even Immortals eventually cease to live. In the end, when all else has gone, only truth remains. Allow me, then, to share an unshakeable truth that must never be forgotten… Especially if we are to ever defeat the scourge that threatens us to this day. It is as I once told a very old friend of mine..._

 _'Life is, in many ways, akin to water._

 _It is fluid, mobile._

 _Water may do as it wishes, but it must disturb everything around it, even if only in minor ways, to do so._

 _Anything might disturb the flow._

 _The option then is to accept these obstacles and go over them, forge a path through, or take no risks and go around._

 _This is the element of resilience… but even water is not impervious to damage._

 _A flick, and some has gone._

 _A swipe, and the rest is taken out, leaving nothing behind._

 _Life… it is just as fragile._

 _Perhaps… it is even more so._

 _Do not follow in the footsteps of many._

 _Walk instead in the footsteps of the few._

 _Do as they have done._

 _Never allow yourself to waste the gift of your existence.'_

 _This is an indomitable truth that will never change nor fade. But myself and my kin are different. We are not invincible… and we will not last forever. Unless something changes, and changes soon, we are the last there will ever be. Now, more than ever, we need allies… allies that never seem to appear."_

(-)

 _"Why do you fight so hard?"_

 _Pausing mid-step, Jet peered down the rocky mountain slope at his travelling companion. A slight frown graced his face as he carefully replied, "What?"_

 _Puffing a bit in his efforts to join Jet where the hawk now stood, the other man repeated, "Why do you fight, Jet? You always act like you don't care, and you've certainly said as much before." He finally reached Jet, who was staring at him in silence. "So I was just wondering… if you don't care, then why bother?"_

 _Frowning deepening a small degree, Jet turned and resumed walking. "I don't do it because I want to protect anyone, if that's what you're implying." 'Not anymore, at any rate…'_

 _His companion hastened to follow. "So why, then?" he pressed. "Why do you do it?"_

 _At this point, Jet had to stifle a sigh. There was no single or simple answer to that question, so he opted for the simplest one he had. "A life full of obligations… is the last thing I ever wanted." It was all he said, and he suspected it wouldn't satisfy his acquaintance at all._

 _It didn't. "That doesn't explain it," the man countered easily. "Not fully. Certainly not enough."_

 _Jet rounded on him. "The hell do you want from me?" he demanded, perhaps a touch harshly._

 _The other Babylonian wasn't at all perturbed by this small display of temper. "A straight answer," was the immediate reply. "I want to know the truth. Why do you do it?" When Jet just stared again, not speaking, the other man pressed further. "Why do you fight? Why do you not give in?"_

 _Silence. There was no straightforward answer… no one single indomitable truth behind what he did… and yet an answer was spilling forth from him before he could stop it nevertheless. "Because… if I don't fight… who will?"_

(-)

 _Suddenly, everything shifted and a vision of the future opened up within everyone's minds. They saw blood and fire, death and suffering. There was horror and fear, shock and numbness. Pain overwhelmed all, alongside exhaustion and desperation. Every single one of them felt a sense of stange desperation - a desperation to understand why something was happening. But there were no answers to be found here… merely a single, distant voice that whispered to them…_

 _"Little child… your life… is mine."_

(-)

Jet jerked his hand away, breaking off the connection and ending the vision before it could continue. Not a word was spoken in the immediate aftermath. No one made a sound. Everyone just sort of stared at one another, no one quite knowing what to say or think or do. Only Jet knew what to do, and that was leave. So that was what he did. Just as young Cream opened her mouth as though to speak, he let himself vanish from the building in its whole… seeking refuge from his past and all the darkness those memories contained that had nearly been unburied.

There was only so much that time alone could erase.

 **~保護者~**

 **3,381 words this time. So, I know this is late. I know not much happened in this chapter. Allow me to explain why (and please understand that most of my reasoning behind this delay is _very_ serious). The first reason for this being late is simple writer's block and temporary lack of motivation. The second reason is... well, a lot more complicated.**

 **A lot of you may have heard about the Camp Fire raging in California right now. For those of you who don't know, this is know considered to be the largest and deadliest fire in my state's history. Last I'd heard, more than sixty were dead and more than 140,000 acres had been burned. It started in the city of Paradise, which was razed to the point where it nearly doesn't _exist_ anymore. Next to nothing is left. Do I live there? No, thankfully. I don't live in the other areas that are actively burning, either. But I _do_ live extremely close to the danger zones surrounding the fire. The smoke is so thick that we can't go outside without masks - and even then it's risky to be out for more than a few minutes - and it constantly looks like my town is lost in fog. This beast of a fire is only fifty-five percent contained, and that number may drop drastically if the high winds we were experiencing before return.**

 **We watch the news constantly, fearing word will come that the fires have reached the town next to us and that we'll have to flee as well. So, no, I haven't been writing lately... and I am very sorry for it. It's just hard to want to right when I'm so stressed out and so worried. So long as my town remains safe, I'll do my best to post as frequently as I can, but I can't make any promises at this point. Again, I am terribly sorry over this, and I ask for your understanding, everyone... hopefully this is all over soon.**

 **Sigh... anyway, one last quick note. In that vision where Jet discusses how life is akin to water, much of what he said was taken from very similar lines shared with me by Blazing Winds over a year ago. So, of course, many thanks to him for that.**

 **Posted (at about 7:15 p.m.) 11-17-18.**


	16. The Howling

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this fiery conversation… especially for the one who lays eyes upon malice itself for the first time.

 **~保護** **者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! We did manage to stay safe, thank you. It was a scary time, though, that's for sure. And yeah, there was definitely a lot of dialogue about existence and stuff there, huh? Lol, glad that you seem to have enjoyed it.**

 **Hello, Blazing Winds! Your review to Chapter 5: I bet. XD**

 **Your review to Chapter 6: Nice, lol.**

 **Your review to Chapter 7: Well... they do help. Promise. XD**

 **~保護** **者~**

 **"The Howling"**

 **~保護者~**

It was nearly deafening, the silence that followed.

Though Sonic strained for something to hear, all that his sensitive ears picked up was heartbeats and breathing and then slow and careful movement as Cream sat up to investigate the box she had been given. Tails gradually moved over to help her figure out how to open the strange thing. Sonic, meanwhile, frowned to himself. _Just how much has Jet been hiding?_ Lips pursing together, he turned to Wave. "Where is he?" he demanded softly. "Where did he go?"

Ancient blue eyes shifted to look at him. "I don't know." When he grew more tense and upset, apparently visibly so, she sighed and repeated, "I don't _know_. But… I have a guess." Holding out her hand to him, she offered to take him along. He accepted without words, and soon the two of them disappeared together into the unknown.

When they reappeared, they were standing in darkness atop a rocky outcropping that stretched close to a mile wide in an unusual shape. The pure, suffocating blackness of the sky was among the first things Sonic noticed, right alongside the hellish glare of impossibly massive fires that surrounded this apparent island of stone. Approximately fifty feet in front of them sat Jet, his back to them and his cloak billowing in the wind. Sonic gritted his teeth a bit. "Hell of a place to brood," he muttered to himself.

"Ponder some things, maybe," Wave said slowly, "but he didn't come here to _brood_. You know him. He wouldn't surround himself with _this_ ," she made a meaningful gesture at the fires, "without some degree of necessity."

That much was true. There was no denying it. _Still… of all the places he could have gone to, why this one?_

Wave spoke as though she had read his mind. Who knew, maybe she actually had. "Some things aren't subject to much change, Sonic, even with passage of so much time. Much like the Jet you knew so long ago, the Jet of this day and age often drowns his problems in work of various kinds."

Unable to help it, Sonic let out an amused huff. _Like all that paperwork Mister King over there used to loathe so much._ "Right. So this is some sort of 'work', then… something he has to fight, I'm guessing?"

Apparently choosing to be enigmatic herself now, Wave gestured slowly at Jet. "Why not go and see? I doubt he'll tell you much about what just went on at A'latria, but you're bound to learn a thing or two about what's going on _here_ if you ask him." She turned in preparation to leave. "But, then, you're _you_. Maybe you'll get lucky." Gathering her energies, glowing Hexan markings began to appear all over her body and she smirked. "You're good at that."

With no further warning than a golden flash, she was gone. Sonic, meanwhile, began walking over to his friend. Now, he didn't know anything about luck (he was inclined to think he had _bad_ luck, if anything), but he still liked his chances here. It was true that he likely wasn't going to hear much about that tide of memories they had all just seen, but perhaps he would get useful information on other matters instead. That would be good enough for him. _Here's hoping Jet's in a talking mood._

Upon reaching the hawk, Sonic went ahead and took a seat next to him. While Jet sat with his left leg dangling over the edge and his right foot braced on said edge, propping his knee up to give his right arm a resting place, Sonic simply chose to cross his legs as he sat. He didn't know what was up with this place, but he didn't trust the sea of fire that roiled and writhed as though it was _alive_ beneath them… stretching out as far as the eye could see. He shook his head, hardly believing the sight before him. "Why come here, Jet?"

Jet, expression serious but somewhat distant, blinked slowly as though pulling free of his thoughts. He took time to answer, as was often the case, and when he finally did speak… his words threw Sonic for a loop. "...I had to come. There was no choice."

" _Had_ to?" Sonic echoed, scowling at the warrior beside him. "Why would you _have_ to come to a place like _this_? There's _nothing_ here but fire."

This time, it was Jet who shook his head. "Wrong," he murmured.

Sonic stared. "Wrong?"

Hot wind blew, lifting the fabric of Jet's cloak and sending it billowing off to one side. His gaze focusing, completely freeing himself from his thoughts, he told Sonic in harsh yet simple terms, "This world is a drifter, a planet with no star to orbit. It was civilized, not unlike the Mobius you knew. Many people lived here. _Peaceful_ people, with no means of defending themselves from the likes of the Tel'or. The armies set about doing what they always do, slaughtering the inhabitants of this place without refrain."

Understanding dawned. "You came to stop them."

"I had no time. By the time I learned of what was happening here, nearly eighty percent of the population was dead." Blue eyes scanned the monstrous fires below. "Saving the remaining people would have been possible… initially."

This earned a fresh scowl. "Something else happened, didn't it?"

Another hot wind blew, howling through the dead air in a haunting cry of death and agony. "He came," Jet said slowly, voice very soft.

Teeth gritted, Sonic demanded, " _Who_ came?"

Jet's gaze drifted into the sky. "This world… was doomed, with or without the Tel'or. With no star to orbit, this world drifts… and this time it drifted too far. It slipped straight into the outermost reaches of the territory the Demon God claims in this realm. _He_ came here, and from that moment this world's fate was sealed."

Too stunned to think, Sonic found himself blurting out, "You couldn't have stopped him?" When Jet didn't answer, Sonic's tone grew a touch darker. "I _know_ you fought him, there's no way in _hell_ that you didn't, but couldn't you have _stopped_ him?!"

"You look at things too simply, Sonic," Jet murmured, gaze growing more distant again, "ever still trying to see existence as black and white, good and evil… everything either existing one way or another and never in between. Years ago, it took you too long to accept even something as simple as a person being a thief and a good person at the same time… remember?"

Something in Sonic instantly softened. "...Yeah." He looked away, then sighed. "Yeah, I remember."

"A similar situation is at play here," Jet told him. "We can no longer trust everyone we _should_. Likewise, many whom we normally could _never_ trust are now among our best allies. You can try all you like to look at these matters in simple terms, but there is nothing _simple_ about this war and all those involved."

 _Including you._ Gaining another frown, he turned back to face Jet. Eventually, he asked, "How does this apply to the God of Demons?"

Finally, shifted and braced his hand on his knee in order to stand up. "You know not the forces I contend with in facing that man." Jet stared deeply into the flames, catching glimpses here and there of melting buildings, massive demons, signs of his recently lost fight that were rapidly being obliterated… and amidst it all, he saw the one ultimately responsible for it all. A dark shape appeared and stood on a nearby rise in the ground entirely engulfed in fire, staring at them and not moving. Their visage was constantly distorted and shifting due to the flames. Sonic saw the figure soon after Jet did and all but leapt to his feet, eyes wide. No doubt he, too, could sense the nearly impossible levels of malice and power that were now flooding the area once more.

Eyes wide, Sonic muttered, "It… looks like… a person…" Jet inclined his head in answer. Emerald eyes swung around to face the hawk, pleading for an answer Jet could not give. "It looks like a _person_ , Jet," Sonic said, voice strained. "I thought-"

"That demons cannot be anything other than monsters?" Jet looked at Sonic out of the corner of his eye. "Make no mistake. Aside from their eyes, a demon can look at ordinary as _you_ , or Tails, or even Cream. Demons may be monsters in most regards, but many of them are _also_ people. There is no black and white… even in regards to evil."

Shaken to his very core, Sonic snapped his gaze back to the not-so-distant form of the God of Demons… only to find that terrible stare now focused solely on _him_. The amount of fear this focus instilled in him was unlike anything Sonic had ever felt before, and it caused his knees to buckle beneath him. He fell into an awkward sitting position, unable to look away as the dark entity below took a slow and ominous step forward. Though he wanted to, Sonic couldn't stand up. He felt weak, breathless, paralyzed.

At his side, Jet snapped his sword out of its sheath and pointed it at the God he had already earlier faced. " _That's enough_!" His voice was powerful, carrying a deep and unquestionable authority that Sonic had almost never heard his friend actually exercise. It echoed across the space separating them from their enemy, and said enemy came to a stop. Looking up at them once more, they slowly grinned… and then vanished within the flames.

Just like that, the oppressive aura of terror and malice lifted. Jet let out a breath, almost a sort of sigh, and carefully sheathed his sword. He turned to Sonic and unexpectedly offered a hand. Still shaky, Sonic accepted it and let Jet haul him up. Swallowing thickly, the once-old hero mumbled, "I… think that's enough danger for me for one day."

Something in Jet's demeanor was understanding… perhaps even apologetic. With a soft hum of agreement, he simply gathered his energies and took them away.

 **~保護者~**

In silence, the God of Demons walked through a tunnel in the catacombs deep under the ground in one of the worlds he had long since taken as his own. This world existed within his realm, safe from intruders and onlookers alike. He only permitted his strongest and most intelligent warriors and archmages anywhere near this place, but even they dared not get in his way as he walked toward the center of the catacombs with a new shard in hand. It was splashed with crimson, a grim sign of the carnage that had resulted in his acquiring of it. Astra had been following him for the past couple of minutes, keeping herself hidden from the senses of any demons (other than the God of Demons) they may happen across. She had a sneaking suspicion that he _knew_ she was there, but was ignoring her. Not that it mattered. If they got much further, she would have the information she sought from him.

The two walked in continued quiet for nearly two miles before a smooth voice finally severed that silence. "You would do well to not stalk a demon." His was calm, deceptively uncaring about her presence.

"I understand that much," Astra replied with a faint shrug, unveiling herself. "I'm truthfully not here for you."

"I know it." With that simple reply, he stopped walking and turned to her. "You wish to lay eyes on the portal."

She chuckled faintly. "What can I say? It has long been a topic of interest for many, not excluding myself." Astra regarded him with a faint carelessness, unbothered by the fact of who he was or what he was capable of. Dark eyes roved over her, as though assessing her in some manner, then he simply pivoted on his heel and continued walking. It seemed he had chosen for now to _not_ kill her… for some reason. Instead, he merely continued on to his destination.

With time, they reached the central cluster of wide caverns, most full of fires and crawling with demons. He ignored them all, and they wisely gave him a wide berth, as he walked into the center-most room of them all. In this room were many various ancient demonic artifacts, as well as many bones of the deceased, but they seemed of little overall importance. Especially when compared to the nearly half-finished Twilight Portal hovering in the center of the room. "Satisfied, girl?" he inquired blandly as he relinquished his hold on the shard, watching as it flew into place on the portal of its own accord. It, like the rest, became ethereal, wispy energy once connected again.

"This is quite the work you have done." Astra remarked. "I am almost satisfied. However, tell me. What is intended purpose of the portal for you? Could you not use your natural power to open a portal such as this?" She asked, faintly raising an eyebrow to him.

"No one is able to enter that realm," he told her slowly, his back to her, "save for the Immortals, through such basic means. Surely even _you_ know that."

Astra found herself amused at this, watching the demonic god. "Affirmation is important in the business of information. I am sure even you know that. Especially when it comes to identities and portals to nigh powerful beings of true and utter evil." The corrupted woman shrugged, smiling. "I hope to see you accomplish your goals. The end results will be… _interesting_."

Suddenly and without warning, the man pinned her forcefully against the nearest wall with a hand comprised of dark energy and magic that summarily quashed her own for the time being. "I would watch what you tell others… lest I tear out your tongue."

"Tearing out my tongue would only quell my physical speech." Astra smirked faintly, despite the position she was in. "You see, I don't want _them_ to know. The longer their fight is with you, a vain battle as it is now in my eyes, the less of a chance for failure in my plans. Further, if _my_ plans succeed, then you would essentially be more or less unrestrained in your ability to continue as you wish yourself."

He spun around and stalked over to her, eyes ablaze. "You think you possess the means to carry out your little scheme?" he muttered darkly. "He has shattered realities far greater than you can even comprehend, and yet you think _you_ are enough to interfere?"

She closed her eyes and shrugged. "Perhaps. I am of the ones who broke his mind all those years ago. It has not repaired. There are vulnerabilities." Astra opened her eyes and gazed directly into his. "I _shattered_ his mind, the mind of an Immortal. One last push could be all it takes from me to end this long journey and complete my lifelong plan."

His voice now dripping with disdain, he told her simply, "You will fail, girl."

"And if I _do_ fail? Does that have an effect on what _you_ do? If I even halfway succeed, he will be out of your picture for a while. You will be unimpeded, unbothered. Your conquest can continue. You can _slay_ the longest-reigning evil to exist."

Once more, his eyes flashed, this time as though with knowledge of some kind. However, he didn't deign to share it. Instead, he stalked closer to her, less than a foot away now. There was clear bloodlust forming in his eyes now as he muttered, "Your heart… its incessant beating is… _vexing_."

"I would imagine so. Another being in your midst… of course. I will go now, if you would so allow it." Astra raised an eyebrow lightly in question. Instead of releasing her, he allowed some darkness from that hand to slide up and start pressing on her throat. He did so love torture, after all. Her chin lifted a little and she gained a noticeable scowl on her face. "How does this benefit you? Satiation of further bloodlust, I presume?"

"It would rid me of an annoying pest," he offered mildly, as though this was an amusing little game to him and nothing more. As he spoke, he slowly but steadily increased the pressure he was placing on her throat and the rest of her body.

Astra bit her upper lip and watched him, trying not to display any large amount of fear. "That is true, I suppose…"

All of a sudden, as though appeased by her slight show of fear, he simply dropped her onto the hard rocky floor. In doing so, he released her entirely. "You try so hard to be brave…" he murmured, almost chuckling. "You are not _brave_ , dove. Lying will get you nowhere."

"Leave the 'dove' talk to my sister. I am no dove. It would get a much better response from her," she answered, landing and rubbing her throat softly. _That was unpleasant._ "In the life I live, displaying fear would be a sentence to immediate death. It is nature for me to not let it be easily known."

In a flash, he had completely stabbed her through the stomach with a thick barb of energy. It dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared while he turned away to contemplate his portal. "Leave before I decide you are indeed worth hunting down…"

Astra made no sound, using her magic to prevent herself from spilling blood and giving him that satisfaction. A final act of defiance. "So be it. I will continue as if we do not exist to one another." There was a flash of grey that signaled her leaving of the catacombs. Satisfied for now with her departure, he returned to his thoughts.

 **~保護者~**

Pain flared in Jet's body when he landed in the snow outside of his home. Though he gave no sign of it, didn't even so much as blink, Sonic's gaze zeroed in on him regardless. "You're hurt," he stated in sudden realization, eyes widening.

He seemed stunned that he hadn't noticed the gaping slashes covering Jet's torso, probably was in fact, but Jet barely reacted. "I'll manage," he murmured distractedly, already walking to the doors to pull them open.

"The hell you will!" Sonic protested even as they went inside.

Jet decided to ignore his concern for now. Not that it wasn't… appreciated. "I will," he assured in calm tones, "and you will remain here."

That surprised Sonic enough to stop his arguing before it could truly begin. "Wait- what?"

"When we communicated just prior to Cream's revival, I said I could not be here to monitor things." Jet glanced briefly in the direction of the others. "I meant my words."

Sonic's face went deadly serious. Jet marveled anew at the speed with which his friend's emotions could switch. "What is it you're trying to do out there, Jet?"

Though he didn't particularly want to answer, Jet did so… eventually. Though, that isn't to say that he told Sonic anything _much_. "Both Tein and the God of Demons still require my attention." He looked Sonic in the eye for once and held his gaze there. "I'm trusting you all to keep each other safe while I settle things. Can you manage?"

Looking torn, Sonic slowly inclined his head. "...Yeah… of course we can."

"Good." Turning away, he repeated more softly, "Very good." He teleported away without another word, ready to confront the God of Demons about the carnage that he and then later Sonic had been made to face earlier. Dealing with Tein could come later. First, he and an old enemy needed to have a little _chat_.

Wherever it was that he next appeared, he didn't much care. He'd been to so many demonic hell-holes in his life that they all started to look the same to him in many ways. This one was hardly different. It was obviously _hellish_ , lacking in any plant life, coated in fire and lava and darkness in every conceivable place, soaked from the blood of past victims… Hardly a place he _wanted_ to visit. However, the events of today had forced his hand. He couldn't take out his opponent, not now and certainly not here, but he could try to slow the man down. He had to buy time, give Wave a chance to do her part and figure out where the next target would be. She would signal him when it was time, but for now… for now, he was on his own.

 **~保護者~**

 **3,415 words this time. So, I know... I _know_ I've had a terribly long hiatus, and you guys all deserve an explanation. Allow me to summarize as briefly as possible so as not to bore you all. There was the fire (I thankfully didn't have to evacuate, in the end), there was getting ready for the holidays (I work as a nanny for five kids, so that was hell by itself), there was getting _through_ the holidays, then I got sick (I had a fever for six days straight and even now I still have a cough), plus I had more writer's block, and that's about it. I know it doesn't sound like much overall, but please believe me when I tell you how mad everything was around here up until now. I hope you all can forgive me, and I promise to update again as quickly as possible. Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 8:10 p.m.) 01-03-19.**

 **Edit: I forgot to mention it before, but as always thank you very much to Blazing Winds for his help! He brainstormed parts of the second scene, as well as wrote all of Astra's parts.**


	17. A Warrior's Reprieve

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of preparation and planning… especially for the one with all the heart.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yes, I'm doing better now, thank you. Oh, that was just a not-so-subtle reference to good ol' Malevolence there. XD Sorry for the confusion!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"A Warrior's Reprieve"**

 **~保護者~**

Sonic felt oddly alone and defeated as he pulled shut the doors to Jet's home, blocking out the cold and the snow once more. Sighing to himself, he turned away from where his friend had been just moments before and walked to the front room where he had left the others less than a half hour ago. Soon he discovered that, aside from Wave, everyone was still there. He approached them and called quietly, "Yo, get that box open yet?"

Surprised, Tails whirled around to face him. However, he quickly relaxed again. "Yeah, Espio knew how to do it. Apparently Jet uses things like that to store weapons a lot, and I guess he lets Espio use them, too."

"He gave you weapons?" Sonic asked, shifting his gaze to Cream.

She nodded in affirmation. "Yes. One moment." Turning her attention to the box, Cream used her incredible mental powers to reopen it. As Sonic watched, she explained, "From what I understand, magic is used to store items in these devices. This magic makes them smaller and lighter in order to better carry them around, but when you reach in or otherwise remove the objects they return to normal in an instant." She used her powers to do just that when she finished speaking. Six ornate discs, each razer thin and coated in a silvery sheen like something out of a sci-fi movie, floated up out of the box.

The sight of these made Sonic's eyebrows raise. "What are _those_?"

"I don't think they really have a _name_ ," Tails interjected before Cream could hazard a guess, "but to put it the mostly simply, they really are discs like they look."

Suddenly, Shadow spoke up. "Make no mistake… they may carry the shape of mere _discs_ , but their simple shape belies their true nature. They are sharp enough to slice through mountains - and _more_ than durable enough to survive such intensive use."

"Best part is," Tails grinned, "as she just showed you, she can easily move them with her powers. No hands required." He twisted back around to look at the young-again woman. "Isn't that right, Cream?"

A bright smile answered him. "That's right," Cream confirmed warmly. "I've never had a weapon before, but these feel quite… perfect, really."

Gradually, Sonic managed to smile back at them. "Yeah… they seem like it."

Shadow's gaze shifted to Sonic. "You left," he stated simply.

The abrupt change of subject made Sonic's ears perk up. "Wave took me to talk to Jet," he answered, shifting to look back at his brother.

That caused Shadow to frown. It was Tails, however, who asked, "About what, Sonic? What happened earlier?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah. ...Well, sort of. I _wanted_ to talk about what happened, but I didn't want to push him, you know? I just… hate doing that to him, even when I have to."

Tails and Cream traded looks. "This likely doesn't qualify as a situation where pressing for information is _necessary_ ," Cream agreed quietly.

"Agreed. So what _did_ you end up talking about, then?" Tails shifted in his seat to get more comfortable, then settled down again.

To be perfectly honest, there were about a i conversations Sonic would have rather been having right now as opposed to this one. He didn't want to recount what Jet had been through that day, what they had talked about as a result of it, what they had seen afterward… but he did it anyway. They needed to know. "Like I said," he sighed resignedly, "I went with Wave to go talk to him. She took me to wherever it was he'd gone, then left. It was like _hell_ there, guys. He was sitting on this small plateau-like structure, and there was nothing but endless fire surrounding it for as far as I could see."

The mood in the room, which previously had almost managed to be relaxed and lighthearted, immediately shifted to something darker and more serious. Tails's eyebrows drew downward. Espio finally started to actually pay attention to what was being said. Shadow's posture gained a note of tension and alertness. Cream pursed her lips together lightly. Sonic had their attention now, whether he liked it or not, and that wasn't going to change. All that was left to do was continue. "Once I got him talking, he told me that that world had been civilized before. He likened it to how Mobius was back during my life, except he also said that the people there were entirely peaceful and had no means of defending themselves."

Now Tails's ears drooped, his body visibly weakening a bit as understanding sank in. "And someone took advantage of that… didn't they?"

"...The Tel'or," Sonic eventually replied, looking away. "I guess they started their killing spree when Jet was still here and distracted by us, because he said by the time he realized what was happening… nearly eighty percent of the people there had been killed."

Cream's eyes fully betrayed her horror in spite of the brave face she put on. She had always been strong, that one. "But he went there to save them," she correctly assumed. "Was he successful?"

Anger soured Sonic's expression. "See… that's where things get fucked up. He didn't say it, but I _know_ he tried to save whoever was left. He even told me that saving them all was possible ' _initially_ '."

Shadow's voice carried a low growl. Sonic understood. He wanted to do the same thing. "Explain," the darker hedgehog demanded.

"The way Jet explained it," Sonic explained somewhat irritably, "the world wasn't orbiting a star and was just drifting through space - and for who knows how long." Dawning expressions of realization started to cross his friend's faces (save for Espio's, as he was still apathetic as ever). Even Cream understood the implications, as she had already been filled in about their enemies and whatnot prior to this. At least, that what Sonic gathered by her reaction. "It drifted _right_ into the goddamn territory of that Demonic God," he continued. "He himself went there and slaughtered _everyone_ , civilians and Tel'or alike. He even attacked Jet - he has the injuries to prove it. And he was _still_ hanging around while I was there, apparently. Or, at least, he popped back in to see what his demons were doing there or whatever."

Tails sat straight up. "You _saw_ him?"

"Only a silhouette," Sonic snorted. "And a pretty distorted one, at that. He wasn't that close to us, and he was surrounded by fire. All I could really see was that he looks like a fucking person." He shifted to glare at his brother, Espio, and Tails. "You assholes could have bothered to mention _that_."

Looking conflicted, Tails opened his mouth to reply. Shadow, however, cut him off. "What happened?"

Now Sonic felt a chill… a creeping sense of the dread and terror he had experienced not so long ago. "He… _stared_ at me," he remembered aloud. "He just… He just _stared_ at me, and then started walking toward us. Jet yelled at him, though, and then the guy just _grinned_ and left." He dropped his gaze after that. "Jet took me back here after that. Think he didn't want to stick around there anymore than I did."

Tails and Shadow traded a look that might have been significant, but only Shadow spoke this time. "Then what?"

"He left," Sonic shrugged. "Obviously."

"Did he say anything, Mister Sonic?" Cream asked him softly.

Emerald eyes searched the faces of everyone gathered in this room. "That Tein and the God of Demons still require his attention… and that he's trusting us to keep each other safe."

Slowly, very slowly, Tails's gaze drifted toward the weaponized discs that still silently hovered around Cream. The glinted lethally in the dim light. "Well... I guess it's a good thing we're all armed now."

More than likely, this comment was made to be comforting. Sonic knew that, but there was only so much relief that he could feel right now given the circumstances. Still, he forced a small smile. "Guess so."

"What is there for us to do now?" Cream asked no one particular. "Does Mister Jet intend for us to stay here?"

"Most likely not," Tails answered. "He's not even going to be here himself, for one thing. And he moved Cadora - that's his student by the way - away for now. He even took a bunch of items from here, powerful relics and the like. I think he's under the impression that it's not safe around here right now."

"He definitely seems to be anticipating some trouble," Sonic sighed.

Shadow huffed. "Not that he has _said_ anything about it."

Tails sighed. "No... I guess he hasn't really said much, huh?"

As they spoke, Cream busied herself with putting her new weapons back into their box. She spoke up again once they were put away. "If we must leave, then let's do so. Staying here longer may be more risky than it's worth."

"I agree," Sonic said, standing up. "Let's head back to Mobius, and then we can discuss things more."

"Sounds good to me." Tails executed a long stretch and then stood up. "I've been meaning to pack up some of my weapons and things, anyway, so going back to Mobius is probably a good idea." He turned to look at Shadow and Espio. "Do you guys need to grab anything?"

"Yes," Espio responded simply. He also stood up. Shadow merely gave a brief nod in reply.

Accepting the hand Espio had offered her, Cream finally also stood up. "How are we meant to return there?" she asked.

Sonic jerked a thumb at Tails. "He's got a teleporter that can get us back."

"Well, this one's not mine. I snatched it from Jet, but I don't think he cares." Smiling, Tails simply activated the device and sent the group on their way before anyone else could say anything. They reappeared in Espio's house with the simple explanation of, "I figured you'd be the fastest, Espio." No reply came. Espio simply walked out of the front room and disappeared down a dark hall.

While he worked on grabbing... whatever it was that he was grabbing, Sonic turned to Cream. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask... do you have any idea what happened earlier? What caused us all to see those memories?"

The young woman blinked once at him. The everlasting sweetness and innocence in her eyes belied the true wisdom that she carried, and he had to consciously remind himself in that moment that she was no longer the child that she had once been. She further proved that by saying, "It's a complicated matter, Mister Sonic, involving the brief mixture of powerful energies and powers. But, to put it most simply... I, as you know, possess Clairvoyance. Mister Espio possesses a unique form of Clairvoyance that some call 'backward Clairvoyance'. I was leaning against him, and then my hand touched Mister Jet's and a powerful connection was made." She looked straight into Sonic's eyes. "This connection was... unintended. I think Mister Jet was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to even notice that it was about to happen."

It probably wasn't the best explanation. In fact, Sonic was pretty certain of that. Still, he suspected that if she were to go into more detail he wouldn't understand it, anyway. So he let it go. "...Okay." Turning his head back around, he looked at Shadow. "What do you need to get? Besides guns."

Crimson eyes blinked. "Medical supplies."

Now _that_ threw Sonic for a loop. "Huh?"

Tails piped up with an explanation. "Remember how Marthal was trained to tend to wounds and illness and stuff without powers? Shadow knows how to do that stuff, too, now. He can use the traditional stuff like Marthal used to, like herbs and the like, but he also knows a _lot_ about modern medicines."

Unable to think of much else to say, Sonic just asked, "But... why?" _Shadow acting as a medic is just... just... god, I don't even know._

His half-brother merely shrugged, but in the end it didn't matter. Tails, after all, had all the answers. At least... he did often enough. "Well, we don't have any healers anymore. We had to do _something_ about that, you know? Besides..." Tails glanced at Shadow and then back to Sonic, eyes taking on a note of sorrow. "It's a pretty good way to keep the memory of your mom alive, too."

Shadow said nothing. He didn't even so much as blink, choosing instead to simply turn away. Sonic, however, felt his ears drop a bit. However, he was quick to correct himself and straighten his ears back up. That ancient pain was as raw as ever, but now wasn't the time to start getting depressed. "Yeah. I get it." He cleared his throat. "Makes sense."

Espio chose that moment to return. If only to distract himself, Sonic focused on what the ninja had grabbed. He was armed now with a very simple katana and matching dagger, both of which were sheathed at his side. Strapped to his back was what looked like a backpack-sized leather-bound book that was closed with a black latch of some kind. No one offered any sort of an explanation about it, though he was very curious, and even Cream didn't ask. By her demeanor, Sonic guessed that she had seen this odd book before.

They teleported again. Upon arriving in his house, Shadow started to walk off. He caught Espio's eye and jerked his head slightly in an invitation for the other man to tag along. Figuring Shadow wanted to have a word with the ninja about something, Sonic didn't question it. He simply waited with Tails and Cream, idly listening as the two talked about Shadow's isolated home (specifically, about all the security measures protecting it). He zoned out a little after a few minutes, but refocused when Shadow returned. It immediately became apparent why Shadow had taken Espio with him, for he was now using some of those strange storage cubes to carry his things. _That's right, Espio uses those things, too._

"What all did you grab?" Tails asked somewhat distractedly as he worked on calibrating the teleporter to get them to his workshop. Shadow named off a few different weapons (which Sonic guessed were modern guns) and held up a cube. "And the medical supplies? Are those in that other cube?"

"Yes."

"Good." Since there was no further point in sticking around here, they went to Tails's workshop as soon as Shadow answered. There, Sonic quickly reclaimed the music box Jet had given him during their last mental communication, and which Sonic had unintentionally abandoned here when they'd all gone to see Cream. He and the others then proceeded to follow Tails around (since he had started talking to them again) while he grabbed whatever it was he needed from this place. "So, does anyone have any idea where we should go? Staying here is obviously an option, of course."

"Is it safe to?" Cream queried, eyes roving all over Tails's many inventions.

Sonic and Shadow traded a look. "Erm... maybe?" Sonic answered slowly. "I don't really know. I mean, I'm pretty sure that our enemies know where this world is."

"Leaving will not make Mobius less of a target," Shadow pointed out evenly. "No matter which of our enemies comes here if and when such an event takes place, they will quite happily kill everyone and destroy everything simply because they _can_... regardless of whether or not _we_ are here."

Tails sighed. "Shadow's right. If we do leave, we'll have to make sure Mobius is well-defended. We don't want a repeat of the carnage that the Nocturnians carried out on the citizens here."

"That was different," Cream murmured. "Those enemies were _already_ here. These enemies aren't. If we act now, perhaps we can simply block these evil forces out."

An idea struck Sonic like a slap in the face. "Wait. What if we did what the Babylonians have been doing since practically the dawn of time? You know, encase the planet in a self-sustaining barrier that won't let anything in or out unless specifically allowed?"

Judging by his expression, Tails was already thinking hard about Sonic's suggestion. "That... could actually work. I don't know how we could pull it off, but if we _did_ -"

"Perhaps Jet has something that will aid us," Espio said simply.

"Yeah, yeah he might." Tails quickly grabbed the teleporter again and tossed it to Shadow. "See if you can find something, will you? Given the circumstances, I think we can get away with borrowing some stuff from him without asking." With a curt nod, Shadow activated the device and disappeared.

Sonic pursed his lips in further thought. "So let's say we pull this off and everything works properly. Will we just stay here, or should we still go somewhere else?"

"That's not an easy question to answer." Tails picked up one of his old radiation guns, one of the ones he had used during Sonic's time, off a cluttered table and examined it carefully. "What Shadow said is true, after all. But at the same time, us being here could very well but what drives our enemies to enter this solar system in the first place."

"Our absence could just as easily have the same affect," Cream added with a sigh.

"Right. Which is why I'm not sure _what_ we should do. Leave and hope the barrier holds? Stay and risk drawing dark forces straight to us? I just don't know." Finally, Tails tucked the gun under his arm and resumed walking.

 _I hate situations like these. I hate them._ Ears somewhat lowered, Sonic trudged after his old friend. _Anything we do might be wrong. For that matter, everything might be wrong. It feels like there's no right answer._ When Cream passed him by without any effort at all, Sonic picked up the pace a bit and made an effort to focus more on what he was doing as opposed to what he was thinking. Still, he couldn't quite keep one thought from entering his mind. _But I don't know if there's anything left that we can do to protect anyone... We're out of options already._

Tails's voice broke into his thoughts with quiet firmness. "Sonic, stop worrying so much. We'll figure this out, just like always. Okay?"

Emerald eyes blinked, refocusing on the fox before him. "...Right..." He looked away again. "Sorry."

"What is it that you're looking for?" Cream interrupted, clearly just trying to change the subject.

"Aw, nothin' much," Tails answered lightly. "I'm mostly just looking for some little stuff at the moment. Emergency tools and the like. I just... seem to have misplaced them in this mess." Pursing his lips together, he rummaged around on a square of cluttered tables that had been pushed together to form one larger table.

Leaning over, Sonic peered at the mess. After a moment, he pointed. "Is that little box it?"

"Hm?" Tails turned around and immediately brightened. "Oh! Yes, that's it! Thanks!" Smiling happily, he grabbed the box and tucked it away in the bag he had been carrying around to hold his things. Sonic shook his head a little, equal parts amused and still nervous. For now, though, he opted to let his amusement overpower his nerves. Tails started walking again, meanwhile, but quickly stopped. "...Hey, where'd Espio go?"

Surprised, Sonic quickly started looking around. "What the he- I didn't even notice he was gone!"

Cream giggled merrily at the both of them. "That's the point, sillies. He's a ninja, so when he disappears he really _does_ mean to."

Sonic rubbed at his temples. "Urgh... I got _that_ much, Cream. But why the hell _did_ he disappear?"

Though she executed a delicate shrug, there was a knowing look in those warm eyes of hers. "He prefers the outside, Mister Sonic. Being underground... bothers him, I suppose. At least, it makes him restless."

Tails interrupted before Sonic could formulate a reply. "Well, whatever. Anyway, c'mere, both of you. I've got something to show you before we head out."

Both hedgehog and bunny exchanged brief looks of curiosity, then turned back to Tails. "Show us?" Cream asked.

"Yep!" The fox declared cheerily. "Follow me!"

He took off without further ado, forcing Sonic and Cream to jog after him so as not to lose him in the maze of inventions, tables, shelves, and so on. They followed him to a distant part of the workshop, one that Sonic knew had once doubled as a hangar for the various ships and planes Tails had once built. _Including the Blue Typhoon... and the new Tornado, and even the X-Tornado._

They reached an invention covered by a large sheet. Tails spun around, positively beaming from ear to ear. "Sonic!" he called happily as Sonic and Cream slowed to a halt. "This is something I've been working on for years... something I've always held close to my heart because of what it means to me - to _us_. We built the first X-Tornado _together_ , do you remember? It was one of our first acts together as friends."

Unable to close down his own expression, Sonic openly gaped at the young fox. "...First?" he echoed softly. "Tails, what-?"

Reaching back, Tails took hold of the sheet. "I don't have a fancy new name for this invention, Sonic, and I couldn't keep the original look of it no matter how true I tried to stay to our first design. Still... I've put all my heart into this." His smile opened up into a bright grin. "Hopefully it's to your liking as well."

No further time was wasted. Tails ripped the sheet away... and revealed the glory of his invention for all those gathered here to see. Unable to speak, Sonic merely stared in a mixture of shock and awe. Emotions flooded him, none of which he was able to make sense of at the moment. All he could make sense of, all he could understand, were the beginnings of one simple thought. _This is...!_

Tails stepped away so as to stop blocking the full view. "Sonic, Cream... This is the new X-Tornado... the Tornado-Z."

 **~保護者~**

It was late into the night when Kaden finally, finally ended his work for the day and laid back to rest a bit. The sky he stared into was dark and bleak, the landscape desolate and nearly lifeless. Still, he felt no sense of danger or isolation. Long had he been used to such places. And these days, he preferred no company more than his own anyway. The silence and lack of anyone or anything to interact with didn't bother him in slightest.

Something _did_ bother him, though.

 _He is on his way here... again._ Emerald eyes drifted across the blank sky, contemplating truths that simply weren't there to see. _The issue is... what to do about it this time._ This opponent was like none other he had ever faced. Exceedingly intelligent, vastly powerful, virtually unkillable... this was indeed a true threat. Something of that nature was so rare in his life as to be nearly unheard of. He could count on the fingers of one hand, as cliche as that was, just how many such threats he had ever faced. Truly, these circumstances were unique... but that didn't mean that they were desirable in the slightest.

Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and then let the air out of his body slowly. _So much for relaxation it would seem..._ He shifted, pushed himself up, and stood. Gradually, a smirk began to form on his face. It wasn't as though he truly needed the rest, after all. He was feeling too restless to sleep, at any rate. There was far too much energy left in his system that needed working out. Who knew? Maybe a good fight was just what he needed to end his day.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,139 words this time. This took longer to complete than I had intended, but I got it done in the end and that's what counts, I guess. Hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 10:15 p.m.) 01-06-19.**


	18. Discord

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this tense time of uncertainty and danger… especially for the one whose anger burns.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yep! Kaden finally appears! XD And don't worry, as Jet previously told Sonic, a reunion is inevitable. It's all just a matter of when it takes place. Also, I agree about Jet. He's carrying a _massive_ burden that really shouldn't be handled alone, but he also really doesn't want the others involved more than necessary. His urge to protect is powerful... but perhaps in seeking to defend others, he is merely harming himself. Only time well tell, huh?**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Discord"**

 **~保護者~**

His mind swam in a sea of memories.

Memories, some wonderful and some terrible. Memories of adventure, of destruction, of thrills, of pain, of travelling and fun times, of danger and death... So, so many memories, all conjured up by the simple sight of one streamlined, silvery ship. It was powerful. It was high-tech, futuristic even. It was elegant. It so familiar in appearance, yet so vastly different from what he had once known.

It was the Tornado-Z.

Sonic could barely wrap his mind around what he was seeing. Resting his hand upon the cool metal, he managed to quietly ask, "What happened to the X-Tornado?"

This question apparently triggered some unpleasant memories. Tails's smile turned sad. "During the Era of Darkness, we lost a lot. More than you'll probably ever fully understand. It seems inconsequential alongside the many other things we lost back then, but the X-Tornado was nevertheless lost as well." He glanced away. "Malevolence destroyed it utterly... while I tried to flee the growing destruction with a few of the descendants. We barely escaped with our lives. The ship wasn't so lucky."

Silence followed his answer. Sonic stared at the new ship, struggling to comprehend the enormity of the catastrophe that must have ensued back then. He knew so little about what had occurred, yet his imagination tried its damnedest to fill in the gaps of his knowledge. Often with disturbing results that he was quick to try to cast away. "Nothing was left?" he eventually asked, seeking to distract himself from his own wandering thoughts.

"Not enough to work with," Tails sighed. "At least, not by the time I finally went back to the crash site to look. I avoided the area for a lot of years. Just... wanted to not think about it all, you know? I didn't want to see it, because that... I don't know, made it real, I suppose." Another sigh. Blue eyes briefly closed. "But I did eventually go back, and by then there was almost nothing left. If there had been anything before, it had been picked through already. I walked away with little more than bits of scrap metal."

That was unfortunate. Really, truly unfortunate. He would have liked... hell, he didn't even know. Some remnant of _some_ kind to somehow still be around, maybe? _Yeah, fat chance._

"If it's any consolation, though... I melted down those bits of metal, however few there were, and reforged them." Tails turned fully around to face the ship he had crafted. "I used it all in the Tornado-Z, for whatever that's worth."

A pause. Sonic considered his friend's words. Then, gradually, he managed a small smile. "That's... good to hear." He was pretty sure Tails nodded.

Now Cream spoke up. "May I change the subject?"

Both Sonic and Tails blinked, then turned back around to face her. "Yeah, of course," Tails replied soon after. "What's up?"

The bunny looked curious. Thoughtful, even. "You mentioned descendents?"

Finally, Tails's smile regained a happier note. "Oh, yeah. It's definitely been... well, a long-ass time, but there are still some descendants of you all hanging around."

Visibly brightening at the idea, Cream asked, "Truly?"

Tails leaned back against a crate of some sort and nodded happily. "Yep. You have two descendants left these days, a boy and a girl. Neither turned out looking like bees, I'm afraid." Cream giggled at his little joke.

Sonic removed his hand from the ship. "And there are others?"

"Yep," Tails nodded. "Jason and Ethan have three descendants left, one echidna and two bats. All are girls." His gaze drifted up to the ceiling. "Let's see... Remember the boy I adopted, Alex? He has one female descendant left. Sarai has a descendant left, too, and Sen has three. Sarai's is a boy. Two of Sen's are also boys and one is a girl. Grey has four descendants left, three boys and one girl."

Breathless at the mention of his second son and youngest child, Sonic blurted out, "And Emi?"

The fox's smile grew. "She has two descendants, both girls." When Sonic was silent, Tails simply continued. "Kimmy has a single descendant left. Remember how she married that wolf? Their descendant, a girl, is a wolf like him. Ava had no kids, so no descendants from her. Kohaku has two descendants left, both boys." There was a small pause, then Tails slowly added. "Lia... She has no descendants left. The ones that _were_ left at one point died both during and immediately after the Era of Darkness."

Moving quickly to prevent the mood from becoming depressed again, Cream swiftly asked, "Did Mister Espio ever have any children?"

Smile growing yet still, Tails shook his head. "No, though he certainly babysat a lot of your descendants over the years. He never turned away a member of your family when they asked for help with the rugrats."

His response earned another merry giggle. "I see... So he truly hasn't changed that much, then."

"Nope," Tails declared cheerily. "Oh, and before anyone asks - no, Shadow didn't have anymore kids or anything like that, either."

"What about Jet?" Sonic found himself asking, more out of simple curiosity than anything else.

"No more kids from him, either. The time he spent with his family was mostly spent rearing and protecting those who were left. So, pretty much what he does now, just minus the 'helping raise kids' part." Tails shifted to sit upon the lid of the crate, got comfortable, and then continued. "And, as you know, he has some descendants left. Actually, he's got somewhere between eight and ten, but that's mostly just because Babylonians tend to have large families. Helps a family line survive a real long time, you know?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah. And one of those descendants is the current queen."

Tails nodded. "Right. She hasn't started her own family life yet, but she's said she will at some point from what I've heard. When she does, obviously that'll bolster the family ranks."

"Did Miss Wave ever start a family of her own?" Cream asked, tilting her head.

"Never even attempted it." Suddenly, Tails's expression carried a strange sort of _knowing_ quality. "Don't worry about that, though. I have a reasonable suspicion that it'll happen at some point or another. It's almost kind of inevitable, really."

Now Cream look positively confused. "Oh?"

"Just trust me," Tails laughed. "It'll all work out with those two."

He might have said more than he meant to, or perhaps not. Either way, though, his words instantly cleared things up for the young woman. She barely stifled another giggle. "Oh, I see."

Though he huffed, Sonic smirked. _Guess I wasn't wrong in my assumption. After what I saw when they finished their little sparring match, I'd figured..._ Mentally, he shook his head in amusement. _Things might actually work out this time around... They've both been through a lot, sure, but they've also done more growing than I'll probably ever know. They have a real fighting chance of making it work this time._

Cream's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Was there anything else you needed to grab, Tails?"

"I don't think so," Tails shrugged. "If I'm wrong, though, I can always come back later. It's not a huge deal right now."

"Are we leaving, then?"

"We probably should, yeah. After Shadow comes back."

"Of course."

Sonic looked at the Tornado-Z again. _Five seats... We have enough room for everyone, for once. Go figure._ "...Hey, Tails?"

The fox turned his head to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Whatever happened to my stuff?" Sonic dragged his gaze away from the ship after a long moment. "Amy's stuff, too. And the house."

It almost looked like Tails was... apologetic. "After you passed, Emi and Grey were really worried about just letting your guys' stuff just sit there. Obviously the house was far from any cities and such, but leaving it abandoned meant leaving it open to looters and the like. They weren't sure what to do with the stuff for a little while, but eventually they moved most of it to Satusno and Seiko's castle. You know, the one we used as a refuge for some of the group during the Nocturne War. It's still just as protected as ever behind its barriers, so your stuff is as 'fine' as it can be. Ignoring any dust and such, of course."

A minute or two was all Sonic needed to fully process this. "And the house?"

"Well, it really did end up abandoned for a long while," Tails answered. "Eventually, some of your descendants started living there, and that's been true ever since. Right now, Kohaku's descendant Autumn lives there with her adoptive sister." Sonic nodded once, just slightly, still thinking, and Tails continued, "We can probably go and see it later, if you want."

"...No. That's okay." Things grew quiet for a long moment before Sonic asked a new question. "You said _most_ of the stuff was moved?"

Tails blinked. "Oh, yeah. Some stuff- Well, some of it was sort of dangerous to leave unattended. Things like Caliburn, for example."

Sonic perked up. "That's right, Jet had my sword, huh?"

"He did," Tails confirmed. "All the stuff that Emi and Grey didn't take to the castle, he took. A couple things he's had since you died. He's been safeguarding Caliburn, the Chaos Emeralds, your communicator (don't ask how you ended up with that back when you were revived because I have no idea), Excalibur, and a few other things I can't exactly recall."

The mention of his father's sword, the final and most powerful of the seven that the man had crafted during ancient times, made Sonic wince. He'd managed to somehow forget up until now that he had been holding onto that blade ever since his parents' deaths. ...Except... Kaden wasn't _actually_ dead, was he? It was still _so_ hard to wrap his mind around that fact. "He... has Excalibur?" he eventually asked.

"Somewhere," Tails confirmed quietly. "I don't know where."

Unable to suppress his confusion, Sonic almost demanded, "Why didn't he give it back to Dad?"

"That's... hard to explain, Sonic." Tails almost visibly stifled a sigh. "You have to remember, we don't exactly... _see_ him often. And he kind of prefers that we keep it that way."

This was new knowledge, and it only deepened Sonic's pained bafflement. "Wait, what? Why?" Tails didn't answer. He didn't seem to know how.

Cream changed the subject a bit. "Does Mister Jet still have the emeralds?"

"Yeah, he does. I don't know where, mind you, but I know they're safe. We'd have been informed if they weren't. So if nothing else, we don't have to go on a crazy hunt for those this time around." Tails grew quiet for a second, then spoke again. "Oh, and do you remember the items that were... left behind when your parents... died?"

There was no way Sonic could not remember. _Dad's golden ring... the one he used to use to pull his hair back into a ponytail... and mom's wedding ring._ Suddenly numb, all he could do was nod.

Tails swallowed hard. "Jet held onto those, too. To make sure they were safe." Sonic could only nod once more. Though happy that these objects had not been lost, he simply couldn't voice it right this second. The small flash of a teleporter saved him from having to speak, anyway. Shadow had returned, and he soon rounded a corner to walk over to them. In his free hand he carried yet another storage cube ( _whatever_ those damned things were called), presumably carrying the devices they needed to set up the barriers they had been discussing earlier. Seeing this, Tails hopped down off of his crate-turned-seat. "Guess it's time to head out. Let's round up Espio and get out of here." He glanced at Cream, one of the few people who could routinely root out the ninja in his various hiding spots, and she walked off with a knowing smile.

Shadow tossed the cube to Tails. "We need speed. I do not trust how quiet it has been lately."

In response, Tails jerked a thumb back at his ship. "Good thing we've got this hunk of metal, then." Glancing to each hedgehog in turn, he made the invitation general with a broad gesture toward the Tornado-Z. "Come on, time to load up." Neither argued, choosing instead to simply board the ship. They all had work to do.

 **~保護者~**

Kaden turned his head and spat angrily into the dirt. Only for a moment, this succeeded in ridding his mouth of the thick blood that had been filling it. Frustrated by the continual presence of it in his mouth, he spat again, then started walking through the rubble that marked the scene of his latest fight. _Careless... Fucking careless._ He had certainly been that, he reflected as he glanced over his wounds. It had been a while since his opponent had managed to deal this much damage to him. A very long while, in fact. Perhaps centuries, even. But he truly had gotten careless this time, foolishly emboldened by earlier victories and successes. It wasn't like him... but, then, it wasn't as though he was feeling totally like himself right now in general.

He blamed the complete upheaval of his life today for that.

Few things could have turned his world so totally upside-down with so little effort, but the sudden return of his eldest son certainly _was_ one of those things. Sonic was alive again, had been for who knew how long at this point, and that changed everything. There was so much he didn't yet know in regards to that, so much he _needed_ to know. Yet, there were also things he _did_ know... however unhelpful those tidbits of knowledge currently were. _Ythene... she is at the root of this._

The biggest lingering question was, of course, why she had chosen _now_ to act. There were multiple potential reasons for it, each quite valid, but it was likely that only one was entirely correct. He needed to know which reason that one was. He needed to know how long Sonic had been alive. He needed to know what his son had been doing, who he was with, what he knew and about who and _what_. And, of course, he needed to decide what he _himself_ should do... and how he should go about approaching _either_ of his sons in the future. There was just no easy answer to that problem in particular.

Continuing his walk, he turned his attention to his sword... if only to help clear his head a tad. _Dirty. Again._ Frustrated anew by all the dirt-filled blood covering his once pristine black katana, he gave it a hard flick downward and to the side. This only successfully flung a very minor amount of detritus from the blade. But even through the filth, Saika managed a faint glimmer of shine in the dim, reddish light of this world. He caught his own reflection in that shine and frowned at it. Something about his own appearance tugged at his emotions, conjuring up further feelings of anger and irritation. He was just as dirty and bloodied as his blade right now, and he hated it. He also _hated_ the one responsible for putting him into such a sorry state to begin with.

However, dealing with his enemy would have to wait. It was necessary for him to focus on dealing with his injuries for the time being, and deciding how to best deal with his enemy's apparently growing strength. A family reunion would have to wait... for now.

 **~保護者~**

There was heavy, heavy darkness for a time. When it eased and began to lift, Jet felt himself cough and spit up blood. He nearly choked on it, struggling for breath for who knew how long before his airway finally cleared enough to ease his struggles just a bit. Pained, he shifted to push himself up and opened his eyes. His vision was blurred and faded in and out for several minutes as he unsteadily shifted into a sitting position. It occurred to him, dimly, that this was yet another fight that he had lost. The Demonic God had killed him... again. He had known going in that it would happen, but that didn't exactly make dealing with the aftermath any easier.

Coughing again, he pressed his hands to one particularly nasty gash that lingered on his stomach. Blood welled up between his fingers, sluggish and thick. Knowing that he was in demon territory yet still and that the mere _scent_ of his blood would soon bring hordes of demons upon him, he removed his hands and quickly tried to call Wave on his communicator. But, of course, the damned thing wouldn't _turn on_. It was broken... because of course it was. That was just his luck.

Not that he had ever believed much in luck.

He stifled the urge to mutter a course. With little other choice, he slowly tried to regain his feet. A number of factors, not the least of which being continued blood loss, left him unsteady and weak. Standing felt nearly impossible in his current condition, but he made himself do it regardless. Getting out of here was of top priority. Succumbing to temporary weakness was not an option here. So he made himself stand and keep upright long enough to finally focus his vision again and take in his surroundings. Finding the skies overhead clear of any obstacles or threats, he let himself become weightless. Flying was far easier than standing and, as he lacked the energy to teleport, it was currently his only means of escape.

With no other options at his disposal, he flew as far and fast as he could, seeking only to put some distance between himself and those that currently threatened him. Only once he was reasonably safe again could he risk trying to find another means of contacting Wave. For now, he just needed to get the hell out of here. It wasn't even that he was afraid of dying again (honestly, that was probably going to happen, anyway, with him being wounded as severely as he still was). It was just that he really, _really_ didn't want a second confrontation with _him_. There were only so many times he could stand to fight the man in one sitting.

But there were more pressing matters at hand. He had successfully kept the God of Demons busy for as long as he could. He could only hope that Wave had had enough time to do her part. If not, if she hadn't been able to learn where and when the God would next strike out in his efforts to complete his portal, this would all have been for nothing. _God_ , he hoped this hadn't been for nothing. They _needed_ that information.

He caught himself drifting in and out, in and out, in and out, more and more often the longer he flew. It didn't take a genius to determine that he would pass out before too much longer if he pushed himself much harder. However, it wasn't as though he could just _take a break_. He was still deep inside the Demonic God's territory, had yet to even come close to exiting it. Flying longer and perhaps even faster was entirely necessary if he truly wanted to escape - and he most certainly did. Honestly, he was just thankful that they had fought in _this_ realm as opposed to the realm the God normally inhabited. Teleporting and realm-shifting just weren't possible for him right now.

Too late, he worked up the energy to speed up his flight. Too slow, he moved to the side to try to dodge a surprise attack. Too, too weakly, he hurled a ball of aura energy at his demonic attacker. The vaguely serpentine, vaguely canine-like monster snapped at him with lethal teeth, successfully slicing open Jet's leg just as he jerked the limb as far out of harm's way as possible. The fact that it was left with no meat to feast on seemed to royally piss off the demon, judging by how quickly it decided to carry out a painful brute-force attack... by swinging it's broad head straight into his torso.

With the wind thoroughly knocked out of him and his mind again barely hovering above the level of unconsciousness ( _damn_ , that God and his brutality, truly), Jet wasn't able to catch himself fast enough. He slammed back-first into what he vaguely guessed to be the remnants of some unfortunate ship, only to then be knocked straight through the debris by a second headbutt. This blow had him spitting up more blood than he had been already earlier. The taste of blood was one he hated and could barely tolerate, so he sought to clear it from his mouth in the split second he had to attack before the next attack was launched at him.

The demon's first mistake had been attacking him at all.

It's second and final mistake?

Pissing him the _hell_ off.

Oh, he was so _not_ in the mood for this bullshit. He had just fought _the_ God of fucking evil itself and _literally_ been _killed_ by him. He was probably going to die _again_ no matter what he did. This demon, this piece of shit monstrosity that had just tried to bite his goddamned _leg off_ , was so... _so_ dead. Deeply weakened or not, Jet had more than enough energy to kill it. So, naturally, he did. A cool, calculated strike of lightning directly to the head proved to be more than enough. Not only did it obviously electrocute the demon, but the attack fried it alive. He took a perverse sort of satisfaction from that... if only for a moment.

Weakened by the attacks, both his own and that of his enemy, Jet soon found himself unable to do anything more than hover. All he had the energy to do now was float, just float and watch as the very hordes he had earlier worried about barreled toward him. Bloodlust filled each and every pair of eyes. Fangs were bared, claws gleamed, roars and screams filled the air... and all he could do was watch. The inevitability of his own death probably should have made him afraid (being mauled to death by monsters was a hell of a way to go, after all), but he felt little more than simple exhaustion. Death had long, long since ceased to cause him fear.

Still, he didn't like the idea of just sitting here and _letting_ this horde have its way with him. He wracked his foggy mind, struggling to come up with any sort of a plan to combat this threat. Nothing he managed to think of held any real value, however, and he was rapidly running out of time. So, left with few other options, he weakly drew his sword. Fighting was likely going to get him killed no matter what he did, what with him having no energy to use most of his powers and no real strength left in him, but he decided without hesitation that going down fighting was far preferable to dying without struggle.

The horde was just about upon him when numerous flashes of light unexpectedly began filling the writhing mass of bodies. Glowing symbols began appearing on each and every single demon in the horde, and he recognized them in an instant. Though, in his current state, he had a bit of trouble fully processing what he was looking at. _...Runes?_

They began activating in a near instant, doling out massive elemental damage. The demons were frozen, burned, electrocuted, and even blasted with devastating blades of wind. Nearly all died in the onslaught as he stared in on complete silence. Only a few survived, but those who did were soon killed off with rapid sword strikes... and they weren't the work of Jet.

Before him hovered one of the youngest Gods in existence... the God of Runes. And he was holding out a hand toward the wounded hawk with a friendly smile despite all the death surrounding them both. "Hey, dude... need a lift?"

 **~保護者~**

 **4,153 words this time. Alright, so this took about a day longer than I had planned, but I really wanted to get it up to a decent length (which I finally did this evening) so whatever. Anyway, a bit of an update for you all: I know in the past I developed a reputation for _usually_ posting a chapter every single day. I'm finding lately, however, that that's just a pace I can no longer keep up with. Does this mean I'll deliberately take ages to post from now on? No, not at all! I love this story and this series and I truly want to see it through to the end. I just have to give myself more time to write my chapters is all. My _goal_ is to post at least once every few days (as in, two to four). Though, posting more frequently when I can is always an option, of course. Sadly, there will be times when I can't do this for whatever reason. For that, I apologize. Still, I will be doing my _very_ best to keep to this new schedule as routinely as possible. Hopefully it all works out. And, as always, I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 10:40 p.m.) 01-10-19.**


	19. The Hunt

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these skirmishes… especially for the one who wants she who cannot be tamed.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Don't worry, like I said, the reunion is inevitable. It's just a matter of waiting for it to happen. ;) Well... erm, kinda-sorta. *sweat-drop* Sorry for yet another delay, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"The Hunt"**

 **~保護者~**

Locating Espio proved to be a less time-consuming task than Sonic expected. Just leave it to Cream to track him down, he supposed. However, though she _found_ the ninja, she didn't bring him to the ship. Instead, she used her mind to call out to those who were already there waiting. _"Everyone... you may need to come outside. Something appears to be going on."_

Trading looks, Sonic, Shadow, and Tails slowly stood. "...Going on?" Sonic echoed.

Tails shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "We should go check it out."

One by one, they hopped out of the ship and to the ground below. Shadow took it upon himself to teleport them all outside using the teleporter he had earlier borrowed from Tails. They appeared seamlessly in the grass just outside of the inventor's home, and there they saw something Sonic didn't think any of them were expecting. Cream stood mere feet away, looking mildly concerned as she looked on. A good ten to fifteen feet in front of them stood Espio, his back to them as he tensely gazed upon... a woman.

Virtually everything about this woman screamed _ninja_. Everything from her physique to her purely _masterful_ hiding of her presence (had he not laid eyes on her, Sonic would never have known she was here at all) proved that she was a woman of power and skill. Her aura was entirely hidden down to the absolute tiniest trace, but somehow he could just _feel_ how true his assessment was. She was every bit as skilled and powerful as Espio. Sonic could feel it.

Somehow, he suspected that this was no _random_ woman... nor was this a _random_ encounter. If this woman was, in fact, _the_ woman that Wave had told him about... then this encounter was planned. Deliberate. Calculated. The question was... what was her goal? Why was she here? _There's a reason. There has to be. She wouldn't try confronting him in front of all of us without purpose... right?_ Granted, it wasn't as though he had any way of being certain of this (only Espio possessed such knowledge and he wasn't likely to talk about it), but he just couldn't shake the suspicion that his conclusion was correct.

The woman shifted her weight slightly from one side to the other, drawing Sonic's attention back to her. Almost certain that this would not be the last time he would encounter her, he quickly took in her appearance so as to memorize it. She wore tight, form-fitting cloth over her torso, arms, and legs. Three bands of silver metal snaked around each of her sides from the back toward the front, all stopping equal distance from the middle of her stomach. Those bands seemed to be the only true armor of any kind on any part of her body. Even her head bore no real protection, covered only by a baggy hood that shaded and hid most of her face. All these pieces of clothing, even her slim flat-soled boots, were black as the night itself. The long scarf she wore, however, wrapped loosely around her neck and flowed behind her in a shade of deep, deep midnight purple.

 _Purple._ That was a defining feature about this woman, it seemed. Her skin was the shade of pure amethyst, a shade of purple Sonic had never before seen on a living thing. Her eyes, too, were purple... so deeply purple, in fact, that they almost looked somehow _energized_ in a way he couldn't even begin to describe. They glinted darkly in the shadows of her hood, the one part of her upper face that Sonic could see. Yet when she moved in just the right way... he could see a horn. Blue eyebrows shot straight up. _She's a chameleon._ He glanced to Espio. _She's a chameleon and a ninja... just like him._

She began walking forward without warning, wrist oh-so-casually draped over the dark handle of her sheathed katana. Espio's response to that was just as sudden and far more unexpected. As Sonic looked on, the normally composed ninja ripped his own katana out its sheath and pointed it directly at her throat. She paused mid-step just centimeters from the end of the blade, eyes still glinting and her mouth shifting into a small but sadistic grin. Sensitive ears picked up on it when Espio softly demanded, "Why are you _here_?"

Alarmed by the sharp increase of tension in the air as well as the almost venomous quality to Espio's tone, Sonic started to step toward them... only to be stopped by a yellow arm shooting out into his path. "Don't," Tails warned, voice low. Just as tense as everyone else, he eyed the two ninja before them. "Let him handle it."

"Who is she?" Cream, who had long since walked over, asked quietly before Sonic could speak.

Shadow shook his head. "We don't know her name... or virtually anything else."

Tails let out a breath. "It's not my place to say too much about how they know each other, but I'll explain what I can." He kept an eye on the near-silent confrontation taking place ahead of them and soon began by saying, "Like Shadow said, we don't know much about her. We don't even know her name. We've only ever gotten Espio to talk about her a couple of times, and each time he's referred to her by different aliases that she apparently uses. The one he used most often was 'Nakea'."

They were all quiet for a long moment, but eventually Cream said, "She arrived not long after I came outside. I sensed a... _change_ in him, Tails, the moment she appeared."

"Yeah... that's not surprising." Tails spared her a glance. "And your senses aren't wrong. He has a lot of... really mixed up feelings in regards to her."

 _Way to understate things,_ Tails, Sonic inwardly huffed.

Obviously unaware of Sonic's thought, Tails continued. "As you already learned, Espio feels a very strong emotional attachment to her. We're almost certain he loves her, which would of course lead to other positive feelings toward her such as happiness and pleasure. But, at the same time, they've been _bitter_ enemies from almost the moment they met. He himself once described her as violent, malicious, and worse. So, understandably, in spite of the love he feels there's also a lot of distrust, anger, concern, maybe even hatred... and who knows what else."

Normally warm and happy eyes were now alight with concern for her close friend. Clearly, Tails had confirmed a truth she had not previously dared to believe. "So she is evil, then..."

Her assessment earned a sigh. "...Extremely," he confirmed.

Sonic's interest piqued. _Just being sadistic and shit doesn't necessarily make you evil. What the hell has she done?_

No further questions had a chance to be asked before the woman unexpectedly lashed out. There was no telling what the two ninjas had been saying to one another up until this point, but clearly the woman was done talking now. She whipped her sword out and, though it seemed she only managed to strike Espio's own sword, the blow carried enough force to knock him backward. Even more surprising, she apparently knew to take advantage of the weakness in his left side, for she did just that. For once in his life, Espio was completely knocked off of his feet. Stunned by this development, Sonic started to reach for his own sword. However, she stopped him dead in his tracks. Her gaze shifting straight to him, she silkily inquired, "Are you prepared to lose your hand, hedgehog?"

Sonic froze. The sheer weight of this threat was by no means lost on him. _She's as powerful as Espio... By now, he and everyone else here except for Cream are many miles ahead of me in power. I think even Tails is stronger than I ever used to be._ He gritted his teeth, hating his newfound weakness. If only he'd had more time to train, to grow stronger... But they had run out of time. Their enemies were on the move. Threats like this woman were proof. _If she wants to chop my hand off... she can probably actually follow through._ Careful to make no sudden moves, he slowly moved his hand away, never once taking his eyes off of her.

Visibly pleased by his compliance, she smirked. "Now, then... let's get down to business, shall we?"

Shadow's crossed arms tightened irritably. "What _business_?" he demanded, tone one of impatience and distrust.

"I was under the impression," the woman drawled, shifting her weight from one foot to the other again, "that your little birdie friends had resumed spending time with you lot. Tell me, have they already fled?" Espio, who had by now shifted into a defensive crouch, narrowed his one good eye at her. He was openly angry and hostile, a look which completely stunned Sonic. Yes, he had known for a while now that some of the chameleon's emotions were finally returning, but to actually see _proof_ of that... "Or is it that they're already off stirring up trouble?"

"As if either of them would _flee_ ," Sonic muttered. "And you're an idiot if you think we're going to tell you where they are." It wasn't as if he knew, either, but that wasn't the _point_.

Despite his defiance, or perhaps because of it, her smirk grew into another small grin. "I see... so you poor little dolls are in the dark as well."

 _" Dolls"?_

"Never mind it. A hunt is only fun when there's an actual _chase_ , after all."

She started to turn away, but Tails's voice gave her momentary pause. "We all know why you guys are after Jet, but why chase down Wave? Killing her isn't what your leaders want."

"Isn't it, though?" The woman shot them another grin. "As far as we're concerned... her association with him is more than enough to earn her her death." She turned to face Espio now, having clearly not forgotten him. Much to Sonic's continuing shock, the man seemed to be positively _seething_. "Sorry, love. We'll have to meet again another time." Her arm raised, bringing her blade to lips. "Perhaps in more..." As they all watched, her tongue slid across metal. "... _lethal_ circumstances."

With a note of horror, Sonic for the first time realized that the sword was bloodied.

Wounded though he apparently was, Espio still continued to grip his own sword, to speak out against her. "Leave," he warned, voice cold as ice.

"As you wish." Flashing him one final wicked smile, the woman vanished... and an aura of malice Sonic hadn't previously been aware of lifted from the area. Suddenly, it was as though they could all _breathe_ again.

Relieved more than he cared to admit now that she had finally departed, Sonic let out a heavy sigh. He walked over to Espio without further pause and quickly took in the ninja's condition. Because of the way Espio was crouched, carefully covering and concealing his wound, there was no way to tell yet how badly injured he actually was. Sonic knew this, though: his friend was bleeding heavily. That didn't _always_ mean a severe wound, granted, but it increased his concerns regardless. "...You okay?"

"Fine," Espio answered shortly, still displaying that surprise flash of anger from mere moments before. He moved as though to stand, but instead ended up unsteadily shifting further to the right. This forced him to put his hand on the ground to help maintain his balance. Strikes to his severely weakened left side (in particular, his left leg, which had never quite healed properly and constantly pained him) always did this to him, leaving him temporarily unable to stand on his own. But, of course, his unparalleled (save for by _her_ , of course) skills as a ninja meant that he almost never _suffered_ these blows in the first place - or any blows, for that matter. His evasion was such that he simply was impossible for most to ever even hitting. Yet, this woman... she had done it. And she had done it with no effort at all.

Sonic knelt down just as the others were approaching. "She slammed into your leg when she cut you, didn't she?" It took a long moment, but eventually Espio relented and answered with a nod. "But that's not _where_ she cut you, right?"

"No."

"So where did she?"

Though he didn't answer, Sonic could almost _hear_ Espio tell him, _"It doesn't matter,"_ as he moved to try to stand again. This time, Cream took him by his good arm to help him up, and he let her. He balanced carefully on his right leg, doing everything he could not to put any weight on the other one for now. That, however, wasn't the fact that held everyone's attention. The fact that held that honor was, naturally, his wound. He had been slashed clean down from the left side of his collarbone straight down to the same hip. The cut had even ruined the sling her normally kept his paralyzed left arm in, leaving the ruined limb to simply dangle for now. His arm was even cut as well, though it looked like he had managed to move in such a way that it hadn't been too badly damaged. Most of the damage had been done solely to his torso.

"This is deep," Tails murmured, eyeing the wound. He shook his head. "How did she manage to slice you and then knock you back so _fast_? We only saw her move once... and even then, it was more like we sort of saw a blur as opposed to a real _motion_."

Much to Sonic's further surprise, Espio snorted softly. "She was gentle this time," he revealed curtly. "If she had wanted to do serious harm, she would have."

Suddenly, Cream gave him a small a small shake, almost as though trying to physically snap him out of his dark mood. This jostled him enough to force him to hop slightly on his right leg so as to not lose his balance. "She _did_ do serious harm," she reminded him. Her voice was soft and yet stern as she spoke. It was the closest she ever came to being harsh. "Had she cut too much deeper," she gestured with her free hand to the deepest part of his wound, "she would have punctured your heart."

Sonic was at a loss to understand why, but it almost seemed as though Espio disagreed in some way. It was as though he knew something they didn't. Or, rather, that he knew something new on top of everything else that they didn't know about that woman. _It's almost like he thinks she wouldn't have done it... but I don't know how he can believe that._ Emerald eyes glanced up and down the wound. "Cream's right, Espio. She could have killed you if she'd put just a little more effort into it."

Espio's response was simple... and revealing. "You mistake _capability_ for _intention_."

A huff off to Sonic's side made him jump. Turning, he looked at Shadow. The other hedgehog had been so quiet up until this point that Sonic had nearly forgotten that he was even there. "Then what, pray tell, was her _intention_?" he questioned pointedly. As he spoke, he readied the teleporter to send them all back inside. They would need it, since Espio couldn't walk still and would most _certainly_ object to being carried. It was unlikely that he was willing to hop all the way back to the ship, either.

To be perfectly truthful, Sonic didn't expect Espio to answer that. He suspected that none of them did. But as seemed to be a running theme today, the ninja managed to just keep surprising him. "Control."

"What?" Sonic frowned.

This time it was Tails who answered. "...Control, huh?" His brow pinched in thought. "I guess that makes sense... You've said before that she enjoys control more than nearly anything else. If that holds true, then it's understandable that she would lash out against you for not bending to her will, for not simply _letting_ her do whatever it was she was going to do. You even actively barred her way, further undermining her desire to manipulate and, of course, _control_ the situation. So then, what she did to you was just a form of painful reprimand, right?" He looked at Espio. "Essentially, punishment."

There was only one thing Espio had to say in response to that. "I wasn't lying when I told you how she is."

"Yeah... we can see that now." Tails sighed and rubbed at his temples. "Let's just hope that's both the first and _last_ time we see her become violent around us. Though I'm not holding my breath." He turned away from the wounded ninja for a moment. "Shadow, let's get back inside now. He really needs to be patched up before we can leave." Shadow teleported them inside without comment, and Tails was quick to start to walk off. "Here, I'll see if I can't put together a makeshift sling for you, Espio. In the meantime, let Shadow deal with that gash. I _mean_ it."

 _Sheesh... everyone is moody now. ...Not that I can blame them._ "You left that cube of supplies in your seat, right?" Sonic asked his half-brother. Shadow, who was busy helping Espio sit on the crate Tails had earlier been occupying, simply nodded. Wasting no time, Sonic jumped back into the ship to retrieve the cube. The sooner they got this dealt with, the better.

While Shadow set to work, peeling away bloody fabric and pulling out medical supplies, Sonic allowed himself a few minutes to just close his eyes and try relax. His thoughts drifted, wandering from place to place without direction or guidance. He made no effort to control or regulate, simply allowing them to be what they were without hindrance. This almost succeeded in helping him to relax a bit, but all too soon he was distracted from it all by the voices of his friends. "Mister Shadow..." he heard Cream murmur, sounding equal points disappointed and worried.

Footsteps approached, and Tails called out, "Hey, no smoking inside, remember?"

"I _know_ that," Shadow responded pointedly just as Sonic opened his eyes and looked over. Then he stuck a cigarette in his mouth and mumbled around it, almost under his breath, "It isn't lit."

Emerald eyes glanced from Shadow's busy hands to the stick in his mouth. _Right... Wave mentioned that Shadow picked up smoking. And that he hasn't managed to fully quit yet._ Thinking back, he recalled how sometimes Kaden (who also had been a smoker once upon a time) would sometimes just bite a cigarette between his teeth even if he had no intention of lighting it. It was as though simply _having_ it helped during those times, which he suspected might have been why Shadow was displaying the same behavior now. "Keep it that way, will you?" he sighed. "If you light it at _any_ point, I'll have to smack you."

"Try it and you'll be shot."

"As if you'd shoot me."

"Don't tempt me."

"You aren't tempted at all and we both know it."

"Shut up, Sonic."

"Make me."

Tails shook his head at the pair of them, obviously amused, and closed the remaining distance between himself and the rest of the small group. "You nearly done with him, Shadow?"

Eyes fully focused on whatever it was he was doing to tend to Espio's wound (Sonic didn't much care to look), Shadow gave a single nod. "Yes."

The fox managed a slight smile. "Any particular diagnosis?" he asked, almost teasing despite the emotional exhaustion that was apparent in his eyes.

"It'll heal." With that simple statement, Shadow removed his hands. Directing his words now at Espio he added, "Don't move around much if you don't have to. Give the herbs time to close the wound." Espio didn't reply but, much to Sonic's continuing relief, he seemed to have really simmered down all of a sudden. Gone was the anger and hostility, replaced by his usual calm and aloof demeanor.

Seemingly familiar with the herbs that Shadow had used, Tails said, "They should have achieved that by tomorrow night or so. Just take it easy until then. Also, here, I made a makeshift sling. It isn't going to be able to support your arm as well as your old one, but it'll do for now as a temporary fix. Need any help getting it on?"

Never one to particularly like relying on others (ninja were very solitary by nature, after all), Espio simply took the sling from Tails and carefully put it on by himself. Once he was ready, Shadow helped him stand and then get into the Tornado-Z. Cream approached Tails and Sonic and, so as not to be overheard, mouthed to them, _He smokes?_

"Unfortunately," Tails whispered. He cast a furtive glance over at Shadow. "We're working on it."

Stifling a second sigh, Sonic just returned to his own seat in the ship. There was no time for further delays, and it really was time for them to get going. With this fact in mind, everyone boarded up and the cockpit close. Sonic allowed his eyes to slip shut. _And into the fray we go..._

 **~保護者~**

Thanks to the unexpected aid of Nier, the God of Runes, Jet was whisked out of the Demonic God's territory and safely deposited in a breezy field a quiet building beautifully constructed of pristine ancient stone. Here and there, thick but ultimately rather small clusters of trees dotted the oddly quiet landscape. Jet sensed no people, no animals, no _life_ other than themselves and the plants. He had no idea where this place was, but somehow he suspected that this was Nier's home.

While these thoughts were running through his mind, he was moved by his ally into a bench-like seat made of the same material. Taking note of the color these two structures (the only ones around), Jet mumbled, "It's white."

Nier barely afford that comment a shrug. "Eh, I'm not worried about it." The other Babylonian, who was somewhere right around Jet's age in their years, glanced at the seat with his electric blue eyes. Blue -grey feathers shifted now and then in the wind. "Just sit tight for a moment, okay? I might have some bandages or something inside."

The attempt at further aid was appreciated, but ultimately useless. If he died again, he died. At least he'd be healed, then. Bandages wouldn't ease the pain, anyway. "...Don't bother," he responded, hating how weak his voice sounded. His mind was starting to swim in blackness again, threatening once more to drag him under.

It was silent for a long, long moment before Nier finally sighed and relented. "You're batshit," he accused quietly, sinking into a sitting position beside the hawk. "Absolutely batshit, taking on that guy by yourself…"

Unable to say much else at the moment, Jet responded distantly, "Necessary."

Another sigh. "You and Wave are up to something again, aren't you?" he asked. "Are you guys going to try to get the next portal shard before he does? In case you don't recall, that little escapade went _horribly_ wrong the last time."

With great effort, Jet managed to reply, "That was… a long time ago."

"Yeah, and you two have leveled the playing field a _lot_ since then. _However_ , you're both still at a _massive_ disadvantage. Look at yourself, Jet." The other Babylonian gestured broadly to Jet's entire body in general. "You're living, breathing, _bleeding_ proof right now of how much stronger he still is, even when compared to _you_." Silence answered him, so he let out a third sigh. "Look… Cere and the rest of us… we're always willing to help. I know you know that. But we can't do anything if neither of you two keep us in the loop. We can only figure out so much on our own with you both being so secretive all the time."

In the moments that followed, Jet contemplated his options with as much clarity of mind as he could muster. It was true that he had no desire to involve more people in this than was necessary… but he had known for many years now that the time for secrecy was rapidly coming to a close. Perhaps now was the time to start letting people in. "...Wait for Wave," he coughed. The pain that this caused him made him unintentionally stutter. "Sh-She has... information."

The fact that Nier was pleased by Jet's decision was evident in his aura. However, he kept his demeanor cool and mellow. "Alright. Will she be able to find you here?" Jet merely nodded. He was rapidly losing the energy to keep his eyes open, let alone talk. It was taking longer than he had earlier anticipated, but he was nevertheless bleeding to death… and that note of tension in his friend's voice said that he knew it. "...Right. Guess we're waiting, then."

It was then that a golden portal opened up nearby, a green hedgehog stepping through and visibly grew concerned by the sight before them. "Jeez, that looks… _bad_ ," the male murmured as he walked over, standing a few feet back. "What happened here?"

In spite of his current state, Jet recognized the aura of the individual standing there. He never forget anyone's auras, though… the memories about the _specific_ encounter he may have had with this man were terribly distant and fuzzy at the moment. All the more reason to want this death to hurry up and happen already. _This is taking too damn long…_

Seeing that his friend was staying silent, Nier responded, "Nothing happened that didn't need to." He stifled one of his many longsuffering sighs and ran a hand over his head. "Shitty though that necessity was." He paused for a time, then eventually asked, "You're a Balancer, right? From one of the other timelines?"

He gave a nod in response to the question, shifting a little. "Mhm. Name's Steam," he greeted, watching Nier. "And you're Nier, correct?"

A simple nod. "Nailed it."

"Thought so." Steam's gaze shifted down to Jet, scratching at his leg absently. "I'm fairly sure I know what happened. You waiting on someone?" he questioned, shifting his focus back onto Nier.

At this, the God of Runes gained a smirk. As though solely to irritate, he said, "Yeah. _His lady-friend._ " Jet shot him a sour look (one of the few open expressions Nier had ever seen from him) that was promptly ignored. "Anyway, her name's Wave. We're waiting for her to find him here. He said she has information."

The Balancer nodded slowly, chuckling at it all. "Jet has complicated feelings for people, no matter the timeline, apparently." Steam smirked lightly at Nier. "Good to know he's got people around him here as well."

Nier nodded a little, but opted to change the subject instead of reply to what was just said. "What brings you here? As in, this timeline, not just _here_."

"Obviously. Anyway, I'm actually here to make sure things don't fall to shit." The way he said this was… _casual_ at best, but his expression led on to more. "Can't say too much, or I'll end up being like some prophet or whatever."

The normally easy-going and well-humored God cracked a smile, but it carried undeniable tension. "I see. Well, answer me this, then. In your timeline, have things progressed to the point where they are here? Do you know about the God of Demons, Tein, and all that crap?"

Steam's hand curled into a tense fist, eyes narrowing. "Yeah. I know about just about everything, in that sense. There could be some differences but… let's hope that they aren't _too_ different."

In response, Nier gave another nod (this one smaller) while Jet stifled a cough. The young God closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Things are becoming really terrible these days… even for the Immortals. We could really use all the help possible. So… thanks for coming, Steam."

 _It doesn't get much better._ The hedgehog thought to himself somberly. "Not a problem. Thought I could lend some aid while things aren't going to crap where I'm from."

Another golden portal started to slowly open nearby. Jet sat up, increasingly blurry gaze struggling to focus on the bright light. Nier noticed his attention and stood. "Guess she made it out of wherever she was, Jet. You can stop worrying so much now."

Jet didn't have the energy to argue, though he wanted to. "Shut... _up_ , Nier."

"Nope."

Not saying anything else, both Babylonians watched as Wave stepped out of the portal and lightly touched down in the lush grass before. She walked over to the group as her portal closed and the markings on her body vanished. Though she looked a touch out of sorts, she was completely unharmed. She glanced over Steam, curiosity apparent. _Who's this, now?_

Steam gave a wave of greeting. "Sorry for showing up suddenly. Name's Steam, and long story short I'm a Balancer from another timeline. I'll explain more on all that later, but there are more important things to get done currently."

Shifting her gaze to Jet, Wave hummed an agreement. "No kidding." To Jet, she asked quietly, "Please tell me you managed to get away before he killed you _again_ …"

Pure blue eyes looked away. "As if he'd allow me to," he muttered. His voice sounded strained, even to his own senses. Talking was difficult and painful and all he got in return was another series of bloody coughs.

It was apparent that there were things she wanted to say in retort, but for now Wave held her tongue. "Whatever. I'll deal with you later. For now, just pay attention. You, too, Mister Balancer." She tossed a small cloth bundle at Nier, if only because he was closest. "I know where he's going to strike next, _and_ I managed to get some bonus intel on top of that." As Nier undid the tie keeping the bundle closed, she revealed, "I found out what he's already _been_ doing… the reason why he's been spending _so_ much time in this realm lately."

There was a snort in response to Wave, but otherwise Steam seemed to agree to that much. "Mind explaining?" he asked.

"Getting to that." Nier finished opening the pouch as Wave spoke, then stared in open surprise. "Before you ask, yes, that's a piece of the Staff of the Sun."

Nier slowly shook his head, dismayed. "You don't think he's _seriously_ …"

"Trying to take out the God of the Sun? I do. And the fact that they fought hard enough for the staff to break is proof enough. That was no mortal weapon." Wave crossed her arms, visibly unhappy. "It was bound to happen someday, let's face it. Even with how those two were in the past… Actually, probably _because_ of it. And given that the whole Family of the Sun has gotten in his way before…" She trailed off. Jet gritted his teeth.

" _Fuck_ ," Steam muttered, tapping his foot rapidly. _Damn, this doesn't seem familiar enough..._

Wave glanced at him but continued without pause. "There's more. Don't know if you've heard or not," she looked at Nier and Steam specifically, "but Jet recently got caught in the middle as the Tel'or and the demons went at it on a populated planet. The God got involved and wiped everyone else out but Jet. He apparently was still around when Sonic went there later, and he saw him."

The God of Runes stiffened. "...That's… Well, _shit_ ," he said, unable to think of a more adequate response.

Steam bristled a little and noticeably tensed. "Anything else?" he bit out in question, trying not to let this get the best of him.

It was Jet who chose to speak this time. "The Vault of Time has been compromised," he struggled out between pained breaths. "A'latria will soon be the same, as will the outer reaches of the Babylonian territories. The demons and the Tel'or are both relentlessly striking at all of them."

"Do you want me to do anything currently? I could slow that down a bit while you all come up with a better plan or something," Steam offered, fidgeting tensely.

With noticeable reluctance, Wave shook her head. "No… we have to focus on other matters. The Babylonians can manage for now, and A'latria and the Vault have been cleared of everything that can't be left alone. We have to focus now on rallying our allies wherever they all are and getting Sonic ready for this mess. He's too far behind right now and way too huge of a target."

Steam scratched at his head as he thought, tapping his foot. "I'll do whatever, but we should get going soon. I assume A'latria is where it usually is?"

Nier and Jet traded very brief looks. "...I'd expect so," Nier finally responded.

Getting a touch restless, Jet forced himself to sit up. "Where are the others?"

Realizing Jet was speaking to him about the other Gods and Goddesses, Nier thought about how to answer. "I… don't know," he admitted. "With the exception of Therin, the rest of the bunch have retreated to the far corners of the realm more or less… dealing with what they can."

"And what of the Forge?" Steam posed, raising an eyebrow. "They're not the most powerful, but the abilities they possess could obviously _help_ in a war of any kind."

The weapons made there were truly formidable, Jet knew, but he was wary of hoping that they would be able to get their hands on any. He had no energy to explain this, though, silently trusting Wave to do so in his stead. She picked up on this and spoke. "Rumors have been circulating for ages that the forge has gone cold," she sighed. "This may or may not actually be true, but we can't verify the truth either way. The whole of the God's domain was swallowed in a dimensional inferno that even Jet can't currently brief. It's been raging for several centuries now and shows no sign of easing up."

There was a short moment of silence from the Balancer before he sighed in annoyance. "I'll look into it. I kinda doubt he's dead, but… If it's true, then I'll seek help elsewhere," Steam answered, glancing to Nier.

"Let me see if I can get in touch with Mister Sunfire first," he murmured, trying to add a tiny dose of humor to the situation. "If we can _finally_ manage to make contact with his ass, maybe him and Jet together can break through so that you don't have to risk yourself."

Wave closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples. "In the meantime, we should check up on the others," she told Jet. "They should be filled in, at least as much as we can allow. And we should probably get an idea of what they've been up to."

"And why Shadow returned to the castle," Jet mumbled, sort of fading in and out again. Wave put her hand on his shoulder to help steady him.

Steam chewed on his lip in thought before he finally spoke again. "Alright. What do you want me to do for now?"

"You're with me and Jet," Wave answered crisply. "We'll let Nier do his thing for now while we go to Mobius."

"Gotcha." Steam's gaze shifted to Nier, a frown staying strong on his face. "Do you know anything of the whereabouts of _this_ timeline's Balancers?"

Nier took in a breath and let it out slowly. "That's part of the trouble here," he explained slowly. "No one _knows_. Not even Jet and the other Immortals can figure it out. They're still _here_ , we know that much. There'd be a massive upset otherwise, obviously. But, the thing is… they're here and yet they're _not_." He ran a hand over the top of his head to keep his hair out of his face a bit when a breeze blew. "Unfortunately, that's the best way I can explain it right now."

The hedgehog grumbled something angrily before huffing. "It's pretty common from what I know for them to be M.I.A. for a few reasons. I'll see if I can figure anything else about about them sometime soon." Steam's eyes had a hint of concern, but it was heavily veiled with his obvious anger.

"If you can manage it, that would be wonderful," Nier nodded.

Wave gathered some of her energies. "Let's get moving. We're wasting time." She looked at Steam. "Are you ready? I assume you can teleport yourself."

Steam nodded in reply. "I'll teleport myself," he affirmed.

Satisfied, Wave teleported herself and Jet to Mobius without further dialogue. Though he didn't complain, Jet tensed up. Returning to Mobius was still… hard. _I don't like it here,_ he groggily lamented. Steam arrived nearby to them a few moments after, his gaze flicking around their surroundings.

The group arrived first in Tails's workshop and Wave looked around a bit. "...The Tornado-Z is gone. Guess they took off somewhere." She pushed Jet into a seat, then turned away a bit. Carefully, stretched out her senses, then frowned. "Wait, there was a fight here, too. ...Slight skirmish, more like." She looked straight up. "About here, just up." Steam's gaze shifted upwards and his expression became somewhat unreadable, taking in the sight above them. Wave frowned. "Think it was her, Jet?"

Jet eventually managed to force out a reply. "Only he bled."

"So that's a 'yes', then." Wave began poking around. "Doesn't look like they were _forced_ to leave, though… so they left willingly. Anyone got any ideas of _where_ they went?" Jet didn't answer. The Balancer used his golden magic to lift himself into the air, sniffing around faintly to see what he could figure out. Shortly after, he began flying in one direction without giving so much as a warning. Wave hesitated to follow, but Jet waved (no pun intended) her off. He'd join once he was finally able to. So, for now, Wave followed after Steam.

Seconds later, the two of them reappeared in the air just about the now landed ship. Tails and Sonic crouched nearby, setting up a device while Espio perched in a distant tree. Shadow lounged about on one of the wings of the ship. Wave smiled. "Ah, here they are."

Steam gave a nod in response and let himself fall freely, landing on the ground gently and looking to them all. "Ya know, being hasty isn't _always_ the best of ideas," he teased, smirking faintly.

"Speaking of me or them?" Wave inquired as she, too, landed.

"Them," he remarked casually. "But remember that you're associated with them."

"They have reason to be quick," Wave carefully reminded. "Mobius can only handle so many more catastrophes, after all… and we can't always be here to defend it. Doing this as fast as possible is for the best. I don't fault them for rushing." As she spoke, she walked over to Shadow, who was already watching them with critical crimson eyes as he silently smoked.

Steam nodded. "Of course. I was kidding. I don't hold anything against them for doing it. It's just concerning when they almost disappear without a trace," he pointed out, eyes shifting over to regard Shadow.

"Hm… I agree with that much," Wave murmured. She turned her attention to the darker hedgehog. "How're things here, Shadow?"

He shrugged and looked away. "Fine… momentarily."

"What happened back at the workshop?" Steam decided to ask, raising an eyebrow. _Could be best to know._

Shadow sighed out a breath of smoke, sounding irritated. "'She' showed up," he muttered. "Nakea, N'kio, Noaria, whatever it is you want to call her. She was demanding information on yours," he glanced at Wave, "and Jet's whereabouts."

Wave frowned deeply at this revelation, but didn't ask about that last part. Not right now. It was something to be discussed with Jet later. "She attacked Espio, too, right?"

A nod. "He received slash from shoulder to hip," Shadow confirmed briefly. "It could have been lethal if she had cut any deeper, but he was lucky." A pause, then he snorted softly. "He claims she was being 'gentle'."

Steam rubbed at his temples. "This shit again… _Fuck_." Shadow frowned at him, expression a subtle mix of things, and didn't speak. "Sorry. Long story short I'm from another timeline. Dealt with that whole… _problem_ before," he offered in explanation.

Crimson eyes stared a moment longer, quite possibly scanning, then simply looked away. "Hn," he murmured.

Seeking to change the subject a bit, Wave looked over to Sonic and Tails. "How many of those have they set up so far?"

"Three of eight," Shadow answered simply. "The rest should be up by tonight."

"Do they know where to place the others?" Steam asked, letting his gaze shift to the two as well. As he spoke, Espio leapt nimbly out of his tree and began silently approaching.

"Yes," Shadow nodded.

Wave's head tilted. "Looks like Tails is showing Sonic how to set them up on his own," she observed. "It's a good idea… means they can place those faster."

Steam nodded and looked back to Shadow and Wave. "We've got a lot to talk about, but it would be best to do it after setting these devices up, in my opinion."

Espio appeared in a crouch atop the ship in a blur of motion. His posture was completely relaxed and normal, his pain hidden from any and all under a veil of aloof indifference. Aside from him still balancing all of his weight on his right side, he gave no sign of said pain at all. "There are more pressing matters," he told them simply, tone neutral as ever. "Look _up_." Shadow's gaze shot in that direction, as did Wave's, and both frowned. Neither sensed anything yet, but that was the key word… " _yet_ ".

"Okay, no _way_ is that a cloud," Wave finally mumbled, eyeing the black mass forming thousands of miles above them. The Balancer frowned to himself and teleported into the air to survey this situation and perhaps see if he could do something about it before it became a threat. Wave appeared beside him, glancing around. _Ash…? The hell is a single cloud of-_ Realization dawned, and blue eyes widened. "Oh, shit- Get out of the sky!" She teleported without further explanation, knowing they had seconds to spare. He did so without hesitation, creating a barrier around himself reflexively.

Sensing the impending threat, Sonic and Tails started to run back over to the group just as Shadow reached for a gun. It was all a bit too late, however, for soon a horde of smoke demons burst out into the open and out of their cover with a mighty explosion of energy that could have easily done harm to even semi-Immortals. There were so many that the sky in the area darkened, and Tails's whole body visibly weakened for a second in shock. "Oh, _no_ ," he moaned. "Not _here_."

"Alright, gonna kindly ask you all to fuck off!" Steam wasted no time in letting a wave of his magic loose against the demonic threat, followed by successive explosions of Light in a ruthless manner.

Sonic stared after the stranger in absolute shock, eyes locked on the demons. He started to move and reach for his sword, but Wave held out an arm to block his path. "Wait," she cautioned. "Don't be hasty. You can't handle this yet. Stay on the ground with Shadow and Espio and help keep that device protected." She turned to Tails. "You're with me. We'll need your firepower."

No more words were needed. They took off, leaving Sonic once again helplessly in the dust.

 **~保護者~**

It was no mere fluke that Espio had known about the incoming threat when the others had not.

He hadn't sensed the demons. No one had, for the creatures had been hiding their energies. Rather, he had been _watching_ for them. After all, _she_ had come… and the God of Demons was not the only who utilized demonic forces. She and her allies had their own powerful legions, though these small-fry were not as serious a threat. But that wasn't the point. He knew what the point was. The others didn't, couldn't. And he wouldn't tell them, tell them that even though she couldn't be sensed she was still _here_ , that she was somewhere close and he knew it, that she and those she worked for had merely sought to use this skirmish as a means to briefly distract. The question was… to what end? What game was she playing at this time?

There was little chance that she would reveal her ploy. Currently, he wasn't even certain that she would show herself again. Still, he kept his hand on the handle of his katana at all times, ready to draw it at a second's notice. He perched in a tree again so as to make use of both the cover and the higher vantage point, glancing around constantly. Sensing her would be impossible. She had been trained the same as he had, to never reveal one's aura or other energies and to always remain undetected. If he were to have any chance of locating her, it would only be and when she was _ready_ to be found.

For now, he opted not to hide himself as she was doing. She would already know that he was here, at any rate. He had been in this spot long enough for her to know, as if the presence of his allies in the vicinity wasn't proof enough of him being present. Hiding was pointless, so he didn't bother. Instead, he readied himself mentally and physically for a fight. If she chose to start one, it would be sudden… but he would not be caught off-guard. Perhaps that was part of why she didn't act, because she knew he simply always _expected_ her to attack. Perhaps she had for whatever reason decided beforehand not to bother with another confrontation today. Or perhaps… she was simply biding her time.

He opted to believe the latter.

When she finally decided to show herself, it was only when his allies were at their busiest. A small th-thump made itself known in his chest, but he chose to ignore that in favor of frowning at her. She perched just in front of him, wearing a confident smile and holding her already unsheathed sword. "How is your scratch?" she asked him with a sort of subtle glee.

His grip tightened a degree on his sword. "Fine," he answered, keeping his response short.

"Oh? And I suppose this," she gestured at the bandages showing through the slice in his kimono, "is meant to help?"

He didn't answer her, knowing she was almost certainly just attempting to waste time. Whether his or her own, though, he didn't yet know. There was no way of accurately guessing either way just yet, short of her telling him. Which wouldn't happen. "You're being _nice_ today," he accused in lieu of another reply. Of course, she wasn't genuinely being "nice". She was merely… being nicer than _usual_.

A shrug. "I'm bored."

As if that explained anything. "And this entertains you?" he muttered, frowning at her. If she were to say 'yes', it honestly wouldn't have surprised him at all. A mind like hers was constantly starved for new and exciting forms of entertainment… and finding new ways to mess with him _always_ satisfied that need to some degree. Much to his constant displeasure. (Honestly, would he ever get used to feeling such things again? It was all so strange now, so foreign.)

"At any rate…" She stood up, not disturbing even so much as a single leaf as she did so. However, he noticed that she had stopped hiding her presence. Trying to provoke a confrontation, after all? Was she hoping to fight the others as well as him this time? "Playing nice can only be so much fun for so long." She glanced down the length of her sword and back up again, and he noticed that some blood still tainted its edge. Noting his attention, she broke out into a sadistic smirk. "I think," she drawled, "that I'd _much_ rather cut you again."

Her frankness was perhaps meant to rankle, and he hated the fact that it _did_. "Try it," he threatened, sliding his katana partway out of its sheath. At this point, he knew there was going to be a fight. There was no avoiding it, not with her mind set like this. It was hardly the time or place, but it was going to happen… and this time he was ready for it.

Around this time, Wave took notice of the growing tension in the air below herself, Tails, and Steam. A quick glance around the sky proved that they had nearly wiped out the horde (all of those energy blasts were sure helpful against small-fry) and the battle was just about over. _I think I can trust the boys to take it from here._ She shifted in the air and looked down. Sonic and Shadow (the only ones she could see at the moment) weren't the source of _all_ of the tension she sensed, that much was obvious. It seemed to her that something else was happening that they were merely reacting to. In fact, it looked like they were actively watching an event unfold. _I'd better get down there and see what's up._

Alighting in the grass, Wave jogged over to the brothers. A question started to form in her mouth, but died almost as soon as she could see where Sonic and Shadow were looking. "Her again?" she muttered under her breath.

It came as no surprise that, soft though her words were, they didn't escape the ears either hedgehog. "Yeah," Sonic muttered back. "I don't get it, though. Why are they just… talking like that?"

"I don't know," Wave admitted, eyes locked on the somewhat distant pair. "They just… do that sometimes. I don't understand it anymore than you do." Her fists clenched and unclenched. "Make no mistakes, though. They could come to blows at any second over just about anything. It's just how they work when they're together. At least, that's my guess based off of what little he's told me."

Shadow let out a slight huff. "You oversimplify matters," he lightly accused.

"I don't have the time or intel to explain it better," she huffed back. "Maybe _you'd_ like to try it."

"I'd rather not."

"Then stuff it."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "You two are acting like kids." His gaze refocused on Espio and the woman. The pair continued to exchange words, but now he noticed that something in Espio's posture was different. It was subtle, barely discernible (especially from such a distance), but he knew the chameleon so well that he couldn't not see it. _He's definitely ready to strike back at her if she makes a move._ That wasn't good. "Wave, I think you're right… look at them. It looks like they're just one minor disagreement away from cutting each other up." And yet, the conversation they were still having seemed so outwardly _calm_...

Soon after the fight was finished, Steam walked over to Wave and frowned slightly at the sight before them all, his body still noticeably giving off Light from the fight. " _She_ showed up here?" There was an audible growl in his voice, bristling and shivering faintly as he held himself back from potentially doing anything… _less_ than desirable currently.

"Clearly," Shadow muttered. He was very obviously less than pleased as well, but hiding it under a thin veil of unconcern.

"So what do we do?" Sonic asked quietly. "They seriously look about ready to kill each other."

There was something in Steam's eyes that hinted to his split-second decision. The hedgehog teleported over to the tree and none too happily brought himself up to them with his magic with crossed arms. "Alright, look. I'm gonna _kindly_ ask you to fuck off," Steam muttered at the woman, a touch of aggression tainting his "kind" request.

Nothing even remotely akin to concern showed in any part of her as she turned her head to look. "I see no reason to take advice from you… so I think I won't." This remark, while simple and almost sort of petulant, ultimately carried a tone that revealed her intention. Which was, of course, purely to irritate. Espio went from vaguely eyeing Steam right back to glaring at her.

Steam took a moment to calm himself before speaking once more, the air around him practically brimming with the energy and heat he exuded. "I don't need to give a reason. Attack them and we're gonna have some fucking issues," he warned.

Her eyebrows raised and she looked back at Espio. "Need your little friends to protect you now, is it?" she challenged in a very light and yet suggestive tone.

"No," Espio shot back, anger going up a notch at the insinuation. He made an effort to reign it in, but her simply _being_ here always riled him up without fail.

"I'd rather get this over with now. Either leave or do something."

"Mm, impatient… You will get no joy out of life through rushing things. And besides…" A slow, bloodthirsty smirk began to spread across her face as she and Espio stared each other down. "I find that some prey is _far_ more thrilling to battle and kill when it has been sufficiently angered."

The green hedgehog groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation, shaking his head. "Ah, _hell_. I forgot how annoying you are. Almost as bad as Armaris sometimes…"

 _Annoying_ was hardly the word that Espio would use to describe her, but he did agree with Steam on one thing. He wanted her to do _something_ , and now. Time was being wasted, something that he always hated. With an icy tone, he bit out, "Why. Are. You. Here."

 _Another_ slow grin. "That much should be obvious by now." Her grip tightened on her sword and, without further explanation, she blurred into motion. Espio vanished at the same time, and in that instant both began blurring through the forest, trading blows and dodges at speeds Sonic simply wouldn't be able to follow. Said hedgehog came running up with Shadow and Wave just as Tails (who had been executing a brief patrol to make sure no demons remained) flew back into the area to land the ship. Sonic tensed, clearly ready to jump in and help, but something Shadow told him caused him to reluctantly hang back.

 _What set him off this time?_ Wave privately wondered, eyes on the sky. She knew their friend likely wouldn't be fighting unless he was actually invested in the brawl. Though, given his opponent, their may have been no specific reason at all.

It wasn't long before Steam's anger got the best of him and he launched himself into the fray after them, most definitely providing his support to Espio since he was sure that it would be nigh impossible to land a real hit on the woman. _God, I'd kill to have Armaris here right now._

Predictably, she dodged every hit that the hedgehog sent her way. However, focusing her attention on dodging both opponent's attacks meant that she herself was attacking just a touch less than normal, and this created an opportunity. Breaking through a half-second opening the instant it appeared, Espio cut her down the length of one leg. She retaliated in an instant with a burst of speed and her sword poised, leading to a flurry of dodges and sword strikes. But then just like that, she broke off from the fight and leapt away. She landed in a tree just as Espio did the same in a different tree across from her. "I must say…" she sighed almost regretfully. "Your new friend is rather annoying." Espio didn't deign to reply.

"Kinda my job," Steam commented casually, sticking to the ground for now. "And I'll be honest with you here. You're a right fucking pain." He was most definitely not finished, but he knew better than to leap after this woman currently. She had one advantage on him _assuredly_. She could dodge just about everything he'd ever throw at her (and had thus far).

Espio glanced briefly at a fresh wound on his right wrist, then simply stood up. He sheathed his sword with an angry _snap!_ and told her, "Leave. This will be finished later."

A careless shrug. "As if you make the rules, love." Nevertheless, she sheathed her sword as well. "But, I suppose I _do_ have other prey to hunt." His eye narrowed, but he said nothing more to her after that point. She appeared just in front of him, grinned, and said a brief farewell before vanishing. He chose to pretend that that faint kiss to the cheek _hadn't_ happened.

Steam groaned faintly and cast his gaze over to Espio, frowning. "You okay over there, Espio? I didn't help _much_ , but I did something."

He glanced at his wound again. It was deep, but not concerning. _Gentle, indeed… But why?_ Scarcely making a sound, he jumped out of the tree and to the ground below. Only then did he answer, keeping it as brief as possible as usual. "I'm fine." The fact that his heart was still racing was… a matter to be ignored. At all costs, in fact.

"Alright. Let's get moving, then. The others are probably worried about you," Steam murmured, turning to head back and gazing back to Espio expectantly. Espio followed after a long moment, only after he was _sure_ that she had truly gone. He was left with a sense of mild relief and renewing calm (on top of a touch of regret that also was doomed to be ignored) as he followed Steam back to the others. After all, Steam was right. The lot of them _were_ prone to worrying.

Sometime during their walk back, Steam decided to break the silence. "I gotta ask you something, Espio. It's kinda important, and it's actually best I speak to you in private about it."

That caught the ninja's attention instantly and also made him cautious. "What?" he asked, tone betraying little to nothing. Neutrality came easily to him, after all.

"What do you know of your ancestors?"

Now Espio was frowning openly, mask forgotten for the moment. Though his caution made him reluctant to answer, his mind was already recalling how little he had ever managed to learn about his family. He'd never had any living family aside from his parents, who never spoke of their families. No one around him ever had, either. Digging in databases and such years and years ago had only ever revealed a couple of names and some details about the ancestor he had inherited his "backward" clairvoyance from. He knew nothing more. "Nothing," he eventually responded, feeling no immediate need to lie.

Steam closed his eyes, frowning as well at the answer. "It's not something you have to know. Just know that currently, you're better than all of them combined could have ever hoped to be." _If they ever would've wanted to be, that is._

Caution began to mix with suspicion in that moment. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't want to talk too much about it right _now_ , since enemies could be very easily monitoring us both. However, I do need to know if you've ever seen any marks of any kind on yourself," he prompted, stopping where he was and leaning against a tree.

Espio stopped completely a couple feet back. He wasn't one to repeat back what others said normally, but he caught himself doing it now out of pure surprise. "Marks?" he echoed.

There was a nod of reply, Steam sighing faintly. "Of any kind on your body. Anything that isn't always there and that suddenly appeared, only to then vanish later"

Silence. No immediate reply came from the ninja, even as his mind flashed back to several incidents in the past that he had always puzzled over… and been to some degree concerned about. But, eventually, he resumed walking. "...A few," he said in simple reply, leaving it at that. A part of him still very much wanted to know what _he_ knew, but for now he held his tongue.

"What did they look like?" Steam's face had some emotion hidden that he obviously didn't want showing at this time.

It was quiet for a moment again, but Espio did eventually answer. "Swirls," he finally said. "Thin, black lines in the shape of swirls."

Steam sighed and turned his attention forward. "We'll talk later. I want to ensure that we are not being listened to, and now isn't the time," he murmured, beginning to walk once more. Espio followed along without further comment.

Before long, the pair reached the others. Tails had joined the small group by now, and he looked on worriedly. "Everything okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Steam nodded, giving a faint smile. "Just got some things to talk about later. Espio got a wound, but he wasn't worried about it so we came back."

The ninja in question resisted a huff when worried eyes shifted to him and simply reiterated what he had said earlier. "I'm _fine_."

"Try 'reckless'," Shadow muttered. "Get your ass back in the ship. You're supposed to be _resting_." Espio didn't bother to argue that point and simply returned to the his seat in the ship via teleport. The herbs from earlier were obviously dulling his pain, but that didn't mean that he should be moving around anymore.

Sonic crossed his arms. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say your grouchy ass actually cares."

This earned a crimson glare. "Do you ever shut up?"

"No, not really." Sonic smirked when his brother's glare grew harder, and Wave laughed quietly.

Tails, meanwhile, started to gesture for everyone else to also go back to the Tornado when a thought occurred to him. "Wait, Wave," he said, turning to her quickly, "if _you're_ here, then is Jet, too?"

She blinked. "Yeah, he'll be with us in a bit. He's resting at the moment." A paused, then she sighed and added, "...Supposedly."

"I trust Jet to get to us soon. For now, let's get those devices set up. Tails, you have a map showing where the previous portal devices are?" Steam asked, walking over to him without hesitation.

The fox blinked a couple times. "Uh… yeah. Yeah, I do." He pulled up a hologram on his communicator with several red blips on it. "We've been to these places so far."

Steam looked over the map and began pointing to various places, his eyes rapidly shifting back and forth. "These places are the most opportune to put the rest, if you ask me. It would be best if we started back on this now rather than waiting."

"...Your places about line up with the ones we were thinking about," Tails nodded slowly. He pointed to one in particular. "This is the closest one. We really should head out."

"Agreed," Wave responded. She turned to Steam. "You sticking with us for now?"

He gave a nod in response, sighing and putting his hands behind his head. "Can't go searching for the ones I want to yet since Nier wanted me to wait on one of them. The other two… yeah, no. That's gonna be a fucking maneuver and then some to even try and _notice_ they exist half the time."

"Come on, then," Wave responded, headed toward the vessel. Sonic, Shadow, and Tails had already started loading up with Cream, who had opted to stay in the ship this whole time and merely observe in that mysterious way of hers. Wave hopped onto a wing and sat down to the side of the bunny. Steam simply shrugged and smiled before walking over to join them all, more intent on running.

Before long Tails closed the cockpit and started up the ship. It took off into the sky in a blaze of speed, headed for the next destination.

 **~保護者~**

 **11,092 words this time. So... I bungled my self-imposed schedule already. Aside from some scheduling conflicts between Blazing Winds and I which made writing this difficult, I have no excuse. Hopefully the long chapter and the content contained within makes up for that, guys. Sorry, again, for the delay. The next chapter will be up _much_ faster, especially since it won't be this big. Hope you all enjoyed and, as always, thanks to Blazing Winds for his help. He wrote in Steam this time around, as that is his character. Posted (at about 11:25 a.m.) 01-21-19.**


	20. Truth and Lie

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this collection of scenes… especially for the one who pretends he isn't hungry.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah... poor guy. :/**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Truth and Lie"**

 **~保護者~**

The sky was turning dark by the time the group places the last barrier device. Tails was busy working with Wave to get everything activated, but Sonic hung back. He was curious about the activation process, sure, but there were other things that held his attention at the moment. Such as, for example, a certain green-furred stranger whom he was standing near. He contemplated for several minutes whether or not to say anything to man, but eventually he gave in and decided to just say what was on his mind. "Hey," he called quietly in order to grab Steam's attention.

Steam cast his gaze over at Sonic and raised an eyebrow, turning to face the blue hedgehog. "What's up?" he asked, frowning faintly.

In an effort to get comfortable, Sonic leaned back against the nearest available surface (which just so happened to be part of the Tornado-Z's left wing). "Look, I get you've probably explained this more than once by now, but I need to know who you are," he said. "And I need more than just the vague 'from another timeline' spiel. I didn't question it before because Wave seems to trust you, but based on the things Jet's always saying about trust these days… it isn't enough."

There was a snort in response at first before he smirked faintly. "I woulda thought Shadow would be the one to question me first," he mused, chuckling. "Alright, so, I'll keep it simple still. Yes, I'm from another timeline and all, my name is Steam, all that cool stuff. The really important thing to know is that I'm something called a Balancer, one of the beings that exists more or less to help keep things… _balanced_ , for lack of better terms. More specifically, I'm the Neutral Balancer."

"They do it on a very _practical_ level, while me and the other Balancers do it on a fundamental one. Sort of. Ya see, when there's an unusually large amount of evil in an area, say… a giant demonic horde, I, by nature, slowly begin to fill with Light so as to combat it and keep things more neutral. Vice versa for an extreme amount of good," Steam explained, scratching his head as he thought of the best way to explain more.

"Meaning you channel Light and Darkness but don't _have_ any," Sonic realized aloud. He didn't seem to expect any further confirmation, merely stating what he had just learned, and took a moment to think. After that moment passed, he asked, "You seem to know us. To an extent, at least. I'm guessing our other selves know you, too?"

Steam gave a nervous chuckle. "They don't _all_ think the best of me, but… yeah. They all know me and I know them all. Pretty well for the most part."

For now, Sonic chose to ignore the sudden nervousness and part of Steam's comment. "And Wave said you have a good amount of knowledge of what's happening here. Right?"

"Yep. I've been through some of what's going on, so I'm here to try and help things move along in a more… _safe_ manner." Steam chose his words… with a touch of care, but not enough so that he really thought about what he was saying.

There were a lot of questions Sonic could have asked in response to that, he knew, but for now he opted to settle on just one. "I won't press you on too much since you don't seem to want to want to talk about any of it… but there's one thing I want to know about." He looked Steam straight in the eye. "No one else is telling me shit so I don't expect you to, either, but do you know what's going on with my father?"

Pain entered Steam's eyes and he looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. "...I do know. I'm just…" He scratched at his head forcefully, breathing growing labored. "It's a lot to take in and explain…"

Eventually, Sonic also looked away. Silence filled the space between them just as the barriers flashed into existence and roared upward into the sky. The roar was felt rather than heard, but his ears nevertheless flattened purely on instinct. Only after he straightened them again did he decide to reply. "Thanks for being honest," he mumbled. "I prefer not being lied to, even when I can't be filled in on details." The lights high overhead quickly faded, leaving nothing but invisible protection in their place.

"I try to never lie to people. So, I'll be honest about this much. You're not gonna like the truth when you hear it," Steam murmured, closing his eyes and shifting uncomfortably.

Though he pursed his lips together, Sonic merely nodded. A second later, Shadow (who had been sitting atop the ship nearby) decided to drop down in the grass beside his brother. Perhaps in an effort to allay the blue hedgehog's worries, he murmured a vague word of comfort of some sort. Sonic shot him a surprised glance, but there was gratitude to be found in his gaze. Shadow then looked away and informed Steam, "Wave and Tails are done. We're going to head toward Century City."

Steam gave a nod, opening his eyes and shifting his gaze over to Shadow. "Gotcha. I'm probably gonna go find Jet and check up on him."

This earned Sonic's attention again. "Make sure you wallop him for being so damn reckless," he muttered crossly. "I'd do it myself if he were here, the freaking idiot." Of course, he knew there were legitimate reasons for his friend's actions, but that didn't change the fact that he'd made Sonic (who had only just recently learned of Jet's latest fight) worry his ass off. Again.

"I'm sure he'd kick my ass before I land a hit on him, but maybe I'll try," Steam winked playfully and chuckled faintly, stretching.

Sonic managed a faint smirk. "Good." Shadow decided about then that they had spent enough time talking, and he herded Sonic back to their seats in the ship. Steam gave a wave of farewell and teleported off without waiting for a response.

Steam reappeared in the darkness of space, not even a quarter-mile from the newly-erected barriers. Jet floated nearby, still covered in blood from earlier but finally healed. His wrist was casually draped over the sheathed sword at his hip, but his posture was relaxed as he examined the barriers below with a slightly critical eye. The devices used to make the barriers were of his own design, but his manner almost seemed to suggest that he didn't quite trust them. Still… _There aren't any holes or obvious weakness. They should hold well enough._

"So, the man of the hour," Steam commented vaguely, floating over a bit closer. "How are you feeling right now, Jet?" His voice carried a genuine concern and something akin to pain as he spoke.

Blue eyes drifted Steam's way. "...I'm fine," he eventually answered. It wasn't a lie, this time, as he had almost fully healed after his last revival. He looked away again. "Why are you up here?"

Steam glanced to the barriers. "I came to check up on you. You didn't show up with the others, so I was a bit concerned you'd gotten yourself into something again."

Jet actually let out a soft snort. "Did Wave tell you that?" he muttered, referring to her constant claims of him being too reckless for anyone's good… claims that she had been making since well before even Ivo's time.

"God, I wish. No, this is of my own experience with my timeline's you. You do get wrapped up in shit for no reason, honestly," Steam pointed out, smirking. "Though I can be way worse on a normal basis."

Apparently feeling a touch more relaxed than normal, Jet murmured, "Call it an 'occupational hazard'. I am not at fault… normally."

Steam laughed at this, smiling. "Gotta say, that's a fair assertion." He floated over to the barrier and pressed a hand against it lightly. "This is pretty alright. You or Tails build these things?"

Jet blinked, almost thoughtfully. "I did… several eons ago. The technology is nearly obsolete these days, however…"

"Oh well, it'll hold up a bit. If these things fall, it'll give us time to get here and do something."

A vague nod was Jet's only immediate reply, but eventually he did speak again. By now, the vague humor he had been displaying had completely left him. "There was an attack earlier," he murmured. It wasn't a question, per se, but he waited for a reply regardless.

Steam blinked once, turning around quickly. "Here? Yeah. I noticed."

" _All_ the demons were killed, correct?" Jet pressed. He knew all too well how much havoc even one small-fry could wreak on a world like this.

"I would never let one of those bastards just escape. I continuously reigned them in with magic and slamming them with Light," Steam answered, his expression serious now.

Satisfied with this, Jet inclined his head. Good. He turned somewhat to look out at the distant stars. _But the danger has not fully passed. Now that he knows we have gathered together, he will take more active steps to hinder us… or simply kill us._ Inwardly, he sighed. Most likely the latter.

Steam sighed faintly and let his own gaze go into the distance. "So, I have a serious and important question to ask. It could really help if you know _anything_ about where the Balancers might be."

Jet frowned slowly. "...I have only a guess," he finally answered. "However, I have yet to find the means of proving it even somewhat." He grew quiet for a long moment, thinking. "I worry that wherever Analia is, they are. As for where _she_ is… I believe your assumption will match up with mine."

" _Fuck_." Steam bit his lip and sighed again. "Guess that's where I'm heading soon. We could use their help."

"Perhaps not as soon as you would like," Jet answered, voice soft. "He has cause to very _jealously_ guard against outsiders right now, as opposed to simply letting them arrive so as to kill them as he normally would."

The green hedgehog rubbed his temples, eyes closed. "I get that much, but still. I'm gonna end up there at some point soon."

The Immortal hummed softly in agreement, then changed the subject. "You should return to the others."

"Maybe… But… one more thing." Steam opened his eyes once more and glanced to Jet, watching the hawk for a moment. "What do you know of the potential whereabouts of the missing God?"

"You refer to the God of the Forge?" Jet inquired back. Steam gave a nod in affirmation to this. "He escaped the inferno. That is all we know."

Steam nodded slowly. "That's good to hear. I'll make sure to try and find him."

Jet inclined his head again, but didn't yet let Steam leave in spite of his own earlier statement. "That woman… she returned earlier, did she not?" He had barely been conscious at the time, but he was sure of what he had sensed.

"I helped Espio deal with her as best I could, but I'm not suited to fight someone like her. Espio had a cut on his wrist, but not much else. He's alright, if you were wondering."

There was a bit of silence, then Jet asked, "Nothing _else_ happened?" There was a touch of tension in his tone, revealed most clearly in the emphasis he placed on that one word.

Steam frowned faintly at this, raising an eyebrow. "What are you referring to, Jet?"

"Markings," Jet muttered. "Did any appear on him?"

"Not that I saw. I'm on the lookout for them," the hedgehog answered, noticeably tense now also. "I'll let you know if I see them at any point." Another vague hum served as Jet's answer to this, and he said nothing more. He stayed put for several long moments before moving to return to the planet below with Steam following suit. The latter vanished as Jet took to the skies, eyes reflecting the stars… and mind drifting galaxies away.

 **~保護者~**

Steam appeared back at Nier's home, deciding this was the best place to start searching for answers on the people he was looking for. He then realized that what he'd done was actually a bit rude and knocked on the wall to make up for it. His knock was immediately heard, and Nier called out, "Around the side, dude." The hedgehog followed the voice and poked his head around to see who all was here, blinking once.

Gathered in the grass by the side of the home were just two of the Gods and Goddesses. Nier was there, of course, and with him was Sona - the Goddess of Stars. Sona regarded Steam with a vaguely raised eyebrow accentuating her thoroughly pissed off expression. Nonetheless, she wasn't hostile toward him in any way and waved him over. Steam ventured over and sat down as well, his gaze flicking between the two of them. "Why are you here?" Sona's tone carried heavy traces what many knew her best for, true and nearly unbridled rage.

"Man… you're more angry than usu-"

"You'd be pretty smart to _not_ comment on that right now," the Goddess of Stars warned, fists clenching and unclenching.

"Easy, there," Nier tried to soothe. "He won't say anything, _right_?" This last word was said with a quick warning glance toward Steam.

Steam held up his hands in a defensive way. "Sorry. Meant no harm. I'm used to being able to joke with the Sona from my timeline, so it was just a natural response. I'll be careful."

Nier nodded once. Then, after a moment, he let out a long sigh. "Today's just been a crappy day. We're… a bit grouchy, I guess. Sorry about that."

The cat sighed gently, running her fingers through her hair in a show of tension and stress, her eyes closing. "Yeah. Things lately aren't helping on top of stuff that's been bothering us all. And if you know us, you have to be able to _imagine_ how Cere is feeling."

"Yeah…" Steam, for one, had seen what happened when that woman was angry or had been bothered. "I came to ask you guys some questions on anything you might know about some people." He watched Sona with a touch of wariness, noticeably tense after her reaction prior.

"What questions?" Nier asked, sitting down on a bench. Sona nodded and motioned for him to go on.

"First… Any knowledge on the God of the Forge. _Anything_ you might have. If he escaped, where he _might_ have escaped to, people he may try and contact…" Steam trailed off, drumming his fingers on the ground as he tried to think more on what he needed to know.

Sona sighed a little and shook her head. "We don't have much, but I _doubt_ he died when his realm was engulfed like it was. He's not the most powerful or anything, but if he is anything, it's resourceful and intelligent. He's definitely out there _somewhere_ , hiding out so he won't be killed."

After she finished speaking, Nier posed his own question. "Steam, are you familiar with Kath?"

"Well… yeah. He's a big deal." That was a serious understatement, but it was Steam's attempt at explaining that he knew well of Kath.

Nier nodded once. "This won't take too much explaining, then. As you may know, Kath had a lot of allies all over the various realms. This included a Therian, a member of the _one_ remaining Therian family that is neutral and not evil. Her name is Calypso, and she has a sister and niece. That niece is named Novei." He looked up into the sky. "She and Li have worked together before, for reasons only they know. He could very well have sought her out again."

Steam pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've met Novei in my timeline. She's… _very_ neutral. I'm… somewhat surprised he would work with her, though…" He thought about the potential. She _could_ be very useful to him and vice-versa, so it made enough sense to be plausible.

"Yeah. She's certainly not always the best, but she and Li always seemed to be able to get along to some degree. I would venture to guess that there's a _chance_ of him being with her currently," Sona shrugged, her gaze shifting to Nier. "Though, I haven't a clue as to where they would be currently."

The God of Runes could only return the shrug. "I have no idea, either. I'm not even convinced that they're in any realms near to this one. But, regardless of _where_ he is, we know he's alive. We haven't sensed any power voids like the kind left behind when one of us dies unexpectedly. So he's out there _somewhere_."

"Which means that he knows Li is still alive," Steam pointed out bluntly, expression somewhat blank.

"Yeah," Nier agreed, stifling one of his many sighs. "There's no way he couldn't. Right now, we should just be grateful that he seems to have little to no interest in Li for the time being."

The hedgehog gently interrupted a reply from Sona, frowning. "On that subject… Do you know guys happen to know what's happening to Analia currently?"

That earned a short period of almost uncomfortable silence before Nier had to admit, "...No. We have no idea." He looked down. "No one does. Not even Nyx and Cere." He was referring to the God of Night and the Goddess of Judgement, two of the oldest Gods/Goddesses in existence by _far_. The only ones older than them were the Goddesses of Chaos and Storms.

Sona's gaze hardened. "You do," she accused, her hands planted firmly into the ground as her attention shifted fully onto Steam. "I'm willing to bet you know where Analia is."

"Probably." Steam's eyes flicked away. "If she's where she was where we found her in my timeline, then yes. Long story short, I need to go there soon and see if the Balancers happen to be in the same place."

Nier gave Steam a very, very long look. Eventually, he murmured, "Going wherever you're planning on going is likely a horrible idea as of now."

There was a nod of response. "Yeah, but chances are that I'm gonna go alone. The less attention drawn while I'm trying to get them, the better chance I have of _not_ getting murdered by something that hates me existing or whatever."

"Still a foolish venture…" Nier sighed, sounding in that moment very much like Jet. "...However, I won't try to convince you not to go. If you're set on it, then fine."

Sona gave a gentle nod to this, adding her affirmation. "I agree. If you're successful and you do manage to save the Balancers, that gives us _something_ akin to a better chance at dealing with all this. If you fail, well, worst case is that you die. Not to say you're worthless, but it's one of those things where you make your own decision and the end result is on you." Her expression softened to show some faint hints of concern. "So, don't be an idiot. Got it?"

Steam rolled his eyes at them both lightly, huffing in something like amusement. "I know that it's probably one of the worst ideas I can have, but I think it really does need to happen."

"And we're not arguing that," Nier reminded. "We're just reminding you to not be a reckless little piece of crap like _some_ people we know."

"Alright, alright. I get it." Steam's attention fell onto Sona. "Now, I have to ask you, in particular, something. About the God of the Sun…" Nier straightened up, alert, but remained silent for now in order to let them talk.

Sona's hands slowly clenched into fists, not from anger as much as pain and concern. "What about him?"

"What's he doing right now?"

There was silence for a time, Sona casting her gaze downward. "Don't have much to say, really… He's been an active fighter against the God of Demons and all his legions of demons, and he's got two daughters. Other than that, he's been pretty… _private_ as of late."

"That's an understatement," Nier commented with a soft huff. Then he added, "I know a bit more, though. He's apparently been trying to track down Analia as well, though I don't know how much progress he's made in that department. And he's got a couple of those portal shards that the God of Demons is after. They're pretty safe with him, for now."

"I see…" Steam sighed and rubbed at his eyes lightly. If he was honest with himself, all of this was wearing him down a bit faster than he wanted to admit. He'd almost forgotten what this tended to do to him physically. At this, Sona looked over to Nier with a concerned expression, motioning with her head for him to say something.

Nier caught this look, then glanced at Steam. "Look… you should head back to the others for now. Get some rest or something." His tone was overall casual, but it was serious enough to indicate that he wouldn't accept any argument about this.

"Yeah, you can't do anything if you're not ready for it," Sona added, her anger being set aside. "Take care of yourself first."

Another sigh came from the hedgehog, standing up and stretching. "Fine, I'll get to it soon. Still got something to do first, anyway."

"That being?" Nier inquired.

"Gotta talk with Sonic and the others. They all deserve to know what I'm gonna be doing and when I'm planning to. If I'm working with you all, that is." He smiled, flicking his gaze to Nier. "I'll make sure to rest after that."

This answer was acceptable, so Nier nodded once. "Yeah, okay. Just do me a favor and keep us informed whenever you do go." He paused, thought for a second, then added with a weary tone, "And don't let Jet do anything stupid while he's with you lot."

Steam snorted faintly in amusement. "I can't control that guy. All I can do is stand in his way a bunch."

"That's good enough for me," Nier smirked. "Sometimes that's enough to make him decide not to be a reckless shit." He looked to Sona. "You gonna stay here a while or not? I need to go take care of some stuff as well."

She nodded gently to him. "Yeah. I'll hang out here unless someone decides to piss me off."

"Feel free to go inside whenever, then. There's food and whatnot." Nier stood up and turned back to Steam. "Can you teleport all the way back to Mobius by yourself?"

"'Course. Teleporting is probably what the Alakaras are best at besides blowing shit up."

Sona blinked at him, her attention most certainly shifting over. "Ar-" Steam's eyes widened and he teleported away without letting her finish, knowing _exactly_ what she would end up asking.

When Steam reappeared with the group, they were settling down in a building for the night. It didn't take a genius to tell that, in spite of how much it had grown and changed (even going so far as to be renamed "Century City"), the city they were in was what had once been Future City… and this was the Rogues' Tower. The very same one that Wave, Jet, and Storm had all once lived in together called "home" so, so long ago. It had changed a lot over the years as well, but it was still more than spacious enough to accomodate the group. Said group was currently gathered in the living room, exchanging quiet words and such right up until Steam arrived.

Wave was first to break the newfound silence. "Oh, hey. You're back."

He laughed and smiled a little, waving in a relaxed manner. "Yep. I'm back. I'll be around for a bit before I haul off once more, then return spontaneously and repeat the cycle."

Plainly amused, the swallow let out a laugh. "I'll remember that."

Sonic, meanwhile, chose to be more serious. "Did you see Jet?"

"He didn't meet up with you guys?" Steam raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms with a frown.

"If he's planning to, he hasn't yet," Shadow remarked distractedly as he gazed out one of the large windows.

There was a sigh in response as the green hedgehog walked over to actually join the group. "Must've gotten busy. He's fine. I saw him before I headed off."

Tails nodded. "Sounds like him. But at least if he's on _this_ world we can reasonably sure that he's not getting into trouble. ...Erm, _much_." Wave smirked.

"Damn. That honestly sounds like a comment one of you would make on me in my timeline," Steam laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

A few looks were traded and Wave ended up just shrugging. After a moment, she commented, "You look like you want to discuss something." A slight pause, then she asked, "Mind filling us in?"

Steam gave a nod and sat down, collecting his thoughts. "Alright. You guys wanna ask questions or me just start talking and answer as we go?"

More looks were traded, then Tails said, "I guess we just go with the latter for now." None of the others argued with his suggestion.

"Alright. For starters, Name's Steam, I'm from another timeline, and in that timeline I'm what's called a Balancer. To be specific, the Neutral Balancer," he started, shifting his gaze around the room. "Essentially, I'm something that's meant to help keep the Balance alongside the Immortals and all of the Gods and Goddesses."

The group's resident inventor perked up immediately. "Oh, I've heard of those guys! They're in every timeline, aren't they?"

Steam nodded. "Yeah. We're like the Gods, Goddesses, and Immortals in that sense as well. We're also Semi-Immortals for a… few reasons. At least, that is for me. There's three of us at any given time. One evil that has Darkness, one good that has Light, and the Neutral that doesn't inherently have either."

That immediately made Sonic and Shadow both frown. However, it was only Shadow who spoke. "...Creatures and beings of Light and Darkness exist," he said slowly, "but you aren't a part of either group. And you said yourself that your type of Balancer doesn't have Light or Darkness within them."

Tails caught on to Shadow's train of thought and continued it. "That's right… So, how did you channel Light in that fight earlier?"

"I knew this would come up. Now, here's where I need you to listen closely and let me explain it all before questioning. The best way _I_ know how to explain this would be to say that I'm pulling the energies from their respective realms and acting as a conduit before finally expelling them. On top of that, I also somewhat act like a sponge for them, able to absorb Light and Darkness…" Steam trailed off for a moment, biting his lip before continuing. "I still gotta follow the rule of not having both in the same area, though… Very _painful_ situation."

"Mm… makes sense," Tails murmured thoughtfully. "Especially based off of what we know about the behaviors of those energies from Kaden and Analia." The mentions of those names made Sonic flinch slightly, but this mostly went unnoticed at the moment. Only Shadow glanced at him.

Steam gave yet another nod. "Yeah. It's certainly… _possible_ for me to do it, but one slip-up and I could end up getting myself killed. Anyway, with that said do you guys have any questions before I explain more things?"

"None from me," Wave yawned. "I'm good."

Shadow merely waved the other hedgehog off with a vague gesture of his hand while Tails turned to Sonic. "Do you need any further explanations at all?"

Sonic managed a faint smile. "No, for once. Thanks, though."

"Sure, Sonic," Tails smiled back. Then, with a glance at Espio (who was haunting a shadowy corner on the other side of the room and ignoring them all), he responded to Steam, "I think we all understand well enough. Thanks for the explanation."

"Good to hear, and no problem. Now that I've got that explained, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you guys of part of my plan because it actually pertains to that. Have any of you heard about the Balancers of this timeline?"

This time, the looks that were traded amongst the group were decidedly blank. "Nope," Tails finally answered. "Nothing at all."

 _Figured as much. Makes it a touch easier to explain._ "What I'm trying to do is _find_ them. All but one from what I know is pretty much missing. The good and the neutral of this timeline. I want to try and find them, then get them into the efforts of fending off the foes we're up against right now because they could be _very_ useful." The tone of Steam's voice assured that he wasn't joking in any way.

Crimson eyes drifted shut. "A sound plan…" Shadow murmured, resting his head against the wall, "if you had any idea where to _look_. So I assume you have _some_ information on that matter."

"Good to know you didn't automatically think I was stupid enough to not have it," Steam smiled faintly. "Chances are that I know where they are. Getting to them is… a whole other story, but I'm pretty sure of the area I need to look."

"Hn." This vague hum was Shadow's only response to the new details, but he had clearly paid good attention to what was said.

Steam shifted around a touch restlessly for a moment, not liking being as still as he'd been for this duration of time. "Okay… final main topic of discussion is one of the missing Gods. The God of the Forge. Have any of you met or heard of him?"

That prompted another verbal response from Shadow. "Yes," he answered simply.

"I have, too," Wave added, "but I barely count, really. I work with an Immortal, is all." This last part was said with an amused but small smile. Tails and Sonic stayed quiet.

"His name is Li, a wolf. He's a supplier of weapons more than he is a fighter, and an overall good guy from when I talked to him. Some time ago, his dimension was engulfed in some dimensional inferno and he went missing. I want to find him because his skills in weapon making could _seriously_ help out due to his amount of skill."

"That makes sense," Tails agreed carefully, "but… how are we supposed to find him?"

Steam glanced to Tails. "That's the unusual part. You all know of Calypso, right?"

This time, only Wave replied. "I do, but no one else here would have had reason to learn of her. I only know of her through Jet."

Sonic tugged at one sensitive blue ear. _Damn it… I'm lost again._ "Who the hell's Calypso?" he sighed.

"Ah… _right_. Long story short, a neutral Therian who was actually close allies or maybe even friends with Kath. She has a sister, and that sister had a child who _also_ turned out neutral. Her name is Novei."

Emerald eyes widened. " _Neutral_ Therian?" he echoed in evident shock and disbelief. "But I've heard nothing but hell-stories about them!"

Wave chose to intervene. "And those stories _are_ true, believe me." She looked away from the group, eyes darkening considerably. "They're still unspeakably evil and violent and whatever else you've heard. But… once upon a time, much closer to the dawn of mortal existence, they weren't. They were just… neutral. Obviously they changed, but somehow that original latent neutrality managed to show back up in Calypso, her son, her sister, and her niece." She sighed, made an effort to shut the darkness out of her eyes, and turned back to everyone. "Look, that's the only relevant information here. If you really want to know more, I'll explain later."

Begrudgingly, Sonic bit back his questions after a long moment of internal debate. "...Fine," he muttered, blue arms crossing.

"Anyway," Steam nodded thankfully to Wave before continuing, "Novei has worked with Li and a few of his friends in the past, making some sort of deals or whatever in the process. That's my best lead on finding him. To find _her_."

It was quiet for just a second or two before Tails asked, "Any chance sensei would have any idea where to find her?"

"Maybe," Wave sighed. "He does know Calypso, like I said. But he's not like Kath. At least, in the sense that he hasn't really allied himself much with Calypso and her family. Trust issues and all, you know."

Sonic's right ear flicked. _No surprise for me there._ "But there's a _chance_ he'd know?" He pressed.

A shrug. "Maybe," Wave repeated. "We'd have to ask him later."

"Whenever he decides to show up," Shadow murmured, voice almost a sigh of sorts (most likely borne of him just being tired as usual).

Steam blinked forcefully, suddenly feeling his own exhaustion set in. "Yeah. It's something for later, really. For now, I'm hanging with you guys until I have some more solid leads and things cool down where I need to go."

"Well, make yourself at home," Wave offered with a vague gesture of her hand. "There are tons of guest rooms in this place."

"Just don't give out my old room," Sonic grumbled, albeit with a small smirk. "I deserve to get that thing back if nothing else."

There was a laugh and Steam stood, already walking off. "Can't guarantee you're getting it, slowpoke." He spun around and stuck his tongue out playfully before disappearing in a teleport to one of the rooms. Amidst the quiet laughter that followed (courtesy of Wave and Tails), Sonic finally managed a real smile… at least for now. One could only hope that this little bit of lightheartedness would be enough to see him through the rest of this ordeal.

 **~保護者~**

It was early the next morning when Wave stirred to the sounds of movement down the hall. Groaning softly, she rolled out of bed and trudged out the door. She was not a morning person, but there was no point in going back to bed now that she was up. _And apparently someone else is, too._ Heading down the hall, she descended the stairs and went into the kitchen. There, she found Tails and Shadow, two of the group's resident early-birds. Stifling a yawn, she mumbled, "Please tell me someone is going to cook."

Tails raised his hands almost defensively. "Don't look at me. I can't cook."

Steam walked through the room, having just… _appeared_ like he seemed to do. "I'll do it if nobody else does," he shrugged.

"Have at," Wave replied sort of dismissively. "I don't want to, Shorty can't, and he," she gestured to Shadow (who was merely getting a glass of water), "won't." Steam laughed faintly and nodded, disappearing with ease further into the kitchen and beginning to pull things out from wherever he could find them to essentially take inventory of what was available. Shadow moved out of Steam's way, ears flicking faintly as though to deflect the sounds the other hedgehog was making. Said ears then perked, which caught Wave's attention. "I swear, if you tell me we're about to be attacked-"

Shadow cut her off. "He's back," he stated simply before taking a sip of his water. He offered no further explanation.

By now, the building's elevator could be faintly heard and Wave relaxed into a smile. "Oh," she breathed. She turned to walk into the living room (where the elevator entered the building) without further delay.

As Sonic groggily walked down the stairs, the elevator opened up and Jet stepped out. The hawk glanced at Sonic, but it didn't escape the sleepy hedgehog's notice that Jet focused squarely on Wave almost immediately. Jet tossed a sheathed dagger to the swallow. "You left it in my room again," he told her calmly while the elevator doors shut behind him.

"Eh, it was reasonably safe there, anyway," Wave shrugged. She paused, then asked, "You went back home?"

"Only briefly," Jet answered. He took a seat on one of the couches, openly relaxing for once. He had gotten himself cleaned up and his clothes and feathers were spotless once more. "I was checking on it."

Steam popped into the room and smirked, leaning against a wall. "You took a while, Jet. Feeling better overall?" Despite how casual he was, there was evidence of concern in more than just his tone.

Pure blue eyes blinked at him placidly, no sign of anything negative at all visible within them. "I'm fine," he murmured. And for once, it wasn't just a cover-up statement.

The smirk shifted to a smile and the hedgehog pushed off the wall. "Good to hear. What held you?"

In response, Jet lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. However, he answered soon afterward. "The animals remained in the castle. They required care."

Wave looked at him while Sonic finally moved to take a seat. "They won't leave?"

The look Jet gave her fairly screamed, _You think they would?_

"Ah, gotcha," Steam answered, shifting his gaze to the kitchen for the moment. "When was the last time you ate properly, Jet?"

At this, Wave groaned again. "Look, don't even bother asking that. You'll never get an actual, non-cryptic answer, if you get one at all." Jet gave her another look, this one a touch more disapproving at her comment.

Sonic decided to speak up at last, having just finished processing the fact that his best friend apparently had pets that Sonic had managed not to be aware of at _all_. "Which probably means he's gotten shitty about eating again, right?" He frowned at the hawk, but his expression was ignored. Pointedly.

"Nailed it." Wave leaned over the back of the couch that Jet was on and nudged his shoulder.  
"Green-Boy here was about to go cook something. Why don't you go help him out?" Jet appeared to vaguely consider it, but didn't answer right away.

"Honestly, if you help me and eat when we're done, I won't bug you for the next week about it and you'll be able to say that you did eat properly and make these guys shut up," Steam joked, winking to them all in amusement.

Wave nudged Jet again, a bit harder this time. "I won't let up until you eat and you know it," she warned, grinning. "Plus, now I have backup. Sonic's back, as you may recall, and he's even _more_ pushy than me."

"I try," Sonic chuckled.

This time, Jet actually opted to glare at Sonic. Some of his old personality was starting to show through, and the hedgehog was honestly quite enjoying seeing glimpses of the past through this interaction. "Don't help her."

"Too late for that, bud. Besides, she's right, I'm right, and you know it." Sonic got into a comfy position and added slyly, "Now go cook… unless you want me to go help instead."

It was almost certain that Jet knew that his reaction was exactly what Sonic wanted, but he didn't seem to care right at that moment. He stood up straight away and began walking to the other room. "Stay _out_ of my kitchen," he threatened, clearly not amused. Sonic and Wave just laughed.

"Yeah, even I wouldn't let that happen, Blue." Steam snickered, shaking his head. "While I wouldn't get hurt by a fire, this place doesn't have such immunities."

"Yeah, yeah, just rub it in why don't you," Sonic sighed, but his smile remained.

There was a mischievous smirk from Steam. "Don't tempt me." Sonic stuck his tongue out a little, but otherwise decided not to reply. Steam's gaze shifted to where Jet was before he disappeared to the same room as the hawk.

By now, Jet had already pulled out various supplies and was busy cooking with practiced ease. He was making a very, very basic breakfast of french toast at the moment, but hadn't yet started making anything to go with it. He glanced vaguely at Steam when the hedgehog appeared, but didn't speak. Steam smiled to him and immediately started searching for things to go with the French Toast. "Just so you know, I talked to Nier and Sona, as well as the others so that they all know what I'm planning to do on top of who I'm trying to find and why. Thought you'd wanna know."

Jet frowned vaguely. "You spoke to Nier and Sona?" he questioned.

Steam nodded. "Yep. She was hanging around with him. Very upset about a lot, but was helpful nonetheless."

Ignoring that, Jet asked, "Why were you speaking to them?" He slipped several slices of french toast onto a plate.

"Mostly because I was originally gonna talk to Nier so that some of the Gods and Goddesses can hear about what I'm trying to do, and so I could get more info." Steam glanced over, raising an eyebrow as he prepared something where he was.

The Immortal responded with a vague hum and, using his aura, brought over another plate to fill with toast. Given that he had to feed _three_ hedgehogs, he knew that a lot of food was going to be needed. _They may well eat this home clean._

Steam smiled, chuckling at the obvious thought process of the hawk. "Alright, so, let's try and discuss something a bit more lighthearted."

That earned a slight raise of one eyebrow. "Such as?" he prompted.

"Well, let's start with your friendship with the God of Runes. You two get along far too easily to be normal for someone like you." The hedgehog looked back to his current task, smiling. "I gotta say that's good for you, though."

"What makes you believe it's _abnormal_?" Jet inquired in an off-handed manner.

Steam turned to Jet, a disbelieving look on his face. "You don't just make friends."

Jet shrugged slightly. He made no effort to disagree, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Steam was right. "I was never entirely certain how it happened," he admitted slowly. "It simply… did."

"Gotcha. I was just curious. You have any of the others as friends, like Cere or Nyx?" Steam posed, tilting his head in a curious manner.

Cere was more of a sort of… _guardian_ to him than a friend, but he did have other friends within the group of Gods and Goddesses. "Nyx and Therin," he admitted. "Occasionally Sona… when she is not being overly irritable."

Steam blinked. "There are times when she isn't irritable?"

"Occasionally," Jet reiterated, deciding that this was one time when he would do so without being annoyed by it.

"Damn. That's insane."

"Perhaps."

"What do you think of Cere?" Steam decided to pose, finishing up whatever he was doing and beginning to heat it at the stove.

Another shrug. However, this time it took a couple moments for Jet to actually answer. "...She… behaves like a mother at times," he admitted slowly. "Otherwise, she acts as a sort of distant guardian… of sorts." He shifted yet more toast onto a plate. "It is difficult to view her any other way, when that is how she portrays herself."

The hedgehog nodded gently at this. "Yeah. She's a good woman, even if her anger is sometimes worse than Sona's," he shrugged, smiling before adding, "Glad to hear you think well of her in any case, though." Jet merely gave another vague shrug and started cooking some more toast. Steam lapsed into a silence for the time, unsure of what to talk about next.

Finally, Jet decided to pose his own question. Though, he worded it as more of a statement. "Your fur is green," he observed with a glance at Steam, "but not any shade of green that exists within any hedgehog race."

"I'm not _just_ hedgehog. My fur has some mix of colors in it, but I mainly got it from my mom." Steam shrugged, uncaring of the oddity it certainly did produce.

"I see," Jet murmured, not prying any further.

"Actually, that begs the question. You ever heard of someone named Semari?"

"No," Jet answered without any trace of hesitation. He had never heard the name before in his life.

Steam smirked. "It's my mom. Trust me when I say this. You _don't_ want to meet her. She's a good person, but god does she get agitating."

"Hnn," Jet hummed vaguely in reply. He could think of a good few people who also fit that description rather perfectly.

"Who are you thinking of?" Steam asked. This sounded interesting.

Slowly, Jet shook his head. "Past allies," he murmured. _...And friends._

"Like?" the hedgehog pressed. "Or is it something you don't wanna talk about?" Jet just shook his head again, withdrawing a touch. Revisiting memories like these was always hard, and he wasn't willing to try. Not today. Maybe not anytime soon at all. "Yeah, I get where you're coming from, Jet. I've been there before as well. I'll respect your wishes."

"Too many people have," Jet responded, almost under his breath. He genuinely hated the fact that wars like the ones he was currently wrapped up in only meant that even _more_ people would also feel the pain of losing their friends and families.

"That's why I showed up. I want to help prevent it as best I can, but for now, let's try and refocus on good things. How do you feel about Wave?" Steam seamlessly shifted the topic, smirking faintly.

Jet sort of stiffened, but quickly covered up his reactions. "She's a friend," he said simply.

Steam nodded slowly in response. He didn't believe that. "You still training Tails, or is he more into doing his own things?"

"I train him when he asks," Jet replied, relaxing. "It is seldom that he does, however. He largely focuses on his inventions."

"Makes sense. Shadow still focusing on efforts here, on Mobius?"

"Nearly all of his focus is on Mobius. Very little of it strays elsewhere."

"Good to hear. Since we're on the topic of people, you ever heard of someone that goes by the name of Rose?"

"Yes," Jet answered. "I assume you do as well."

"Yeah. She's an experienced healer and a good fighter. I was asking because, as of now, I think you guys don't really have a healer around." Steam raised his eyebrows in question, watching them.

"We have a medic," Jet sort of sighed. "Nothing more." He finished filling a fourth plate of french toast and turned to pull some eggs out of the fridge.

"You could use someone else that has abilities of that nature, don't you agree?"

"...Indeed."

"I'll see what I can do on that end. For now, anything else you'd like to go with this breakfast?" Steam revealed the sausages he'd been cooking and slid them over by the french toast.

"There's bacon," Jet responded simply, getting to work on the eggs. Steam simply nodded and grabbed the bacon, already working on getting some cooked for the group.

Before too much longer, they were done and Jet exited the kitchen. Wave had already begun setting up the large table (which pulled up out of the floor to save space in the living room), and Sonic was busy bothering Shadow across the room. Tails turned to Jet and asked, "Hey, we should go wake up Cream now, right?"

"She will be hungry," Jet pointed out evenly.

Knowing that Tails disliked waking people, Sonic volunteered. "I'll get her." He left before anyone could answer. Around that same time, Steam came out of the kitchen to join them all as well. As soon as Wave (now with Jet's help) finished setting the table, Jet simply teleported all the food onto it. He pulled a chair out for her with one hand, then wandered off back to the kitchen to find drinks for people. Wave smiled to herself and sat down, then looked to Steam. "Looks like you lightened him up a bit."

"Yeah, I'm glad I did. Every now and then I have to with him, honestly," Steam answered with a shrug, smiling as well.

"Mm, I can believe that," Wave replied while Tails worked on convincing Shadow to go to the table. "He gets too serious for his own good."

The hedgehog nodded. "He can't always help it, either."

"Very true," Wave agreed easily. "Even without the… _unfortunate_ circumstances, he simply can't escape from his own personality." In spite of her words, though, she continued to smile. She had no real qualms with his personality, after all.

"Yep," came the simple reply. "That's how it goes, sadly enough."

About that time, Cream and Sonic came down the stairs. The bunny was already wearing her usual smile, and she greeted everyone with her trademark kindness. Even Steam was on the receiving end of her cheery greetings. "Glad someone likes the mornings," Wave chuckled, watching Cream sit down next to her. Steam laughed in response, watching the young rabbit.

Smiling at the obious happiness of his friends, Sonic took his own seat. After a slight pause, he turned around and called out, "Oi, Shadow, get your ass over here and stop giving Tails trouble." A small argument ensued, but it was ended in an instant by Cream… who used her psychic powers to physically close both of their mouths.

"Nope," she chirped happily. "None of that today. If you want to argue, then you have to wait until after breakfast." Wave laughed heartily at her intervention.

"Dang. Almost heartless if that wasn't in such good intention." He smiled brightly. It had been a while since he'd felt like this, so he was reveling in it all.

Still laughing, Wave used her aura to gently "scoot" Shadow to the table and just about force him to sit. Tails walked over and sat down beside the now decidedly irritated hedgehog and said, "Guys, I think we may regret this later."

"Eh, let him be mad," Sonic answered once Cream let him. "At least he's sitting now."

"Don't worry. I'll stand in his way for all of five seconds before he finds some way to barrel past me to buy you all time to escape," Steam snickered, smirking faintly. Crimson eyes glared at them all, but for now Shadow didn't deign to reply. Drinks appeared on the table before he really could have, anyway.

Jet walked out of the kitchen and took a seat by Wave's free side. "Stop antagonizing him," he told the lot of them.

Steam rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. You win."

Satisfied, Jet said nothing more on the matter. People began serving up food, and for now he waited his turn. Though, that didn't stop him from swiping a slice of bacon off of Wave's plate as soon as she grabbed it.

Her half-hearted glare only made him smile… just a little.

 **~保護者~**

 **8,861 words this time. Ugh, I'm just going to stop trying to promise deadlines for my updates. Life just _keeps_ getting in the way, and I'm sorry for that, everyone. I'll of course update as often as I can going forward, though... I just can't keep a schedule right now, clearly. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thanks as always to Blazing Winds for his help. He wrote in Sona and Steam, both being his characters. Posted (at about 4:05 p.m.) 01-30-19.**


	21. Bloodline Trait

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this violent confrontation… especially for the one who has been marked.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Haha, yeah, it is. Sorry about that XD Thank you so much for understanding, it really does mean a lot. Hopefully your wait will prove to be worth it. ^-^"**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Bloodline Trait"**

 **~保護者~**

A light flicked on, disturbing the deep shadows that Espio had been comfortably reclining in. He frowned deeply, almost squinting, and kept his eye shut until the light ceased to sting. When he opened said eye and looked toward the door, he saw Cream walking over to him. She took a seat against the wall beside him, smiling as usual. "I'm sorry about the light. I can't see in the dark like you can."

It didn't matter to him, so he brushed off her contrite demeanor. "It's fine," he murmured, already looking away.

He could feel her gaze resting upon him still. "You missed breakfast." A pause. "Are you not hungry?"

 _She must not have been told._ Recognizing this fact, Espio blinked once. "I don't need food."

Surprise positively radiated off of his companion. "Truly? Why?"

That was a question he himself wasn't sure how to answer. "I don't know," he admitted, shrugging slightly with the only shoulder he could actually move. "I merely took notice of it one day."

Her surprise hardly diminished, not that he had expected it to. "That's… odd," she finally commented. When he didn't verbalize a reply, she changed the subject on him. "How are your wounds?"

In response, Espio glanced down at the injury he had sustained to his torso the day before. "Shadow underestimates himself," he finally stated.

Catching on to the implications, Cream leaned over to look through the torn fabric of his kimono. Though she saw as well as he that the wound was not present anymore, she didn't dare touch regardless. "It's healed," she realized aloud.

A nod. "He said it would be healed by last night or so," he recalled quietly, "but it was healed hours before then."

His statement earned a bright smile. "That's wonderful," she stated warmly. Once more, he didn't reply. It wasn't that he didn't have a response to make, per se, but for now he simply felt like keeping his peace. The way of the ninja was a quiet one, and he had learned to embrace that with all of his being since childhood. It was part of who and how he was, and Cream well knew that by now. As such, his silence did nothing to take away from her joy. "I'm so glad that you're better now, Mister Espio."

At least someone was. _Gladness_ wasn't an emotion he had yet begun to feel again, not to mention the felt that he had never been a very _glad_ or otherwise _happy_ person to begin with. He'd always been fairly mellow overall, and that was no different here. He wasn't glad he was better, nor was he particularly glad that she was glad. Still, he _appreciated_ her warmth and care for what it was. _It isn't for no reason that she cares,_ he reminded himself, though it was a hard lesson to keep in mind at times. _She cares because she believes with all of her heart that people matter._

Cream shifted back into her previous position. "Mister Espio," she began, speaking slowly, "may I ask you a question?"

 _Here it comes._ This was it. The dreaded question. She was going to ask about Nakea, wasn't she? Sonic had certainly done so (and yes, Espio _had_ heard about that). "What is it?" he asked, made almost physically uncomfortable by the feeling of dread that had entered his heart. The feeling felt foreign because it had been so long since he had last felt it. He wished the feeling would leave.

Thankfully, her words immediately alleviated his concern. "Hyale," she murmured, her smile fading. Her voice took on a strong note of sadness. "Is it… still around?"

This was _not_ what Espio had expected to be asked about. _Hyale… I raised her there._ The mere question, along with this thought, send a flood of memories through his mind. Vanilla passing away, Cream leaving with him on his travels, them eventually settling down in his home in Hyale, her spending what remained of her childhood in the village… But that was the past. This was now. And she… needed reassurance, it would seem. "It still stands," he assured, hoping a calm tone would aid in lessening her sadness. "It has grown and changed, but at its core… ultimately, it remains the same."

Her smile brought him a measure of relief. Seeing her misery had never been something he had liked. "That's good," she murmured.

A thought crossed his mind. With scarcely a second of consideration, he decided to follow through with his little idea… if only because he needed a new kimono. "...You could come see it," he offered.

She perked _right_ up, clearly excited. All traces of sadness vanished from her in an instant. "Truly?"

"Truly," he confirmed, standing up. He slipped his sheathed katana back into the sash around his waist, being somewhat careless with the position of it for now. It wasn't as though he needed to be able to draw it quickly at the moment.

Cream quickly stood as well. "How will we get there? Are you able to teleport?"

While a simple "yes" would have sufficed, Espio decided to just do the act instead. They reappeared in the front room of his home, and he gestured to the large open doorway leading to the outside. She took the hint and practically bounded outside. A part of him wondered briefly if she would slow herself down in time to not fall out of the massive tree, but he turned away and walked toward his room. It would be difficult to change with only one arm, but he could take his time… if Cream had anything to say about it, they would be here for a while.

Once in his room, Espio slipped Tails's makeshift sling off and let his paralyzed arm dangle for the moment. He carefully worked himself out of his ruined clothing, then began searching for a change of clothes. Eventually, he settled on a simple kimono with dark blue fabric and some dark purple accentuations on it. It wasn't an outfit he had ever exactly intended on wearing (he really wasn't very fond of blue on clothes), but for now he was resigned to his choice. Using his one good hand, he got himself halfway dressed with practiced ease.

He had just set about attempting to get his shirt on when he thought he sensed a fluctuation of energy in the air. As the energy was still new to him, it took a second for him to recognize it as Steam's. Realizing the hedgehog was likely about to appear, he quickly pulled his shirt the rest of the way up and at least got his good arm through it. He then carefully pulled his other arm through its own sleeve. At least this way he could hold his shirt closed for now. Later, when Steam was gone, he'd worry about tying it shut properly with the sash (though that was a damn _chore_ and he hated it).

Like Espio had suspected, Steam appeared soon after he managed this and blinked. "Shit. That was almost a bad time, eh?" Espio just huffed at him and looked away. "Okay, okay. Sorry for busting in like this. I just wanted to talk to you."

"So talk," Espio invited, tone much calmer than such a terse sentence would have otherwise implied. He busied himself with stepping back into his sandals.

"Back to that time in the forest. You don't really know your family, do you?" Steam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I said I didn't," Espio simply reminded. "I wasn't lying."

A shrug came in response. "I doubt you of all people would really have the care to lie. Anyway, the matter of your family is… _concerning_ at best, especially since it's a part of you."

That brought Espio's focus fully back onto Steam. "What are you talking about?"

Steam sighed softly. "All of your family, save for your parents, were evil. _Truly_ evil," he murmured bluntly.

Espio stared at Steam for a long, long moment with a deep frown. When he finally spoke, his tone was carefully guarded. "How would you know?" he asked slowly. Mostly, he asked to buy himself time to fully process what he'd been told.

"First off, I've been through this shit with you and Nakea. I learned a lot about you in my timeline through that whole situation. Those markings are from _your_ family's clans." Steam huffed, crossing his arms.

 _Clan markings…_ That little revelation conjured up various teachings from his childhood about the history of his people. Clan markings were just that, markings that had supposedly distinguished one clan from another from another, and so on. Such marks were hereditary and important as a result, but most of his people had never had them. Only those from certain clans ever had. Nevertheless, he had supposedly been taught about all of the markings as part of his history lessons growing up… but he had never heard of marks like these. Did this mean he had been deliberately kept in the dark?

Gritting his teeth, he shifted so that he could (awkwardly) pull his right sleeve up. "These," he demanded in a falsely calm tone, "are Clan Marks?" Revealed on his upper arm was a thin black line that extended down from his shoulder somewhere under the fabric of his sleeve. That line curved into a swirl that then branched off into a connected but barely formed second swirl. This second one was fading deeply and almost wasn't there anymore. The first, while also greatly fading, was still plainly there to be seen.

Steam tensed at the sight and held off a faint growl, though it wasn't pointed _at_ Espio. "When did they show up, Espio?" he demanded back, stepping closer to inspect the marks. _God damn it. This is not good._

Though barely inclined to at this point, Espio wanted answers. So he opted to give one himself. "Several days ago."

"Why the _hell_ didn't you say something when I asked about it the first time?" The hedgehog groaned openly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Espio let his sleeve drop. "I had little cause at the time to believe it _mattered_ ," he responded pointedly.

Steam stepped back and fixated the chameleon with a hardened expression. "This is a bad situation. The more this continues, the more you're gonna revert to a personality like they had, and then those marks will appear in greater numbers." Espio was silent, listening with an open frown to what he was being told. "Look, Espio. I'm not trying to make you sound like an issue or anything, but this really is a bad thing. The worse this gets, the more likely you are to become a serious threat."

At that moment, Espio decided that he was done with this. Grabbing his sash and sword, he disappeared entirely. He would confront this issue alone… away from prying eyes. Steam gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to hit his head against something before walking along toward Cream. If he was about to deal with part of the problem, she didn't need to be alone for a potentially long period of time. She was easily located outside, admiring the scenery from the ground far below with her usual smile firmly in place. The smile faded slightly in favor of something a touch more concerned as he approached, however. No doubt she could already sense Espio's disappearance. "Hello, Mister Steam."

"You don't have to call me 'mister', Cream." Steam smiled to her, chuckling a little. "I don't deserve that kinda respect."

"Don't be silly," Cream giggled softly. "That isn't true at all."

Steam smirked faintly. "I can have this argument all day, kid. And yes, I'm gonna call you 'kid' because you're millenia younger than me." She just giggled again and didn't bother to argue further with him. "Alright, come on. I gotta get you back to the tower for the time being while I go deal with someone." He held out his hand to her, a gentle smile on his face.

"Alright." Reaching out, she took the offered hand. The moment they made contact, the two teleported directly back into the living room of the tower. Cream bid him a quick farewell and went to find the others.

Steam's expression hardened once more and he teleported off with a noticeable burst of flames in search of the current source of his ire. _That woman is gonna pay for all this crap._

Said woman was currently sitting on a deeply charred rocky outcropping on a very desolate world, just checking on the state of her gear and several scrolls she had with her. When she sensed him, she idly turned to look. "You again, I see…"

"I'm gonna be a pain in your ass if you keep messing with them," he answered bluntly, shrugging.

One eyebrow raised. "Pray tell," Nakea drawled in a tone that _clearly_ communicated just how much she didn't care.

Steam shrugged. "Nah. Not worth wasting my time. I'm basically here to cause problems." He smirked at her, noticeably amused. He would have fun with this for sure.

Nakea stood and turned to face him. "I see…" she smirked faintly. "So you're out searching for some semblance of vengeance, is that it?"

"Sorta. I got a lot of things I'm searching for, and it _is_ pretty high up on the list. You certainly piss me off by fucking with people I care about," he responded, the venom entering his tone suddenly.

His emotions only served to feed her rapidly growing amusement. "Pity you chose them to defend. True, they hardly need it against _most_ foes… but you cannot aid them even when it _is_ needed, it would seem." Weak insults. She wasn't even _trying_.

Another shrug served as a response. "I'd rather not have them be my enemies. You seen what the kid alone can do? Ship slamming giant monsters to death. Then you have the ones _born_ to be powerful. I think it's better I defend them over you pitiful bastards."

After a brief but nevertheless thoughtful pause, she canted her head at him. A glint in her eyes seemed to communicate that she had just figured something out that even more greatly amused her. "Ah… I see. You're here on behalf of my little sparring partner, aren't you?"

"Actually, I'm here on behalf of myself and already hating your guts." He openly feigned a smile, watching her. "Can't stand you. Neither could my friends."

"False," she reminded him with a small laugh. "As you may recall, _one_ of them quite prefers having me around."

Steam blinked a few times. "Huh? I never got close to anyone who liked you. I mean, I know a few people but they're not my _friends_."

Her amusement never waned. In fact, it only grew. "Unless I'm mistaken…" she responded slowly, "you discovered the beginning results of my years of effort." She grinned a bit, very early. "Those marks… beautiful, are they not?"

Steam blinked at her again. "You're a right pain in the ass. So, how about this? Don't come near any of them again or I'll make sure shit goes downhill for you and all your allies."

"Your little _threat_ ," Nakea smiled, "is meaningless. I have no cause to heed it… and even supposing that I obeyed you, it would change nothing. What has been done cannot be _un_ done, and the darkness will continue to spread with or without my continued help." She said so much, revealed so much. It wasn't like her... but she had her orders.

There was a noticeable change around Steam, the air being affected as energy built up inside him. "That's not the problem. I'm not trying to stop it. I'm wanting to get rid of you because you're _really_ starting to grow agitating." Nakea just laughed at him, not at all bothered by his displays of hostility. "I'll go ahead and warn you once more. Get the hell out of here." His hands clenched as his stance shifted.

"And leave such a _worthy_ opponent," she answered with obvious sarcasm lacing that one word, "to bristle here all alone? I think not."

"Alright then, cocky son of a bitch. Come at me." Steam didn't even bother drawing his sword, flames dancing around his body in a display of his anger toward the comment.

Nakea, however, chose to simply smile at him… and then give a simple warning. "You openly revealed yourself to everything on this world… and your presence here irritates him already. It will be fun watching you two brawl." And with that, she quite wisely vanished as a very _particular_ demonic energy made itself known in the distance.

"Great, great. Just _fucking_ great." Steam sat down and simply waited. He was _not_ in the mood to be dealing with this before calming himself down. With a hollow roar, a demon deep below the ground audibly burrowed away from Steam's location in fear mere seconds before it's very God appeared by Steam's side. The man didn't immediately speak or do anything in particular, choosing instead to briefly survey the area and Steam himself. Steam did nothing more than stand up after a moment, his energies built up within having died out before the God ever arrived. "Hey, there. _Great_ timing you had." he said sarcastically.

Glowing demonic eyes shifted to fully rest on Steam, slightly narrowed in irritation. Still, his voice was eerily calm in tone when he spoke. "Answer me something," he replied slowly. "Why, _exactly_ , did you believe that coming here was a good idea...?"

"Did I ever say it was a good idea?" Steam countered lightly, sighing. "I came solely to deal with that woman. Then you showed up as well. That's the extent of my thought process on this situation." His response was calm and almost unbothered by the _God of Demons_ demanding information from him.

Almost idly, the man watched as more demons began to arrive in the area, eager to feed off of this new source of power and energy and blood. _If a fool dies, he dies… I take no pity on the weak._ Still, he decided for now to warn the hordes off. He wasn't finished here yet. A surge of power that were merely _felt_ and not seen was more than enough to send the lot of them scattering in mortal fear for their lives. The fact that it didn't bother this stranger came as no real surprise, given the boy's attitude up until this point.

Steam turned to him finally, blinking once as he regarded the God. "So, I assume there's more information you want from me? You would've already run a blade through me if it was only about encroaching on your land."

The idea of doing just that and being done with it was tempting, but earlier battles had sated him enough for now that he possessed more than enough patience to focus on speaking instead. "You don't exist in this realm," he murmured coolly. "You came here from elsewhere, intent on aiding the Immortal iand his friends."

"Ah, damn. Shoulda known you'd catch on, of all people." Steam's response said plenty in lieu of a normal answer.

The God seemed ready to say something else when his gaze suddenly flicked to the side… and down. Just as he looked over, a small child lowered their disconcertingly bloody dagger down in an almost confused manner, demonic eyes looking up at Steam. Visibly irritated, he walked over to the child and very cruelly knocked them back several feet with a hard kick. The child yelped in surprise and pain, dropping her dagger as she hit the ground."Let go of your penchant for _mercy_ , girl," he growled. "It will not serve you here."

This earned a severe reaction from Steam, in the form of a hardened glare. He knew better than to do anything directly against this man, but the thought of hurting a kid… that just _infuriated_ Steam. And he had a mouth. "The hell is your problem?" He teleported between the God and the kid, arms crossed.

That didn't really earn an answer, if only because the God was still focused on the girl. She had received a _tiny_ dose of purification years ago and still to this _day_ it was causing issues… If she was going to go for a kill like this to prove herself, she had to actually follow through. Thanks to the interference of _her_ , however, it seemed unlikely that such a thing would come to pass any time soon, if at all. All thanks to the work of one woman. _Damn her._

Definitely more irritated now than before, he watched the child stand up and, head bowed submissively, she retrieved her dagger. "Father-" she began, hoping to lessen the danger she was now facing.

"Leave," he cut in coldly. "Return to your sisters."

She knew better than to disobey. Within seconds she was gone, and he was free again to focus on the man who had decided to trespass here. The simple matter of _trespassing_ wasn't what was currently making him so damn agitated, however. His mind flashing back to who he encountered just the day before, he muttered a small accusation of sorts. "You travel with the boy."

"And?" Steam asked in response, tone even and a touch uncaring. "I know the weight behind my choices."

This reply earned little initial reaction beyond slightly narrowed eyes. He hadn't expected a bigger response, anyway, but the way said response had been delivered irked. _He is either entirely too careless… or confident._

The green hedgehog raised an eyebrow, tapping his fingers against his side lightly. If he was honest, this situation didn't bother him. He was more concerned with what was _definitely_ inevitable in this situation. "I assume you're not gonna let me leave."

The fuck he _would_. He could sense what this kid was, and he wasn't about to go and let a Balancer _walk away._ Not without at least a… _small_ fight. He did so enjoy testing new opponents, after all. That was one of the few things that hadn't at all changed. "No," he answered simply, already drawing his blade.

Steam shrugged. "Alright. Just know it'll be a hell of a time to _actually_ kill me off." Within moments, he had his own blade drawn and was several steps back. He was confident, yes, but not so much so that he would stand that close to the God before a fight. Said God opted to give into curiosity for the moment and let his opponent go first. With a frown, Steam shifted forward and let out an explosion of Light simply to get things going.

A smaller and much more tightly controlled surge of Darkness pressed against the Light, blanketing the area in a layer of malice and dread and horror. Despite its considerably different size, this surge pressed back against Steam's Light effortlessly. Steam growled faintly and teleported a distance away, intent on not getting caught up in the attack as he released a few more quick explosions. _God, I need to find a way out of here. I do not want him knowing what I've got._

The God dodged all of this easily and hurled several disks of razor-sharp Darkness at Steam. But he was barely trying, and it _showed_. The green hedgehog snapped his fingers and dispelled the discs flying at him with bursts of golden magic, a deeper frown forming on his face. He brandished his blade and shot forward at the God, forming a barrier around himself while performing a quick slash.

Once more, Steam's attacks were dodged. This time, the God countered more properly and sent massive tendrils of Darkness shooting up from the ground both within and around the outside of the barrier. The vine-like appendages stabbed through the barrier at lightning speeds and also attempted to spear Steam through in the same motion. Steam hissed as he was forced to absorb some of the attack into himself before teleporting back and clutching at his head. "Dammit, you _bastard_!"

Somewhat amused, the God smirked. "I would mind your tongue," he reprimanded mildly, even as he sent more and more Darkness Steam's way.

Steam snapped his gaze upward and blasted the attacks with a mix of his magic and Light to once again dispel the attack. Every muscle in his body was beginning to tense and he was _definitely_ not happy about it. "I don't give a shit," he muttered angrily, eyes shifting to a golden color.

Well aware of what this magic was, the God immediately began to work on quelling it by encasing Steam in a sphere of Darkness and compressing it. The goal was to see if this could succeed in overpowering Steam… or if the boy actually had some backbone. Steam visibly struggled against the Darkness for some time before he began to create an outward pressure using Light and practically clawing his way out of the sphere. The God added additional pressure to this because, of course, he was trying to get a vague idea of what Steam was capable of.

This resulted in a _very_ pissed off Steam, the hedgehog literally forcing his way out with explosions of Light and his magic with considerably more force than before to free himself. "You are _really_ pissing me off," he hissed, eyes glowing from the energy he was keeping stored in his body currently.

It went without saying that the God didn't _care_ , a fact which his continually bored yet amused demeanor showed through and through. He started to gather more energy in order to further torment Steam, but suddenly paused. His eyes shifted to somewhere in the distance and without a word he just… watched. _It would seem this has drawn some attention… typical._

A voice sounded off in the direction the God was looking, speaking in low tones with a language only _he_ would recognize immediately. His ears shot up and a look of recognition flashed through his eyes, closely followed by a soft, "Tch," as he prepared for a _much_ messier confrontation.

It was only moments later that a black cat appeared and frowned faintly, an annoyed sheen to his eyes as he regarded the God quietly. The God returned this look with one of irritation. _Why is Steam here? He does not belong._ The cat's gaze flicked to the green hedgehog who was currently surveying the situation, using his blade to stand straighter. The kid is gonna get himself murdered.

"Ylden," the God called in a now eerily calm voice. He said nothing more, merely acknowledging however briefly who the man was… and carrying in his tone a _clear_ warning of what was to come should the cat stay.

"I know precisely what I am doing. You of all people should know that." Ylden spoke easily and calmly, inherent neutrality spreading over his face as he explored the several potential outcomes of this bout.

That jab was hardly worthy of a response, so the God didn't dignify it with one. Instead, he tossed a sharp glare at his hoards, which were again inching closer to the confrontation. The boldest of the lot didn't beat a hasty retreat with the rest, choosing instead to inch toward Ylden. He let them, deciding that if Ylden didn't kill them _he_ would. But he had other matters to focus on besides just them. "And when, pray tell," he drawled, examining the edge of his sword, "is she going to show herself?"

Ylden didn't answer at first, turning and summoning his scythe in hand before tapping the ground with it. Shortly after, the demons began to be killed off by what seemed to be an invisible blade the cat was controlling effortlessly. "I do not know. I am not her caretaker."

The God _knew_ she was around, that she was coming, but it seemed she was taking her time. It was irritating, though not so much so that it showed. Titling his head slightly, he murmured almost to himself, "Without her, you'd have died where you stand, Ylden."

"And… I care?" he asked, somewhat genuinely. There was a certain level of Ylden not seeming to be bothered by that fact.

At this, he smirked faintly, almost as though amused again. "You should… as few others would bother to defend your daughter in your stead…"

The cat's eyes narrowed faintly. "In that case, I would love to see her grow and kick. Your. Ass." He smirked in turn, as he knew this was merely a joke.

"Unlikely," was the mild retort. "Vaguely _possible_ … but unlikely nevertheless."

"You're not touching my kid." Ylden said easily. "I won't allow you to." A brief flash of his anger appeared in his eyes, his neutrality taking back over soon after.

Luckily, he had no real plans to do any such thing at the moment (he'd just wanted to further entertain himself in a perhaps petty way, and had definitely achieved that goal). There were far too many other matters that he needed to focus on, chief among them being that _damned_ hawk. However, that could wait. _He'll return on his own another time… there is no reason to seek him out._ Focusing again on Ylden, he goaded smoothly, "Attempt to stop me, then… by all means."

"That's more my job." Someone familiar said from behind the God, a female with a noticeable ring of wisdom and power in her tone.

Unaffected, the God turned to face her without a hint of concern. His arms were comfortably crossed with his sword still in hand. Said blade was still coated in crimson from his earlier violent contact with Jet, as was the battlefield they were standing within. He expected this to anger her to some degree, but it didn't worry him in the slightest. Her status and abilities meant nothing to him. "Feel free to attempt it, then," he offered, his casual tone fully revealing his boredom.

"Get the hell out of here, Steam," The goddess said suddenly, a blade forming in her hand as she regarded the God. "You have to get somewhere safer." She and Ylden both suddenly got themselves ready as Steam teleported away. The God observed this with rapidly increasing boredom bleeding into his eyes… which was seldom a good sign. Boredom in demons tended to evolve rapidly into _bloodlust_.

Noting this, Cere opted to take the first strike and created magic circles around what would shortly become their battleground and vanishing only to appear directly behind him mid-swing with her signature halberd. Ylden took the opportunity as it came to litter the area with blue flame-like wisps, opting to stay still for the time being with his scythe at the ready. The God of Demons eyed them both silently, clearly unimpressed, and shifted to ready his sword if need be. He clearly could not have cared any less about their show of power, nor did he express much desire to toy around with said power as he normally would. He was so bored that he was only interested in full and proper bloodshed. Still, he let loose some of the energy within himself regardless. If the opportunity presented itself, he would still find time to entertain himself as usual.

The goddess dropped low and touched her fingertips to the ground, creating another magic circle at his feet. From it emerged sturdy walls that reflected the energy back inward (not that it could _hurt_ the demon), allowing her to twist and bring her weapon around in a shockingly fast arc for his legs. He leapt over the attack and swung his sword down toward her face. Demonic energy crackled ominously all over the length of the blade. Her halberd slammed into the ground and she used her momentum to carry herself around the blade nimbly, a blade of magic launching from her foot upwards at him. He knew better than to pit his magic against hers (his simply _not_ the best matchup against it), so he wisely threw himself to the side just in time to dodge. He then retaliated by unleashing a torrent of Hellfire at her from his free hand.

The wisps encircled Cere suddenly and gyrated around her body, offering her protection long enough to teleport herself out of the way of the attack and throw her own retaliation in the form of an amassment of red, crackling energy. He very quickly examined the energy with cold and calculating eyes, then made an unexpected move. Without warning, he suddenly removed many of the chains holding his power within himself and let it loose, a move which would temporarily grant him extreme invulnerability against most types of attacks.

"Mors Abundate!" Ylden suddenly yelled, blanketing the area in layers of magic that, upon touching the circles left by Cere, let itself be absorbed into them. Cere nodded on instinct, showing her approval and let them all suddenly activate. All manner of Cere's magic based attacks were launched directly for the God of Demons while several immensely sturdy barriers sprouted all around, offering some semblance of protection for the two allies.

Seeing that he had next to no room to dodge (he refused to teleport away, as that railed against the demonic instinct to never flee), the god decided to make a very rare move… something that he almost never did even before being corrupted. Focusing his energies, he ascended into his full God of Death state (as he had been the god of such since his birth well before being turned demonic). His body changed into little more than an ominous shadow with no discernable features, not even eyes or a face, but retained the shape of his normal body. That shadowy form came equipped with an equally ominous aura, both of which were completely passed through by all of the oncoming attacks.

Cere watched this and instantaneously performed a similar action, allowing herself to ascend to her Goddess of Judgement state. Her body shifted to a form of her red energy, the energy that allowed her to call down judgement upon any who dared stand against her on the field of battle. She was in a similar state, almost no features shown except that she kept the faint outline of her body. The air around her boiled as her power directly began to oppose the very existence of this planet. Now pressed to act and not continue, well, _not bothering_ , the god allowed yet more power to flow free from him and began pressing back against all of her power with his own. He wasn't at all gentle about it, either, letting the energy stab and crush and slash and even burn all at once.

Cere retaliated in an equal manner, primarily countering then unleashing a full assault on him as she charged forward with a blade of unbridled Judgement. The God of Demons surged forth as well, fully prepared to obliterate her at even the _slightest_ chance. Very quickly and suddenly, a storm of concentrated Light fell upon the God of Demons. The Light burned like _hell_ as it always did, and the God hissed under his breath as he went against his instincts and teleported out of the way of the Light and its power. Furious, he stared at the green hedgehog from earlier as the younger man emerged into view.

"Damn it all. I almost forgot how much I _despised_ you and what you did once you became a demon." Light surged around Steam, his hands curled into painfully tight fists. "I almost remembered what you used to be like and how awesome you could be."

Though it couldn't be seen due to his current form, the god bared his fangs in a silent snarl and simply prepared another attack in response. In turn, Cere did the same, positioning herself to form a triangle around the god with Steam and Ylden. This attack _absolutely_ had to be their all if they wanted any chance of getting out of here alive. Ylden's eyes glowed, his understanding of the situation certainly following what Cere was thinking. He stabbed the blade of his scythe into the ground and spoke almost inaudibly, "Omnes Ave perditionem devorans." Magic gathered at the end of his weapon and rippled before launching forward for the enemy, the ground and air it touched during its travel vaporized.

Having had enough of their presence by now, the God of Demons used a spell of his own, one that wasn't _truly_ magic as it interacted more with his other energies instead. Barely biting back an irritated growl, he muttered, "Tene tenbris." Pure, unabated, and utterly _hellish_ corrupted demonic energies and Darkness exploded everywhere, taking out everything in the area. Even his own demons, their homes, and so on were not spared.

"Coraea Peialo," Cere whispered, equally hellish and concentrated arcs of her Hexan magic and Judgement energy were brought down and dispelled small portions of the God's attack, clearing herself and her allies from danger as well as clearing the way for Steam. He charged forward with _animosity_ blazing in his eyes with his Light surging forth, followed by a sword slash that freed the last of the energy he held within him for the attack, all aimed directly for the man who was once his idol.

Watching the play of emotions in the other hedgehog's eyes, the god stood from his crouch. With scarcely a thought, he focused his attack and channeled it all right for Steam. There were multiple reasons for this. The insolent brat had burned him. He had Light within himself to _begin_ with, and that alone was vexing. He was associating himself with Jet and…

The boy…

Narrowing his eyes, he strengthened his attack and let it fly.

 **~保護者~**

 **6,447 words this time. Life, guys... _life_. It happens, and it gets in the way, and sometimes schedules just don't work together. On that note, I am _so_ sorry for the delay in posting. However, I should be _completely_ back this time around. Now, with that said, here are a few quick notes:**

 **1\. The spells are all in Latin (and, for the record, I don't know what any of them mean except for the one the God of Demons used).**

 **2\. Ylden and Cere are two more of Blazing Winds' characters. Ylden's name (if I remember correctly) is pronounced "Yeel-den". Cere's is pronounced "Seh-rae".**

 **3\. For those who may have forgotten, Hexans are the powerful race of magical beings that Wave is half-descended from (thanks to her dad).**

 **Lastly, thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help! Another chapter will be up tomorrow.**


	22. Ancients Awaken

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this emotional reveal… especially for the ones who suddenly have so much to live for.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Ancients Awaken"**

 **~保護者~**

Blue eyes shifted up suddenly to view a disturbance, watching as a portal opened into a realm that was _never_ accessed. They searched quickly as the one who had caused this and their acquaintances walked through, the portal closing behind them. These same eyes observed everything for a long moment before seeming to shine excitedly. _Oh god… That idiot is still alive!_

Ylden's gaze flicked over to the owner of these blue eyes and smirked faintly, amused by the man's apparent excitement. "Come on over here. Have your reunion before we talk, Sein."

The blue feathered hawk rushed over and fully tackled the wolf that had tagged along with Ylden, the both of them laughing openly and wrestling around for a moment before getting up and sharing a fist bump. "God, how the hell have you not gotten yourself killed, Li?" Sein questioned excitedly, laughing more.

"If I remember correctly, you were the idiot that got himself into all the trouble in our little group of friends." The wolf pointed out easily in a teasing manner.

"Ah, shut it. You got into just as much trouble as I did."

"No… still you."

Sein rolled his eyes at Li and cast a smile at the Therian near Li, waving. "Nice to see you too, Novei. It's been a while as well."

She nodded minutely, blinking blankly. "It certainly has been some time. How is Alana?"

Almost as if on cue, a silvery-grey female hawk walked into view from somewhere nearby. Brushing long hair out of her face, a habit she had no doubt picked up from her father of all people, she murmured, "I am fine." Li smiled and offered his hand to her, a common way for him to greet most people that _weren't_ his idiotic and troublesome best friend. She accepted the hand somewhat delicately and offered one of her usual small smiles. This one had a wan quality that wasn't normal for her, full of deep and mostly buried maternal agony. Still, her words carried genuine warmth overall. "It is good to see you, Li, truly. I trust you are well."

Li noted the pain and was about to ask if she was alright, but Ylden cut them off by gently clearing his throat. "As much as I love seeing you all reconvene after so long, it is best if I do not allow it to take _too_ much time. There are matters we must discuss." The cat glanced to Alana softly to convey that some of this was highly important for _her_ especially.

Alana inclined her head slightly. "Of course," she murmured, blinking once as though in reply specifically to the look she had been given. "Forgive us. We realize you would not have come here for nothing."

"One can hope," Sein commented, a pleasant smile on his face as he motioned for Ylden to continue. As usual, he always wanted to keep things on the lighter side.

"The first matter. Your son. He's alive." Ylden's explanation was simple and blunt, but full of something that bore understanding of their situation with it.

For once in her life, Alana simply could _not_ help the instant emotional reaction that slammed into her when those words were spoken. Though she hadn't processed the words at all, they still at once utterly relieved and _devastated_ her emotionally. A sort of whimper broke free from her and she fell to her knees, hands clamped over her mouth in shock. Tears threatened to spill forth, but didn't actually fall… for now.

Sein's mouth dropped as he instinctively set a hand on her shoulder, aura flaring for a moment before he controlled himself. " _He_ is still _alive_?" the hawk demanded, his feathers bristling under the influence of his intense wave of emotions.

Lower lip quivering, Alana squeezed her eyes shut and told him in a tiny voice, "Yes... son." She swallowed thickly, then whispered, "Sein… Th-that was his name." Tears finally began to fall. "I… I called him… Sein."

"Yes. He is alive." The black cat walked forward and set a hand against Sein's forehead, allowing him and Alana to see a few images of their child in his adult years. A few memories moved with these images, largely from departed friends.

 _The first memory began uneventfully. It was blurry at first, coming into focus bits and pieces at a time. When everything was finally clear, the very first thing that Sein and Alana could see was a ship that was very clearly Babylonian in make. Most of it was torn open and damaged with sparks of energy flying out all over the place. It was resting in a large hangar of sorts, but no one really seemed to be around it except for whoever was apparently inside of it working on something. As the couple watched, there was a massive spark of pinkish energy, closely followed by an irritated exclamation of, " Fucking hell!"_

 _Before too long, a figure emerged from the vessel. They were young, maybe in their upper teen years, and covered in emerald green feathers that couldn't mistaken as anything less than they were: the color of Queen Laralei's family. The young man (whose hair was just as windswept as his father's) jumped to the ground below and brushed himself off, then tugged at a long and flowing red scarf around his neck to fix it. Pure blue eyes glance over a second later before he muttered, "Instead of just standing there snickering, you could come and make yourself useful, you asshole."_

 _"And if I don't want to?" A blue hedgehog, whom Sein and Alana could see now, smirked. His arms were comfortably crossed, emerald eyes twinkling with amusement._

 _"Then get the hell out of my hangar," the hawk retorted simply. "You're in the goddamned way."_

 _The hedgehog rolled his eyes and walked forward, still smirking. "Fine, fine. I'll help. No need to be so rude."_

 _"Says the piece of shit that tried gluing my shoes to the floor yesterday," the hawk muttered, shooting his apparent friend a glare that was all-to-clearly not real at all._

 _"What's your point? It was certainly funnier than when you tried to make me find my way through this hell of a maze you call home!"_

 _"As I recall," came the slow reply, "you all but pleaded to be allowed to explore while I fixed the barriers. I just let you do it. It's hardly my fault that you got yourself lost."_

Sein openly smirked at this all as the memory faded, beyond overjoyed at seeing his child having inherited a sense of humor that reminded him so well of himself and his friends. Alana was too busy trying to stifle further tears to have much reaction at the moment (this was all just too much right now), but she found it in herself to at least whisper, "He's so much like you."

"Like you as well," Sein openly added, nudging her softly with a bright smile.

Swallowing hard past the lump in her throat, she asked (almost pleaded, really) Ylden in a weak voice, "Are… there more…?" A simple nod served as the response, already allowing the next to come into view.

 _In this memory, their child was shown sitting atop a rocky outcropping, nursing several deep wounds to his right side while he looked out over a partially destroyed city far off in the distance. Footsteps approached and he turned his head slightly to see a recently acquired ally walking over. The other young man shook his head. "Why do you do this to yourself, Jet? You died like… twice today."_

 _At this, Jet sighed and looked away. He was silent for a long, long time before finally murmuring. "We are all born free, Kane… I can't just let others try to wipe innocents off the map like that. And I won't. That's all."_

The memory faded here, then vanished entirely. Sein held his fist to his chest in a display of the pain it caused him. He understood this view, perhaps even passion, to keep innocent people alive… even at the cost of yourself. A tear slipped from his right eye and he wiped it away slowly, motioning for Ylden to continue.

 _A new memory faded into being, this one taking place during a time of chaos and war. The enemies swarming around Jet were none other than the Nocturnians, and Alana recognized them in an instant. She tensed, watching in silence as their son fought with a group of others against the seemingly endless tides of enemies. There were calls for help from some, shouts of encouragement from others, but the two voices that rang loudest in Jet's mind were those of the hedgehog from before… and a young swallow with a bandana on her head. They were calling for him to accept their help with his portion of the fight, lest he be totally overwhelmed by the forces surrounding him. He seemed extremely reluctant for reasons unknown, but over time a clear thought made itself known in his mind, one that Sein and Alana were somehow allowed to hear._

 _'Maybe I am a fool…' He cast a swift glance at the incoming attack his friends had sent his way. '...but trust is a sentiment I want to believe in.' Leaping high into the air, he called forth immense lightning and allowed it to combine with their strength to decimate the enemies below. 'And it's worth fighting for… isn't it?'_

Sein clutched at his chest tighter, pride overwhelming him as he watched his son's interactions. "He's a bit too much like me…" The man murmured, his breathing a touch labored. "But he's obviously doing well for himself with his friends…"

Wiping at her eyes, Alana gave a slight nod. "It seems he has had to learn the same lessons you once taught me," she observed quietly, seeing plain as day her own reticence shining within their son.

"I will agree on that much. He has done much and learned even more so," Ylden offered in vague explanation, tilting his head toward Sein. "There are a couple more memories left." Sein nodded softly, once more motioning for the cat to continue doing his job.

 _It was quiet and peaceful in this memory. This time, they saw their son simply reclined on a comfy couch with a thick book in hand, clearly lost in its pages and words. Still, he wasn't caught even remotely off-guard when a new presence made itself known in the area, nor did he bother to look up when he sensed it. He merely used his aura to go ahead and pull open the door to the small one-room home he was currently relaxing in, thus allowing a white cat to come inside._

 _She did so with a gently and thankful nod, closing it behind her before walking over. "How have you been?" Her voice was mellow and had a radiant calmness that hinted toward her overall portrayal of self._

 _Pure blue eyes continued to focus on the pages, but Jet responded in kind regardless. "As well as can be expected, I suppose," he murmured. His unusually relaxed attitude carried quite well in his voice, as he made no attempt to hide it. "And you?"_

 _"I have been well, if I am honest. As long as you do not mind my asking, do you have any wounds that you would allow me to treat while I am visiting?" She kneeled down by the couch gently, her amber eyes curiously regarding the book he held in hand._

 _"Why must everyone always assume I've been injured again?" Jet sighed… pointedly choosing to ignore the fact that he very clearly had bandages around his right leg._

 _"It is certainly something that you are… adept at," the cat giggled, walking around the couch and kneeling down. "Perhaps you should change that." Without waiting for a response, she extended her now glowing hands out, slowly mending his wounds._

 _Having given in to her apparent decision to help regardless of what he said or did, Jet made no attempts to interfere with her work. Instead, he simply responded to what she'd said. "I hardly can," he pointed out evenly, "given the nature of my 'business', as it's been called."_

 _She lifted her head with a gentle smile, obvious amusement in her eyes. "Jet, it is merely a joke. Allow me my moment of sarcasm such as you do your friends."_

 _Jet waved her off vaguely with one hand. "Frankly, I'm often tempted not to let them do it, either."_

 _"Then only let me," she concluded, giggling once more with a somewhat brighter smile than before. "And let them be confused as to why I am allowed to do so."_

 _Her suggestion made him pause and think. "That… might piss some of them off." Another slight pause, then he flashed her one of his rare, genuine grins. "Let's do it. It'd be worth it."_

Sein found himself running a hand through his hair, trying not to laugh his ass off and cry at the same time. He'd finally hit that point, but his was purely out of joy. _My kid is so much like me… and so much more._

Too emotional to react much herself, Alana merely held onto him and tried not to cry aloud. Eventually, however, she looked to Ylden for more. She had to see more… whatever it was Ylden had. _I need to see him… if only one last time…_ There was a gentle nod in response to Alana from the cat, his gaze shifting almost imperceptibly in concern even as he obliged.

 _The conflict ended as suddenly and violently as it had begun. Shaken by everything she had just witnessed, a young woman reached down to one of the panels in her small ship. Debris floated sluggishly in all directions several miles ahead of her, bumping against shards of space rocks and sometimes sparking with remnants of energy from the now finished brawl. The woman knew that such a terrible encounter would not have ended with all parties leaving alive. She needed to get help here if at all possible. So, with that thought in mind, she pressed a holographic button and made a call._

 _At first, there was no answer. "Come on, Kath, answer for once…" she mumbled under her breath, urgency creeping into her tone._

Sein had calmed himself somewhat by now, his focus entirely on the memory they were being shown. He was noticeably frowning, holding Alana close to him. Alana sat up straighter at the mention of that name in the memory, shocked anew. "Father?" she breathed, even as the memory continued. She was fighting not to think about anything, especially not the fact that she _knew_ this memory and what had occurred leading up to it.

 _When no answer came, the woman 'tsked' and began carefully flying her ship closer to the wreckage. Once close enough to the largest bulk of debris, she opened her cockpit and leaned out to look. She saw no signs of life whatsoever despite her thorough examination and started to turn away again, only to pause when some color caught her eye. She leaned back out again. "...A toy?" she mumbled, watching as a broken baby toy floated past her ship._

 _Concern rising anew, the woman tried again to call Kath. Minutes passed, and the call continued to go unanswered. This time, however, she was persistent. After about the third or fourth attempt, finally the call went through. Kath's voice spoke, audibly tense and upset. "What?"_

 _Ignoring how unusually harsh his tone was, the woman reported, "I witnessed an attack earlier, Kath. There's a ship here and it's totally destroyed. I think there are at least two casualties, and one might be a child. The ship is Babylonian."_

 _There was a very long pause before Kath slowly said, "There are no ships in your area. They're all stationed near Therius."_

 _"I know, but…" The woman looked around again. "There was that portal we detected earlier… remember? The one you thought connected a different timeline to ours for a moment?"_

This time around, Sein had a much more outward reaction. He narrowed his eyes and glanced to Alana, obviously processing large amounts of information all at once. _That's what happened, huh?_ Alana couldn't tell him anything right now, too busy choking back fresh sobs as all those long-repressed memories flooded back into her mind.

 _Another long pause followed, then Kath directed sternly, "Finish checking for survivors and then leave the area. She may still be close by."_

 _The woman sort of gulped. "Wait, you think-"_

 _"No," he cut her off curtly. "I know for a fact that she was there. It's specifically why I told you not to go there." Despite the reprimand, he was quick to follow with, "Find the child as quickly as you can. They, at least, may still be alive. She may have left him alive."_

 _"Right… if you say so." There was a slight second of hesitation before she asked, "How do you know if 'he' is a 'he'?" There was no answer once again. She was talking to empty air. Sighing, she hung up and began searching once more. The memory almost seemed to blur out of focus for a time after that, only to then come back into focus some time later. By this time, the woman had crawled carefully into a tight nook between some wrenched metal and was pulling out a dirty bundle of cloth and green feathers. After almost too long a moment, there was a weak cry._

Sein shifted uncomfortably for a moment. _Shit… It was her…_ His muscles tensed greatly, the air rippling around him as energy flowed from his body. "Is that all, Ylden?" The man asked tensely. Alana said nothing. She was too overcome with emotion (a rare thing indeed for her) to say a word.

"One more, Sein," Ylden murmured softly, making a motion with his hand to slowly bring the final memory into view.

 _Kethro the Dark, a notorious Nocturnian that no Babylonian didn't know of, shot the Babylonian woman from earlier a surprisingly irritated look. The pair of them were floating near Jet in the depths of space, surrounded by bodies, ships parts and other debris, bits of space rocks, and more. "Bonds constitute care… compassion." He sniffed derisively, looking at Jet in particular. "Weakness, though hardly an incurable one. We have corrupted those with worse flaws."_

The sight of this man in the same memory as their son made Alana tense up. She had heard rumors that the Clan had returned to wreak havoc across various timelines, but to think that _this_ Nocturnian had been set loose as well… "Sein…" she breathed, alarmed. A different memory flashed through her mind, one of her mother and father fighting with their _all_ to help seal this man and his kind away in their timeline so, so long ago. She and Sein had been just children then, but she _remembered_. Sein gave no verbal response, the area about them rippling with energy for a moment before he took control of himself once more. His gaze flicked to Alana quietly.

The memory continued unabated.

 _The mention of the word "corruption" appeared to have an instantaneous and profound effect on Jet. Fury that he had been feeling earlier returned all at once - and far more powerfully than before. He had no desire to ask Kethro what in the hell he was trying to get at. Instead, he chose to lunge for the man, though his movement was undoubtedly anticipated. The pair traded blows far too quickly for most to follow. Explosions popped up all over the battlefield, marking each point of violent conflict where the pair collided. Several ships blew up utterly when Jet slammed Kethro through them. The massive barriers encasing the battlefield and keeping everyone here rippled expressively from the impact when Jet was blasted into them._

 _More explosions appeared one after another, leaving a very visible path of destruction from one end of the battlefield to the next, and from that end of the battlefield to yet another. Making good on his earlier promise, Kethro paid Jet back for some of the damage he had done to the older man by sending Jet flying through multiple ships just as Jet had done to Kethro before. He gave the hawk no time to recover, slamming into him with enough force and such raw, unchained, intense energy to create an explosion unlike any other seen on this horrific day. What had at first seemed to be a standard energy-based attack almost instantly proved itself to be anything but. Both Jet and Kethro vanished within its dark light._

 _When his senses finally returned to him, the first thing Jet was aware of was spitting up blood. The next thing he noticed was how difficult it was to breathe and just how numb from pain much of his body was starting to feel. The rest of his body was in such extreme agony that even with all of his willpower he couldn't make himself move. No matter how much his mind willed it to, his body just wouldn't respond. It wasn't until he felt a cold hand on his head that he even managed to open his eyes. Only then did he realize that he was laying on his side on… something (probably yet another wrecked ship), and Kethro was kneeling before him._

 _Dark eyes seemed to stare deep into Jet's soul. "You did the impossible... survived power channeled straight from Malevolence itself…" Kethro murmured. "...Your potential is vast…" His head canted slowly. "I will enjoy seeing it... and you… transcend even my expectations someday…" He removed his hand and stood up as the memory faded away into nothing._

Sein's fingers flexed a little and Li shifted away, biting his lip. He of all people knew what it looked like when this man was upset. Then, the man began to walk away for the time being, intent on calming himself down before approaching this situation. Alana swallowed hard and forced herself to speak. ...Eventually. "Transcend…" she echoed carefully, as though the word alone might harm someone. "He's referring to… the Void, is he not?" She wiped at her eyes. "The seventh energy… has it been born?"

Ylden nodded slowly. "Yes," was his simple answer.

This was cause for _much_ concern. Without the Faein to regulate this force who knew the depth of the destruction it could cause. Or _would_ cause. Lowering her head so that her bangs fully shadowed her eyes, she dared to ask, "Has he been marked?"

"Yes."

" _What_?" Sein snapped, turning back to them all. "He was?!" He practically demanded, walking back over.

"When?" Alana bit out, tense all over. "And has anything thus far been done?"

The cat held out a hand to silence them both for the moment. "I do not know when, and the main issue is that… not much can be done, from my knowledge." He watched the two of them, noting Sein's obvious anger.

At that particular moment was when the voice of another familiar presence made itself know. _"Sein… Alana… I know that this time is troubling, but I am prepared to impart as much knowledge as possible if you will both remain calm and listen."_

Alana closed her eyes. So Ythene is here as well…

"Do it," Sein answered in response, the energies that had flowed freely slowly coming back under his control. "I need to know."

There was scarcely any pause before she responded, _"The Void first made contact with him roughly two million and eight-hundred thousand years ago. During this time, he managed to escape from even my eyes for some years before returning, freed of the energy's influence. However, whatever your son did could never have been enough. He was permanently tied to the Void upon their first slight contact, and there is no changing that. He merely succeeded in banishing it and returning it to its slumber for the time being. He is in no current danger from it."_

"You say 'current'," Alana answered slowly, "and imply that that is due to change."

 _"Yes,"_ Ythene confirmed. _"My Queen fears it will rise once more before this eon turns over into the next."_ Sein tried to stay calm, pacing around slowly and carefully. He wasn't doing well at it. Alana reached over to take him carefully by the hand just as Ythene continued. _"The beast within that realm is growing. The belief is that it will at some point rise up and try to wreak havoc, as Nareish is doing. It seems, based upon some of her past actions, that she seeks to make use of the beast, its realm, and the Void energy as a whole. That includes making use of your son to see to it her dark dreams are realized."_

There was a faint sound from Sein before he very carefully pulled his hand away from her. " _That_ … won't happen." He shivered from the unfettered rage building inside him at the thought of his son being in such a situation. "I can't _let_ it happen."

Ythene's response was hardly comforting. "It may not be in your power to prevent it."

Taking in a breath, Alana murmured, _"It is on him to not be controlled… correct?"_

The question almost didn't need answering, but an answer was nevertheless given. _"Yes. However, nothing is ever so simple."_

"Ythene, if I may interject…" Ylden began, letting his gaze shift between all those present. "We could arrange a way for them to give aid, yes?"

 _"That is my Queen's intention,"_ was the simple reply. _"She has full Privilege to do so… just this once."_

Sein immediately stepped forward to Ylden, unable to place his direct attention on Ythene. "Then _do_ it. I _want_ to help." _I want to see my kid, even more than that…_ Alana finally regained her feet and walked with a heavy heart to join her partner. She shared in his thoughts, and it shone all over her face and in her eyes.

 _"It is not within my power,"_ reminded Ythene, emotionless as ever. _"My Queen will revive you both as soon as she is able."_

Alana thought this over before stating, "Our revival will force the end to two other Immortal lives."

"Yes…" Sein's eyes grew thoughtful for the moment, putting his energy to use in an analytical style.

Though she maintained her emotionless demeanor, for _once_ Ythene managed to be slightly comforting. _"Aside from your child and one other, the Immortals currently alive in this timeline are deeply evil. They will have to be ended regardless."_ Alana nodded slowly, not having anything else to say at the moment.

"Then that's what we'll do," Sein answered. "We could get someone to kill them when she has the ability to revive us and, as soon as they're dead, revive us so that we don't accidentally take the wrong place."

Now it was Alana's turn to be thoughtful. "The revival will have to be virtually instantaneous… but it could work." She turned to Ylden. "Your power is great. If you are granted the Privilege necessary, will you aid us and fight while we cannot?"

"Absolutely." Ylden stood a touch straighter, casting his gaze to Li and Novei. "I will find you a place for safety in the meantime. I will certainly be drawing the _God's_ attention." Li shivered faintly at the mention.

Alana canted her head. "Send them to Babylon. No matter who is currently in charge, your friends will be sheltered. Our people would not turn them away." She glanced specifically to Novei, as if to reassure her in particular.

There was a gentle nod from the cat. "That is tru-"

"Ylden." Sein cut in softly, walking until he was face-to-face with the cat. "I am putting a lot of faith in you, so don't do anything stupid."

"I assure you all that there will be no Sein-like actions on my mission." Ylden managed a faint smirk, chuckling softly at Sein's huff.

Suddenly, Alana smiled and murmured to her husband, "Your reputation precedes you yet still, it would seem."

"Shut it. All of you."

"Hey! I didn't say a thing!" Li protested.

"You were thinking it," was the dry retort.

Hiding a faint smile, Alana sought to steer the conversation back on-track. "And what of the other remaining Immortal?"

 _"Your son is currently at war with him,"_ Ythene answered slowly. _"There is reason to believe that he will defeat the man on his own."_

"Even if he doesn't, we certainly could set Ylden up to handle it as well depending on the timing of things," Li answered with a gentle shrug. "Or, really, if one of you guys are back by then, you could handle it."

 _"It appears that there is a plan of sorts in place,"_ Ythene answered, still speaking slowly.

Alana caught on and asked, "Are you viewing him?"

In reply, Ythene continued, _"He discussed things briefly with an ally of his. Some sort of confrontation is expected to happen tomorrow… perhaps sooner."_

"It would be best if our plan didn't go into effect for a short bit, in that case, I assume," Sein said in response.

"That would be best," Alana agreed, though she was admittedly disappointed. She didn't want to think about that right now, however. Instead, she decided to focus and turned to Sein. "What shall we do in the meantime?"

There was a moment of uncomfortable shifting from the hawk, tension evident in his face. "I'm gonna be preparing as much as possible. It's been… a while since we've done anything of the caliber we'll be dealing with."

She inclined her head. _Training is… necessary,_ she internally agreed. "That would be prudent," she sighed. Then she directed her attention to Ythene again. "Inform us if anything else happens."

Somehow, Ythene's voice managed to gain a dry note. _"So you are aware… something always 'happens' when your son is around."_ Sein raised an eyebrow.

As if for the sole purpose of proving a point, Ythene suddenly allowed them to see exactly what she was seeing at that moment.

 _Jet was sitting on a couch in a living room. Wave and Sonic were also in the room, along with Tails and Steam. Sonic and Jet were in a heated conversation about, of all things, thievery. "I'm serious, Jet," Sonic was saying, "There's no way in hell you just had a supercomputer lying around in your back room. Just admit that you stole the damn thing."_

 _"First of all," Jet shot back calmly, "you have no proof that I did that. And secondly, after I did do that, I put it back." Sonic genuinely face-palmed while Wave cracked up laughing._

 _"I wouldn't be all too surprised either way," Steam shrugged, smirking faintly. "I mean, Jet has always been the brains behind stuff other than Tails." He pointedly looked at the blue hedgehog, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, who kept your asses out of jail when you all were younger?"_

 _"He's the only reason I ever almost went to jail to begin with!" Sonic retorted. "I never even considered stealing shit before I met his ass!" He then whirled on his friend. "And you can stop looking so goddamn smug!"_

 _Continuing to smirk, Jet said, "I never forced you to come along, for the record. You opted to. You also asked for help trying to steal things. The fact that you were bad at it wasn't my fault." By this point, Wave was completely dying of laughter, presumably at all the memories that were suddenly coming back to her. Tails was grinning helplessly while looking down at whatever device he was tinkering with in his hands._

 _"Not to mention, in my timeline especially, I watched your ass fucking fail in comparison. It was honestly hilarious because of how nice Jet was to teach you when you finally got through your hard-headedness and actually asked for the help," Steam cut in before Sonic could even think of replying, laughing much like the others in the room._

 _For once, Jet actually let out a small but genuine laugh of his own. "And I do seem to recall," he added to Sonic's chagrin, "that it was you who attempted to organize what would later become our biggest, and only, failed heist." Sonic glared absolute daggers of hell at Jet for bringing that one up._

Li snickered, trying to hold back his own laughter as he looked to Alana. "Hey… remember when we did that same shit to Sein?" Sein immediately shot him a glare, huffing.

Flashing a smile that was as rare as her son's, Alana nodded. "I do… quite vividly." She gave a second smile, this time to Sein directly. "I believe it was the first time father openly stood up for you, as Li and I were quite relentless in our teasing for some time."

Sein rolled his eyes. "Oh, shush. The old man just felt bad for me." Despite the dryness of his tone, there was evident amusement and… care in his voice.

"Father was not old," Alana reprimanded lightly. "And he'd have your tongue for saying such nonsense if he were here now."

"Well, he can't get to me, so hah!" Sein snorted at her, smirking softly. "I always called him that behind his back on purpose."

A thought struck Alana then, and she completely changed the subject with some haste. "Ythene, _is_ father still alive?"

There was a slight pause before Ythene answered the question. _"In the timeline your son resides in… no. As for your specific father from your timeline… I do not know."_

Some degree of pain entered Sein's eyes and he sighed softly. "Not the most important detail…" He murmured, rolling his shoulders dismissively. He didn't want to think too hard on what may have happened to the Kath of this timeline.

"It is," Alana argued, voice growing much softer with pain of her own. She looked down and away, her head once more lowered so that her eyes were shadowed by her hair. "If mother and father still live… their aid will be indispensable." _And… I want to see them..._

Li set a hand on Sein's shoulder, offering silent comfort. "I say we focus on what we can do with assurance here," the hawk murmured faintly, clenching his fists and unclenching them.

In rare form, Ythene made a genuine offer of support. _"I will… see what I can learn, Alana. However, for now, focusing on the objective is more important."_ Alana just nodded slightly, crossing her arms in a manner akin to hugging oneself. Quite unexpectedly, everyone's vision flashed back to what Ythene was seeing, but only in snippets. There was utter chaos, fire, yelling, explosions, weapons, everything was just madness. Ythene, however, remained as calm as ever as she simply stated the one glaring fact that anyone could glean from this.

 _"It would seem that Tein has forced a confrontation."_

 **~保護者~**

 **5,948 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Much thanks to Blazing Winds, who played Sein, Ylden, and his character Novei (pronounced "Noe-vae"). Posted (at about 2:50 p.m.) 03-14-19.**


	23. End of Terror

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these scenes of uncertainty and concern… especially for the one who knows the value of humor.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Glad you enjoyed! And yeah, a lot of new stuff to remember, for sure. Lol. XD It was but, I mean... for them, it probably wasn't _that_ random. They've had weirder conversations before, I'm sure. XD Such is life with best friends, haha.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"End of Terror"**

 **~保護者~**

A moment after Jet's last teasing comment was voiced, Tails decided to interject for Sonic's sake and change the subject. "Hey, get your blue butt over here."

Though he tossed a small glare to his friend, Sonic obliged and got up. "What is it?" he asked once he was by Tails's side.

"This." Tails handed him a tiny device, one smaller than a fingertip. "Put it in your ear."

"No way, not until you tell me what the hell I'm even looking at."

With a small laugh, Tails explained, "It's essentially a bluetooth device, just one that doesn't need to be paired with another device. We can use it to talk and hear each other whenever, so long as we aren't too far apart."

Emerald eyes blinked down at the tiny, unassuming disk. "And… why am I using this now?"

"Just to test it," Tails answered easily. "I haven't put any of these things to use in years, so I want to make sure that at least a couple are working. Shadow and Cream have a couple of the others, and theirs are in working order so far."

"Fine," Sonic sighed. "If you insist."

Tails grinned. "I most certainly do."

The device slid in without any resistance. Sonic allowed it to rest in place for a moment before complaining, "It itches."

"You're just not used to it, is all," Tails assured. A blue arm raised, finger pointed and poised to poke and rub, but Tails lightly smacked it away. "Don't touch it."

Before Sonic could even think to complain, Jet calmly told him, "They break with excessive ease due to their size… Best not to ruin it."

Stifling a groan, Sonic lowered his hand. "Whatever."

At that point, Jet suddenly turned his head toward the nearest window. Tails's smile dropped in an instant. "...What's the matter?"

It was Wave who chose to answer. "Something's coming. Feels like Tel'or."

Jet inclined his head. "They're pushing at the barriers," he murmured, standing and grabbing his cloak off the couch in one fluid motion.

Growing visibly nervous, Tails asked, "Will they hold?"

Sonic was hoping for some sort of reassurance, one little glimmer of hope. But all it took was one word from his best friend to completely ruin that for him. "No." Jet quickly donned his cloak and summoned his sheathed sword into his hand.

Steam (who had briefly left the room) teleported over to the small group, noticeably bothered by the oncoming threat. His ears and fingers were twitching lightly with the anxiousness that waiting brought him. "Want me to head out and intercept?" he asked Jet.

"No," Jet repeated curtly. "It won't do any good."

Tense all over, Sonic demanded, "So what do we do? We can't just let them come here!"

"I never suggested that," Jet responded, shoving his sword under the strap that kept it secured to his hip. "I'll move them when they break through."

Tails's eyes were glued to his communicator screen. "The damage being done is massive, we've got maybe a minute or two before the barriers fall."

"You can take us too, right? I'm not letting you fight them alone," Steam followed suit, grabbing hold of his own sheathed blade simply to be ready.

"He can," Wave answered. "And if we have a minute, then we're going to get your ship, Tails. Let's go." Tails hopped up, and the two vanished with a golden flash.

Adrenaline already pumping, Sonic shouted up the stairs, "Shadow, get your ass down here!"

The darker hedgehog was there in an instant. "I know," he said before Sonic could speak again. He already had his guns in hand.

"Where's Cream?"

"She's coming. She was grabbing a weapon."

There was no real time to ask about that, so Sonic refrained. Instead he asked, "And Espio?" No answer.

Once more, Steam posed a question to Jet, walking close to the hawk with a frown. "Is _he_ here?"

"Not here," Jet responded, looking at Sonic. He then turned to Steam and said, "No. But he will be." With this dire threat issued, he teleported outside to monitor the situation.

Sonic gritted his teeth. "You mean that Tein guy… right?"

The green hedgehog snorted angrily, flames sparking as if to say that Sonic was right. "The fucker is gonna have hell if he shows up here."

"This has gotta be the _worst_ planet for two Immortals to fucking duke it out," Sonic muttered under his breath.

"It can't be helped," Shadow responded briskly. "Jet may be able to forcibly teleport most any other living thing, but another powerful Immortal can easily resist. If Tein does not wish to leave, there is little any of us can do besides fight back." Sonic cursed under his breath.

Steam's grip on his weapon tightened, light beginning to noticeably build up within him. "He's getting a fight," he muttered, agitation evident in his voice.

Another curse, then Sonic demanded his half-brother, "Can you monitor the barriers at all?"

"I have access to Tails's systems," Shadow allowed vaguely.

"And?"

"We have mere seconds, perhaps less."

Sonic ripped Caliburn out of his sheath just as Cream came running down the stairs. She was carrying the new weapons that she had been gifted by Jet sometime before (weapons Sonic had forgotten about entirely) and looked just about as ready as the rest of them. "There are so many," she said breathlessly once she was standing with them. "How will we manage with so few of us?"

Explosions completely cut off whatever Shadow had started to say to her in reply. The entire room was torn apart by fire and debris, and Sonic was keenly aware of numerous unfamiliar individuals starting to rush toward them in the ensuing chaos. However, a dazzling array of heavenly blue and white lights cut through it all, forcing their newfound enemies to freeze entirely in place. Then, in a split second, they were all gone. Before Sonic could even try to comprehend any of it, he and the others were whisked away as well. They were deposited in the middle of nowhere, dropped roughly on the ground while their enemies remained temporarily frozen.

Steam's initial response to seeing the enemies frozen was to unleash a hellstorm of Light arrows from the sky that all, upon impact, exploded with bursts of flames. Thinning the numbers early was his plan, especially because he had every intention of fighting Tein as well. Taking Steam's lead, Sonic, Cream, and Shadow also began to attack in earnest. Shortly after they all began to attack, Tails and Wave appeared in the sky. While Tails began unleashing a volley of missiles and other weapons at their foes, Wave let loose hellish torrents of magic from her hands. Jet, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Sonic noticed this, Tails spoke into his ear. _"Hey, can you guys hear me?"_

"Yes," Shadow answered by Sonic's side, guns firing faster than Sonic bothered to try to track right now.

"I can hear you," Cream confirmed a moment later.

"Yeah, I can," Sonic answered. "Hell of a fucking time to be trying to test your devices though, Tails!"

 _"Can't be helped,"_ was the simple reply. _"Coordination is important in these fights, and so is communication."_

Only a few moments later, Steam managed to link the voice transmission through his communicator with the devices and answered, "I can too. Though, I'll mostly be listening. Speaking through this is hell when fighting."

 _"That's fine, just be prepared to listen whenever I or Wave starts talking. Since we can see the fight from above, we're going to do our best to direct you guys on where to be at all times. We need to try to keep these guys from escaping the area."_

Taking a quick look around, Sonic noted two things. One, this dusty landscape was utterly abandoned, which was good. Two, they were mostly surrounded by a ring of high mountain peaks, effectively caging everyone in… more or less. "Yeah… that sounds good." He whipped around and sliced through an enemy that had tried to sneak up on him while he was talking.

That was about when Wave decided to mentally say to the group as a whole, " _Listen, when Tein gets here - and he will show up - you all need to stay the hell out of Jet's way. Got it?"_

"I am _not_ staying out of that fight," Steam retorted immediately, twisting and dropping an enemy to the ground with a brutal kick, letting an explosion he created send them flying away.

A massive column of rotating aura energy shot up violently in the midst of the seething crowds of enemy forces, ripping apart the battlefield close to a half mile away. Sonic wasn't sure how, but at just about the same time, Jet's voice could mentally be heard. _"You will not interfere!"_ he snapped, his usually calm demeanor completely lost under a roaring flare of temper.

"I have seen what happens with this bastard! I will _not_ let him get out of here!" Steam snapped right back, his anger showing more clearly as his attacks grew more violent.

The raging aura energy violently expanded with explosive force, further ripping apart the land around it. Jet gave no reply then, but Sonic could _feel_ his friend's building fury in his energies. He wisely grabbed Cream and started to quickly pull her back and away, knowing that that hellish storm was headed their way. Shadow, too, began to quickly get the hell back. Wave and Tails were quick to swerve mid-air and fly well away from the attack as well. If they were to be engulfed, who knew what would happen.

Despite everyone else fleeing, Steam didn't budge, continuing to fight as he was and almost ignoring the massive storm of aura. It washed over him with seemingly no effect, despite blanketing him in the very same energies that were currently utterly disintegrating everything else it touched. It died down mere moments after having done this, leaving the area horribly decimated and the enemy ranks just as much so. Jet calmly surveyed the damage he had wrought with blue eyes that had taken on a very glacial quality - a look of coldness that Sonic never enjoyed seeing no matter who it was directed at. Those eyes then drifted to the sky, locking onto something perhaps only he could see for the time being. He made no move to defend himself from the Tel'or soldiers that rushed for him, but each one was nevertheless blasted back well before they could reach their target. He wouldn't even so much as give them a slightly more honorable death by bothering to use Alkarus on them.

Steam further added to the destruction by suddenly draining himself of Light and replacing it all with Darkness, bringing out a wave of the energy that slowly covered and ate away at whatever it touched. At about the same time, Jet dug his feet into the stone he stood upon with so much force that said stone began turning molten from the pressure alone. Bolts of energy started crackling all around him, teasing his cloak up into the air mere seconds before he blasted off into the sky. The ensuing collision mere seconds later was so violent that it briefly darkened and then all at once lit up the sky. A shockwave rang out that, despite being so many miles up in the air, immediately flattened Sonic and the others to the ground. No one spoke, but they didn't need to. They all knew what this little display meant.

Tein was here.

Despite the shockwave, Steam simply launched himself up after the hawk and entered the fray as well, intense and utterly pissed off gaze immediately tracking down the man he wanted to get killed. The two Immortals were currently locked in a fierce sword fight, clashing and recoiling and clashing again with so much violent force that their blows continuously blasted apart the air. They shot around all across the sky, leaving not even afterimages behind as they did so. At one point, Jet managed to get under his former student's guard and get in a quick slash, but Tein was quick to recover and get away. " _That_ will never be enough!" the younger Babylonian snapped tauntingly, goading as much as possible with his tone alone. "I know how you fight, and it won't do you any bit of good! I know _everything_ you know!"

As if only to draw attention, Steam snapped his fingers lightly, finally unsheathing his own blade. "You should know that's a lie, _Tein_. There is no way in hell that you will know _half_ of what he knows." He was holding himself back right now, wanting nothing more than rip into this Babylonian's throat and make him regret turning against Jet.

"You ' _know_ ' only what the Night has _pretended_ to teach you about power and might," Jet muttered coldly. "And you listened… That was your mistake." _And mine._

"Mistake?" Tein grinned. "I don't seem to recall any sort of mistake ever leading anyone to a position of control over half of the known universe, _teacher_."

Steam frowned deeper at this, Darkness cloaking his blade. "Lack of understanding has gotten you far. Sounds like it's about time for it to be your downfall, too."

While Sonic and the others fought down below, Jet readied his sword again. _There is so much to regret with you… However... your choices were yours. There is nothing left of you to save._ He glanced over his former student's darkly gleeful face and allowed himself a small frown. _So be it, then._ Without a word, he rushed at Tein again, this time with visible resolve. He was ending this today, one way or another. There was another violent clash as a result, this time resulting in both parties being sent hurtling backward from the sheer force of it.

Steam, as soon as he recovered, threw himself forward and around Tein, lashing out with his own sword. Tein managed to dodge him, but as a result unintentionally threw himself straight into a lightning bolt that Jet had just fired at him. Words echoed through Jet's mind as he watched Tein spin further out of the way and begin hurling balls of energy his way. _"Those who seek to take control of the Darkness may instead find themselves consumed by it"..._ He gritted his teeth, staring hard at one ball that shot straight past his head. There was so much visible evil tainting the color of these attacks. Yet more reminders of everything that had gone wrong… and everything that was still at stake.

With these things in mind, he tore off after Tein again. The pair resumed their earlier brutal fight through the sky, leaving a trail of deadly explosions, shockwaves, and energies and their wake. Steam kept pace with the two, actively participating by attempting to injure Tein or otherwise get him to be injured by Jet's attacks. Working together like this, the pair was able to rapidly injure the younger Immortal - not that this came as any sort of surprise to Jet. It was as he had told Sonic the day of the man's revival: _this_ was a problem he could handle without help (though the help he was receiving now was not unappreciated, as it were). The real trouble in fighting Tein was not Tein's power, but rather actually getting a chance to fight the man to _begin_ with. But with Tein so boldly choosing to show himself today… things could finally end.

Gathering up more energy, Jet tore into his former student practically from the inside out with several Immortal energies. This had multiple effects, chief of which was both stunning and horribly injuring Tein. Steam followed this up directly with a hellish fire and Darkness attack. Both attacks proceeded to utterly swamp Tein, and it was right about then that Jet knew the younger man was about to lash out. Knowing better than to let him do so _here_ , Jet opted to take advantage of Tein's stunned state while he could and teleported off the planet and far away, dragging Tein along with him. They were gone in an instant, and things were instantly almost silent.

Steam growled lowly at this, yet didn't do anything about it. At this point, the fight was Jet's (even though he _hated_ that). Instead, he simply let himself fall to the ground, landing somewhere nearby to the group and examining the area to see how the battle was going. Thankfully, the battle down below was wrapping up as well, with Cream and Espio (who even _knew_ when he had finally showed up) working together to finish the last of the Tel'or off. Tails, meanwhile, was busy landing the Tornado while Wave surveyed the area from above. As they were all doing this, Sonic was examining his half-brother's glaring injuries with a critical eye. "How the _hell_ are you not bleeding?" he demanded, only partly as angry as he sounded.

Sparks flew wildly around and from revealed sections of wires, metal, and so on, but Shadow didn't seem bothered in the slightest by most of it. Though, he did seem irritated that a sizeable chunk of his right arm was currently missing. "I can redirect blood flow around damaged areas when need be. Now stop fussing. It's irritating."

"Dude, you were just about blasted to smithereens!" Sonic snapped. "Your whole side is practically _gone_!" Shadow responded by just lightly shoving Sonic over with a foot. The blue hedgehog immediately sat back up and shot him a fierce glare.

"It's not worth the argument right now," Steam murmured, lifting one hand to launch spears of Darkness to end the few Tel'or that remained and the other to slowly do his best (which wasn't much) to heal the wounds Shadow had sustained with his golden magic.

Grunting, Sonic stood up. "Clearly that leg is still usable, but can you walk?"

Shadow let out an indelicate snort, as if to say, _"Does it look like I can?"_ But all he actually ended up saying was a simple, "No." Warnings of extensive damage and multi-system failure flashed across his vision - vision that was rapidly going darker as several other systems were essentially put to sleep in order to prevent further damage caused by continued usage.

Tails came running up the the trio, momentarily fighting through a gust of wind. Dirt, bits of ash, and other debris momentarily blinded. "Jeez Shadow, _again_?" he asked, eyes clouded with worry when he saw what had happened. "You know that you don't _have_ to take hits just because you _can_ , right?" Another small snort was the only answer he got.

At this point, Sonic finally calmed down enough to add, "To be fair… it was either him or me, and he opted to save my ass." He tossed his half-brother a look. "Next time, though, I'd rather you save the show of brotherly love for a less dangerous situation." Oh, Shadow _glared_ at him for that one.

Steam snickered at this, stepping back when he was finished attempting to heal Shadow's leg. "You two are so fucking odd sometimes," he commented with a smirk.

"My research suggests that it's pretty much _just_ because they're siblings," Tails joked, chuckling. "But, it's not as though I've studied the matter extensively."

"Oh, shut it," Sonic sighed, looking away to check on Cream and Espio. "We don't need your guys' comments."

Tails smiled, if only briefly, and began checking over Shadow some more. "Whatever you say, O Mighty Lord of Chaos." Sonic sputtered, stumbling for a reply but never managing to get anything out.

Around that time, Wave flew down to the group and hovered within it, glancing everyone over with a assessing eye. "Well… this could have gone better," she sighed, forced to briefly shield her eyes from more dirty wind. "Could've gone worse, too, though… so I guess there's that." She look at Steam specifically. "Guessing Jet took off with Tein."

Steam nodded, sighing as well. "Yeah. I assume that, since he did that, the fight was about to get way more serious. Though, Tein was definitely injured before they left. I see no reason for Jet to lose this."

Wave returned the nod. "Tein's young yet, younger than he seems sometimes. He's naive, in over his head, and far too vain for his own good. He was never going to win this, it was just a matter of getting the opportunity to _properly_ deal with him." She looked away, eyes clouding a bit. "Still… even as far gone as the guy is… Jet's gonna take this hard. He helped raise him, you know?"

Emerald eyes blinked. "Wait… he did?" Sonic cut in carefully. "I heard Tein was his student, but…"

"It went deeper than that," Wave replied. "Jet just… doesn't like to talk about it, for obvious reasons." She pause, then looked at Sonic. "When he comes back, depending on how he is, you might need to go talk to him. I can't imagine how high his stress and anxiety is going to be running once all's said and done."

Sonic frowned and tugged at one ear. _Right… I hadn't even thought about that…_ "You think he might break down?" He accidentally inhaled a bit of dirt and coughed.

"It's possible," was the sighed response. "And, honestly, he doesn't always let me help. You'd be the only other option, in that case."

"Yeah. Okay." Sonic turned away again, seeking to change the subject. "So… new question." He glanced at Steam. "For you, that is." A raised eyebrow served as response. Seeing this, Sonic gestured toward Cream and Espio, who appeared to be having some sort of a conversation. "You took off earlier to talk to him or something, didn't you? Why?"

"Depends when earlier is." Steam subconsciously shifted his sheathed blade, biting his lip. His eyes flicked away, toward some random thing in the distance that he decided to focus on instead.

"As in shortly after he and Cream randomly left the house together," Sonic shrugged. "I don't know what time it was or anything, I just sensed them leave. And then you, afterward." Steam's only response at the time was a short, stiff nod. "So why did you go after them?" Sonic pressed, tone a touch firm. There was no hint of distrust to suggest that he thought Steam had been out to harm them or anything, but he wasn't making much effort to mask his concern.

"I had to ask Espio some questions about important matters. It would be best if they were discussed once we get Jet back with us," Steam answered softly.

Understanding dawned in Wave's eyes. "...He already knows about that, if that's what you're worried about," she told Steam slowly.

"I'm talking about how bad it's gonna get." This answer made the swallow frown. Steam took this opportunity to refocus his gaze on the group. "Do you know anything about his ancestors?"

Tails and Sonic traded looks that were notably blank while Shadow merely blinked. Eventually, Tails spoke for the lot of them with a simple, "...No?" He then added, "I was sort of under the impression that he doesn't, either. Or anyone else, for that matter."

There was a long, deep sigh that escaped Steam. "His parents were essentially defectors of evil clans. They were both born into deeply evil families, but managed to somehow turn out different than their own ancestors. They were more neutral than anything. In contrast, everyone before _them_ was immensely evil."

Sonic and Tails traded shocked looks, while Shadow didn't allow his expression to change at all. There was a moment of stunned silence before Sonic responded, "...You're _sure_?"

"I hate it, but yeah. I am _absolutely_ sure," Steam answered softly. "And the chance of him awakening that hidden evil inside himself is getting higher and higher."

"Higher?" Tails echoed, plainly startled. "Why?"

Wave chose to explain. "Listen, I'm not privy to a _lot_ of this, but I do know this much. You know that woman he... well, _cares_ for? She's a huge part of the reason why this is even an issue. She _deliberately_ does what she can to incite emotions that can start to trigger a slip into that state. Emotions like anger, hatred, and so on."

"There are other factors at play here, but yeah. That doesn't help. And it will only start getting worse from here on. She's not going to stop, _this_ isn't gonna stop, and it'll eventually awaken in him," Steam added, shifting a little to try and relieve his tension.

"We're not going to be completely in the dark when this happens, though," Wave sighed. "There is a way to tell that things are going wrong." Before anyone could even ask, she turned her head and called out, "Cream, Espio, get your butts over here!"

Espio, in particular, was there in a flash. "What?" he asked, looking a touch annoyed at having been _summoned_ like that. He'd never much liked that sort of thing, perhaps just because he much it felt like being ordered around. He was a lot like Jet and Shadow in that regard.

Being incredibly forward, not to mention brave, Wave went ahead and pulled the sleeve of his good arm up to his shoulder. The same fading marks Steam had earlier seen remained, though they had darkened again since that time. "These are our clues," she told Sonic and Tails, tossing the now silent ninja an apologetic glance. "Our only ones, at that. When these appear, it's a sign. The more appear, the worse things are."

"That's why I left. I had questions for him about stuff related to this." Steam moved his sword again, scratching his fingers against his leg. "It has me worried." As he said this, Espio pulled his arm free of Wave's grip, causing his sleeve to drop.

Sonic rubbed at his eyes. _Can nothing ever be simple? Or not dangerous?_ He sighed heavily. "Great… Just _lovely_."

"Easy, Sonic," Tails responded. "We'll deal with it. Like always." He glanced over he group just as Cream rejoined them. "In the meantime, though, we really do need to go. I need to get him," he jerked a thumb at Shadow, "repaired before he has to fully shut down." Steam nodded and motioned for Tails to get moving. The fox proceeded to, with Sonic's help, take Shadow to the Typhoon. This left everyone else behind to do whatever they decided to do. The ship took off shortly after.

"Alright, so. Let's talk." Steam's gaze shifted to Wave, raising an eyebrow. "We gotta figure something out to help handle this and keep it from being a surprise if it happens." _More like "when", really..._

"Mm-hm," Wave murmured. "Unfortunately, the biggest thing we can do - and that we're going to _have_ to do - and constantly monitor you," she told Espio, again apologetic. "We just can't afford to be blindsided if something does end up happening." He let out a soft, indelicate snort and looked away. Cream seemed to read something into that reaction that Wave didn't and raised a silent brow.

"I've been in your situation, Espio. It sucks, but we _have_ to." Steam's gaze fell over to Cream for a moment, almost silently questioning her before his focus moved back over to Wave. "I'll actively keep up with him. But, if I'm not here, I can only keep up with his present state, meaning it could catch me off guard."

Wave nodded, then turned back to Espio. "How long have those marks been there?"

He'd already been through this line of questioning once before, but that didn't make Espio any more open to answering. Still, he went and did it this time, if only _because_ Steam already knew anyway. "A few days."

That got the swallow thinking. "You had a really big fight with her a few days ago, right?" He didn't exactly answer that, but his silence was telling enough. "Right. So did you notice the marks before or after? That's a pretty crucial difference."

"...After," Espio muttered, wishing for this conversation to be done. "They weren't there before."

Now Cream looked worried. "Are the marks merely a _symbol_ of what's happening, then?" she asked Wave and Steam, not caring much who answered. "Or… are they somehow the cause?"

"It's showing what's going on," Steam murmured. "They're in _no_ way a cause of the situation. If they were the cause, this conversation wouldn't be happening, and I'd be hunting down someone skilled in handling things like this."

Wave steered the subject around a bit. "Let me see the marks again." Initially, Espio appeared prepared to ignore her. Shortly afterward, however, he huffed and allowed her to again lift his sleeve. "These are swirls…" Wave murmured thoughtfully. "I swear I've seen these somewhere before." Dropping the sleeve, she turned to Steam. "...How much do you know about entities of Darkness?"

"Depends on what you're referencing. I know a lot, in my opinion." Yet more wind picked up, briefly gaining strength and forcing everyone to close their eyes until it died back down.

When the wind ceased again for the moment, Wave frowned as she said, "You're aware, then, of how sometimes certain physical traits distinguish different entities of Darkness from others, right? For example, demons have eyes not seen in any other living creatures."

"Yeah. You referencing the origin of those markings?" he asked in return.

Blue eyes closed. "...Clan markings. Certain beings of Darkness, ages ago, are said to have formed family groups. Clans, really. They still retained their distinguishing traits when they did this, too. Sometimes they were marks on skin, marks that came to signify their clans as a whole. There's a possibility…" She trailed off, but Espio seemed to catch on and frowned deeply.

"You're saying that they're potentially beings that had access to Darkness, yeah?" Steam's eyebrows raised once more, questioning her almost rhetorically.

She nodded once. "...Yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying." She opened her eyes and glanced at the subject of their discussion. He gave her a look that was now disconcertingly apathetic. "I don't know if there's even a way to tell, though… I mean, we all _know_ Shadow has Darkness thanks to Kaden, but it isn't as though anyone can sense it. What with it being dormant and all."

Steam gave a sigh, drumming his fingers on his thigh. "You're entirely right, Wave. That's the dangerous part of it all. If this happens, he's tapping directly into it." He teleported something into his hand, slipped it into his mouth, then glanced to Espio. "Would you mind if I did a small experiment, Espio?"

Silence answered him at first, but at length, Espio relented. "Fine." There was a short couple seconds of silence before Steam slowly drew out a small amount of Darkness into his hand and held it close to the ninja, attempting to see if there was any sort of reaction within the chameleon. It took a moment for anything at all to happen, but just when it seemed like nothing would occur a very faint crackle of energy snapped back at Steam. Slightly startled, something that next to never happened, Espio reflexively jerked away.

"There's the proof," the hedgehog sighed, chewing on the object in his mouth. "He's got that energy in him."

Cream's eyes clouded with concern, the emotion accentuated by the agitated whirling of dusty eddies by their feet. "I could feel it, for a second," she murmured. "It felt so _different_ from the Darkness that Mister Kaden had…"

Something in Steam's eyes darkened and he nodded. "His Darkness was neutral. Unlike Light, it has alignments of sorts. There's neutral and evil Darkness. Not much is different in the way it _works_ , but the way they feel and act is definitely what separates them."

"The simplest way to remember the difference," Wave patiently explained to the much younger woman, "is to compare a demon to Sonic when he's gone Dark. A demon is going to obviously be evil and want to do evil things, such as murdering and such. Someone like Sonic, with neutral Darkness, however, is going to be more interested in self-preservation and other, well, _neutral_ endeavors instead." Cream slowly inclined her head. Wave glanced at Steam. "Think that about sums it up?"

He nodded. "That's most of it. The thing about neutral is that, even though it isn't directly aligned in any real way, they still can often have serious _non-neutral_ tendencies, such as Kaden's large bursts of anger that would lead him to… brutal situations."

At this, Cream cringed. "...Such as the time he fought Miss Analia and tried to kill her."

"After Ivo forced him into a very hate-filled transformation, yeah," Wave sighed. "That definitely wasn't _normal_ for him."

"Yep," Steam nodded. "That's a perfect explanation. In a position like mine, I have issues with it as well since I already have some problems related to anger. It doesn't help."

The mention of temper issues caused Cream to glance specifically at Espio, who refused to look back at her. Her thought was clear, but she didn't mention it. Instead she said, "So what do we do if something… happens?"

"I don't know," Wave admitted. "Espio, is there anything you can think of that would be potentially _detrimental_ to us trying to deal with this?" Apparently choosing to be unhelpful now, the ninja just shrugged with his one good shoulder.

"Erm, _touching_ ," Cream reminded. "He's always let me and Charmy get away with it, and Vector usually as well, but he has never been especially… well, fond of it." She looked over at her former caretaker, a certain familial fondness making itself known in her face despite her growing concerns. He didn't much acknowledge her attention except with a quick glance. "Aside from that, though… I don't know if there's anything in particular that would really help or not."

Wave sighed. "I was worried you'd say that." As the air began to stir again, her keen Babylonian eyes locked onto a tiny chunk of charred rock that was trying its damnedest to scoot across the ground. The distraction was only temporary, however. "The only trick I know of, in that case, is the one Analia used to use with Kaden. The one where she'd either let him wear himself out or use memories and the like to calm him down, with both methods resulting in him eventually powering back down and resting for a while." Again, she turned to Espio. "Do… you have any particularly powerful happy memories that you'd be able latch onto if you ever needed to?"

Now, Espio knew better than to think that his past had been all sunshine and rainbows. He'd had his fair share of struggles and hardships. But his life also hadn't exactly been hell itself. Things had just been… normal, he supposed. Nothing that he remembered carried strong emotional responses back to him. He associated no past event with any particular thought or feeling. The memories were what they were, and seldom managed to be anything more than that. So his answer to that question was a resounding, "No." There was nothing else to say.

Cream's once hopeful expression immediately dropped. "Oh," she said softly. "I see."

 _And you aren't exactly known for exerting yourself much during combat…_ Wave silently remarked, frowning a touch deeper in thought. _Then again, neither is Kaden. But even so... maybe this won't work for us, after all. Crap._ "Well, I'm all out of ideas, then," she reluctantly admitted, her hair briefly whipping around her head. Dust billowed for just a second or so before dissipating again. Cream covered her nose with a hand and Espio sort of grimaced. "At least for the moment. I can be more helpful after I've had time to sit and think." _And had the time to get after Jet's ass for letting the wind here start acting upon his emotions. This is getting a little ridiculous… and he might cause or a tornado or some shit if he's not careful._

As much as Espio was _loving_ this conversation, truly, he was ready now to leave. Cream, however, apparently wasn't done here. Turning to Steam, she murmured, "Do you, perhaps, know of anything that could help?"

"As far as I know, it'll likely come down to preventing the problem from occurring." He glanced at Espio. "Which means you'll have to find ways to control it." Steam was fairly quiet, his distant gaze hinting at the fact that he was in deep thought.

"Even so," Wave countered, "we need to have a plan in place in the event that he can't control it. It's happened enough times with Kaden in the past, and even with Sonic, for us to know better than to leave it to chance."

Steam gave a sigh, rubbing at his face with a hand. "The only thing I can figure out for sure would be having the ability to fight him, as shitty as that is. A problem with that is that, well, how the _hell_ are we gonna hit him if the situation arises?"

Espio almost seemed to want to scoff, as though the very idea was somehow offensive (likely out of some sense of pride as a ninja), but he refrained. Cream was the one who answered the question, rhetorical though it was. "Erm… we _aren't_."

Now Wave took her turn to sigh. "Right. He's got the highest evasion skill out of all of us. Jet could probably catch his ass, but chances are he's not _going_ to. If something were to happen that caused Espio to lose control, chances are there'd be a larger situation at hand."

"And the other people with the skill to do it are gonna be busy, such as the Gods and Goddesses." Steam suddenly frowned, biting his lip.

"Pretty much." Wave crossed her arms, then briefly closed her eyes as more wind roared through the area. _Damn… he's getting pissed. We'd better clear out of here soon._ She stifled another sigh. "We may need to sit down and talk to everyone together. We might be able to brainstorm better that way." She opened her eyes again and looked Steam over. "...And you look like you need a break," she added simply.

He narrowed his eyes at the swallow, huffing softly. "I'm fine, Wave. Just been through a bit of shit." Steam shifted his sword again, discomfort written on his face. _Damn. Is it that obvious?_

"Yeah… I gathered." She uncrossed her arms. "You gonna come with us back to Tails's place?"

"Sure. Sounds fine enough."

Nodding, Wave teleported there with them all in tow.

 **~保護者~**

It was quiet in Tails's workshop. Shadow lay on a table, put under by medicines so that Tails could work on repairing him. Sonic hovered nearby, too worried to join Cream and Espio outside. The bunny had practically dragged Espio on a walk a short time ago, seemingly worried about her guardian's dark mood, while Wave traveled the globe alone to try to repair the fallen barriers. Tails stayed inside to work, however, so Sonic stayed, too.

Still, actually _watching_ as Tails worked his magic was a little much. Seeking a distraction, Sonic glanced around the cavernous space until he spied something familiar resting upon a nearby drawing desk of sorts. Walking over to the small white device, he picked it up and scrutinized it. "He still uses these, huh?"

"What?" Tails glanced over. "Oh, yeah, that. Yeah, he still needs those."

Plying for more information, Sonic started, "It looks familiar, but…" He let the sentence hang.

"The shape of it is about all that's the same about it," Tails gladly explained. "That and the color. Everything else is different."

"Even the medicine?" Sonic asked, a little surprised. _He relied on that old medicine for most of his life._

"Even the medicine," was the calm confirmation. "He started to need something stronger, unfortunately."

Sonic shook his head and set the device down. "How'd you even get him to go see a doctor to get it? He almost didn't cooperate enough to get the other one."

At this, Tails smiled. "Ah, you see… we sort of failed to get him to do that. Maybe if Vector were here to help get through to him…" He cleared his throat. "Anyway, when he wouldn't go see a doctor after dealing with his worsening issues for who knows how long, Shadow and I did our research together and developed a new medicine ourselves. It took a couple tries, but we found a dosage that works."

A moment of silence passed before Sonic let out a small sigh. "I'd hoped that it'd stop bothering him by now. That it'd... I dunno, just go away or something." He pursed his lips together. _Maybe that was naive of me._

"This is Espio we're talking about," Tails reminded gently. "He's strong. He gets by."

 _Strong._ That word conjured up many memories, some reaching all the way back to Sonic's youth. He had first met Espio when the pair had been barely eleven and the ninja had only just left his isolated home for the first time. The pair had fought - though not seriously - and Sonic still to this day recalled having that same thought on that day. _He's strong._

Strength alone, however, wasn't always enough. Strength did nothing to help Espio get over his mysterious respiratory disorder, one that sometimes caused him to have very asthma-like attacks. When such attacks hit, he suffered from coughing, wheezing, gasping, breathing disruptions (including breathing too hard, too little, or not at all), a pounding and racing heart, and so on. During more serious attacks, he could even start to choke, get dizzy or lightheaded, begin going physically weak, and even result in him losing consciousness. During these attacks, he _relied_ on his inhalers to manage or even end them.

He had lived with this since his early childhood, but events later in his life had only served to make it all worse. Shade had, long ago, all but _destroyed_ Espio's left side. The effects of this were still clear to this day. His arm remained paralyzed, his eye remained blind and permanently shut, his leg remained weak and painful… but that wasn't all. Sonic had long suspected that there had been more internal damage as well. He, regrettably, hadn't been around Espio much since the fall of the Nocturne Clan and so couldn't say for certain, but if he had began needed stronger medicine to help with suddenly worsening respiratory issues… Maybe Shade had damaged his lung, too. Permanently, even. _Guess it's a good thing he was trained how to expel as little breath as possible during combat and such._

Small comfort.

"Right… so Espio's still got a bunch of physical issues that we've gotta watch out for." Sonic closed his eyes. "What else do we need to keep an eye on? Anything knew?"

"My eyes," Tails reminded. "Without my glasses, if my vision suddenly decides to go wonky I won't be able to see. Well, at a non-microscopic level."

A nod. "Others?"

"Jet's arm," Tails said.

Sonic wasn't following. "His arm?"

"Yep. His left one. Had you fooled didn't it?" Sonic stared, utterly confused, so Tails explained. "Malevolence ripped it off years ago. Everything from the shoulder down is just gone. The arm he has now is a robotic one, just also a very realistic one."

That was… certifiably horrible. And Sonic preferred not to dwell on it. "...Right…" He cleared his throat. "Anything else?"

"Shadow's still a cyborg. We've gotta keep an eye on his non-biological parts, make sure nothing's going wrong with them." He paused, then added, "And we should _definitely_ keep him away from electricity."

 _Right… electrical surges plus robotics equals "bad"._ Sonic opened his eyes. "I'm gonna go ahead and assume that Jet still has seizures."

Tails was the one who nodded this time. "Yeah. Dunno how frequently, though, since we don't see him much. But, last I'd heard, nothing much had changed regarding that. They're roughly the same as they used to be in severity and such."

"And nothing's going on with Wave, right?"

"Not a thing."

 _At least someone isn't struggling with too much shit._ Sonic sighed and leaned back against a table. "Hey, about Jet…"

When he trailed off, Tails verbally prodded, "Yes?"

Sonic crossed his arms. "I don't know how much you're aware of since it wasn't talked about much, but his conditions can be pretty serious. The mental and emotional ones, that is. Things like his autism and his depression and the like." He frowned at the floor. "He's probably needed a _lot_ more help than he's ever gotten. You know, therapy and the like."

Thankfully, Tails caught on. "You're worried about how he's doing… and not just physically." Relieved that he didn't have to fumble with his words some more in an effort to explain himself, Sonic murmured an affirmative. Tails continued. "I can't say much for certain of course, but I do know what Wave's told me in recent years." With an apologetic glance, he said, "It's all I can offer right now."

It was good enough. "That's fine."

Accepting this, Tails explained, "From what I've heard, he's not really gotten any better or worse than he used to be. Depending on how you look at it, that's either good or bad. It's good in the sense that he hasn't gotten _worse_ , but he also hasn't really _improved_." He tossed Sonic another glance. "I know that before you passed, you learned a lot about autism and such. You worked with him pretty often, didn't you?"

"As often as he'd let me," Sonic confirmed. "Back then… I mean, I was never any sort of a professional, but he was getting better. He was opening up more, you know? Getting better at telling us what he was thinking and stuff, socializing better, coping with stress and the like more easily…" Stifling another sigh, he executed a weak shrug. "Guess I was just hoping that he'd continued to get better. But, after being around him for a few days and interacting with him, I noticed that it didn't really seem like he'd changed much in that sense."

"Wave does what she can," Tails murmured, "but she's just like you in this situation. Well-meaning and well-educated, but nevertheless unqualified. And without an actual professional that he's willing to go see, there's only so much we can do."

"I know." Sonic's frown deepened a touch out of worry. A moment later, he reminded, "Wave's worried he might collapse into a total meltdown over all this Tein shit."

"He might. I can only imagine the kind of havoc that this conflict is wreaking on his emotions." Tails paused what he was doing briefly and turned to face Sonic. "But you're here. I'm _glad_ you're here, because it isn't just us who need you. He needs you, too, Sonic." Blue eyes searched an even bluer face, full of earnest and hope. "You've been so worried about how you can possibly help throughout all of this… but this is one way that you can. _Be_ here. Let him be here for you, too. Work together, just as you two have always done." Smiling, Tails turned away again and imparted one last bit of lasting wisdom.

"When you stand together united, there isn't anything that can take you guys down."

 **~保護者~**

Night was falling by the time Sonic finally felt comfortable enough to leave Tails and Shadow alone. He ventured outside, stretching his senses for any sign of Cream and Espio. It didn't take long to determine that Cream was inside the main house, so he began heading her way. _No telling where Espio is, though… But I can't exactly fault him for always hiding his energy._ Opening the door to Tails's small home, he stepped inside. There, he found Cream relaxing in a chair while busily scrolling through something on the communicator Tails had given to her that morning. "Cream-" he started.

She looked up, gifting him with a small and knowing smile. "Don't worry, he's close. I made him promise."

Somehow, Sonic managed to crack an answering smile. "How in the world did you manage _that_?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was magic?" Cream teased, a twinkle in her eyes.

"I might," Sonic chuckled, "in the right circumstances."

"I don't suppose this situation qualifies."

"Maybe."

Laughing a little, Cream turned off her communicator screen. "Was there something you needed?"

Sonic executed a small shrug. "I mostly just want to check on everyone," he admitted. "Shadow's stable now, he's just sleeping, so I wanted to make sure you guys were alright, too."

"I'm fine," Cream was quick to assure him. "I wasn't injured earlier. I don't believe that anyone else was, either."

 _So it was just that crazy brother of mine, then._ "Good. Glad to hear it." Turning slightly, Sonic glanced outside. "...Think Espio's going to be willing to have a little chat?"

Finally, that smile of hers faltered. "No. He most definitely won't be. He just wants to be left alone."

Hardly surprising, given how little tolerance the man likely had for social interaction these days. Living in near-total isolation did that to a person. Still, this was important. "Wave was messaging me earlier," he told Cream, "about him. She told me about the marks, his family… pretty much everything."

She shook her head. "He was already growing upset over the questioning earlier. I don't think he'll be open to anymore right now." After a slight pause, she asked, "What was it you wanted to say?"

There was nothing to hide, so Sonic didn't hesitate to reply. "Same thing as I did with you."

There was that smile again. "Just making sure he's okay."

"More or less."

"Perhaps later. For now-"

"Yeah. I get it." Sonic walked over to an empty seat and claimed it, leaving the front door open (as Tails himself often did) to allow a cool breeze to filter through. "On another note, how long did you guys hang around the battlefield before you finally left?"

This made Cream blink, a vaguely puzzled expression appearing on her face. "I'm not sure how long it was," she admitted. "We came straight here when we left."

"So it was probably a while, then," Sonic murmured. "Did you happen to notice if Espio was carrying his inhaler? It was getting pretty breezy and crap when Tails and I left with Shadow, and there was a lot of debris starting to blow around."

Her gaze turned troubled. "Oh… I'd forgotten about…" She trailed off for just a second, then finished with, "I didn't see if he had it with him, no. But he's seemed alright since we left."

Surprising, given how much dust and the like just did _not_ get along with the ninja (it really was fortunate that he was such a tidy person), but Sonic wasn't about to complain. "Okay… good."

Some comfortable silence ensued for a short time before Cream posed a question of her own. "When do you think Mister Jet will return?"

Sonic sighed. "I don't know. I've been worried about that, myself." He shifted in his seat, then admitted, "I know everyone's confident that he's going to win and all, but I can't help being concerned. He's always… had a knack for getting himself into shit."

This earned a small giggle from her. "Yes… I do recall." Sonic lapsed into concerned silence, but Cream refused to allow him to remain that way. It seemed she was intent on at least temporarily take his mind off of this. "Is Mister Tails still in the workshop?"

"Mm-hm. He wants to monitor Shadow until he waked up." There was a slight pause, then Sonic thought to ask, "Why?"

"Perhaps you can aid me in convincing him to come inside and get some rest," Cream responded lightly. "If he is anything like the fox I remember, he will hole himself up in that workshop all night instead of sleeping."

Nothing about this comment _should_ have been amusing, but Sonic found himself feeling that way regardless. Chuckling, he said, "You're probably right. We might need to stage a little intervention."

"That's an interesting way to put it," she laughed.

Smirking to himself, Sonic stood and stretched a little. "Yeah, well, I try. Anyway, we may as well go try this. I'll carry my brother's metal ass in here myself if that's what it takes to get Tails out of the workshop for at least a few hours."

"That may not be necessary, but I'll keep that in mind." With that said, Cream also stood. She positively radiated humor as she led the way out the door. Grateful for the shift in mood to this from the tension and worry of earlier, Sonic followed her out.

 **~保護者~**

 **9,162 words this time. Apologies for the delay, all. We've had these scenes written for a while, I just wasn't sure what I order I wanted them (and some others) I wanted to put them in, so I hesitated... a lot. Heh. Sorry about that. Anyway, as always, many thanks to Blazing Winds for all his help! Steam is sure proving himself useful as a source of information today, huh? Posted (at about 12:55 p.m.) 03-26-19.**


	24. Best Laid Plans

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this instance of plans going a touch awry… especially for the one who thinks on his feet.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, tragedies can strike at any time. And it doesn't matter how strong you _think_ you are, everyone needs allies and friends to help hold them up. Sometimes even that, however, isn't enough... :( But, as far as a tragedy happening _now_ , don't worry. No one's dying right now. XD Lol, _right_? Them being brothers in the canon would be so awesome!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Best Laid Plans"**

 **~保護者~**

Dawn was just starting to break when Jet finally returned to Mobius. He alighted silently in the grass outside of Tails's home, plainly exhausted (less so physically and more so otherwise) and a bit on the dirtier side. He gazed upon the home for a moment, debating whether or not to go on, but ultimately decided against it. Pivoting on his heel, he strode over to a sturdy tree and sat down amongst it's thick roots. Closing his eyes against the world, he tried to just let his mind go blank, hoping to block out the day's events… at least for now.

"Jet," Steam's voice rang out from above him, within the tree. "What happened after you left?"

Details. Always, people asked about the goddamned _details_. Now simply wasn't a time where he was willing to share any. So, frowning, he simply stated, "He's dead."

"That's all I needed to know," the hedgehog confirmed, shifting and dropping down to land in a crouch nearby Jet. He promptly took a seat and glanced over. Without actually meaning to, Jet sort of flinched further away, not wanting the proximity right now. "You look like shit," Steam commented vaguely.

Tense, Jet turned his head away. "Hardly," he muttered, denying the truth despite how obvious it was.

Steam rolled his eyes at the hawk, snorting. "You're lying if you really believe that much. After all this, you need to just sit down and relax."

 _"Relax"... as if._ Choosing not to voice that little comment, Jet quickly vied to turn the conversation around. "And what about you?" he softly demanded. Tiny sparks of his temper started to show through his usual mask, but he did his best to maintain his cool. It did him no good to let today's events get to him. "You're injured but hardly resting properly, yourself."

"I'm organizing things in the background to make sure shit doesn't hit the fan as hard as it can," he countered, knowing full well that Jet was right and deciding not to argue that point. "I'm telling you that much so that maybe, one day, you'll listen and do some good for yourself. It doesn't really matter if I die."

 _Liar… and hardly overflowing with self-worth,_ Jet silently remarked. He chose to say nothing, wanting nothing more than to just retreat within himself stay there for a while.

"By the way, I did tell the others about Espio's current condition. Anything you don't know, I can fill you in on soon. And if you've got any questions about what I'm doing, feel free to just say so," Steam responded calmly, his gaze flicking across the distance between them.

Stress was prompting Jet to stay completely silent, but eventually he managed a very quiet reply. "Wave told me what was discussed." A bit of a pause, then he added, "And I know enough for now."

"You hungry?" the hedgehog asked this suddenly, his attention moving all at once to Jet. "I know it probably doesn't matter, but I thought I'd ask."

Eating was probably a good idea, all things considered, but Jet didn't want to. So, he fell back on his usual tactic of deny, deny, deny. "No."

Steam sighed a little. "We're stubborn fucks, ya know?" he mused, leaning back against the ground with a noticeable wince. Blue eyes glanced at him. "We don't really like accepting help, or letting other people get involved in our matters."

There were comments that could be made here, but Jet settled on the most obvious one. "It's safer." _For them._

"Certainly. But that doesn't change the fact that we're stubborn." He groaned, throwing his hands over his face. "No wonder we didn't get along in my timeline."

Curiosity was a welcome distraction from everything else, so Jet glanced over again. "Hm," he murmured, tone vaguely questioning.

There was a long exhale from the hedgehog, shaking his head. "We met when we were pretty damn young, and from the start we didn't like each other. I didn't like what you did, and you didn't like me, from what I know."

"...What I did," Jet echoed blandly. He suspected he knew well what Steam meant, but he wanted confirmation.

"I didn't like that you were a thief. Nor the friends that surrounded themselves around you. Sonic, Wave, Storm, and Armaris." After a long moment of thought, Steam came to the conclusion that Jet wouldn't know who Armaris was. "Armaris is a black cat who prefers sticking to the shadows and all. She was an excellent thief alongside you guys."

Steam's description tugged at the edges of Jet's memory, and he frowned slightly. _Armaris… The name... sounds familiar._ He wasn't sure where he'd have heard of such a person before, though he suspected perhaps Shadow or Tails, with their many connections. He wasn't sure, however, due to just how long ago he'd heard the name. But he simply let it go for the time being, despite now wondering if she indeed existed in this timeline as well.

"Question regarding Cere, if you know the answer," he prompted, letting his hands fall onto his chest and his gaze shifting to Jet. "Does she have a… student of her own?"

"One," Jet shrugged. "I don't know who." Truth be told, he'd just yet to have the time to look into her disciple, nor any of the other such "students" that other Gods and Goddesses had taken on in the last few decades or so. Far too much had been going on for far, far too long.

Steam chuckled softly. "In all honesty, if my timeline and yours have enough similarity, Armaris might be that student."

Jet decided now to mention with a meaningful glance to Tails's house (where everyone else was presently resting), "...One of them knows her."

Steam blinked. "Really?" Jet just nodded. "That's interesting. I assume you haven't met her?"

Slowly, Jet shook his head. "No," he answered shortly. "I haven't."

"You should eventually. She can be a bit spazzy, sure, but she can also be… _enjoyable_ at times." Jet's only only response was a vague shrug.

There was a small smile cast from Steam before it fell, causing the hedgehog to groan. Jet quickly turned his head to look. "I heard someone call me _spazzy_ , and I also heard that a certain _someone_ here was problematic recently. Care to explain?"

Blue eyes blinked slowly, then Jet frowned. _This is likely her, then,_ he thought somewhat uncaringly, too tired and upset to feel any traces of potential amusement at her abrupt appearance.

Steam sighed and glanced over at the black cat, frowning. "Why the hell are you here?"

She snorted at him and frowned in return, ice blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I've got my reasons."

Deciding to interject, Jet asked her in clipped tones, "And those reasons are?"

"I believe I found an old friend of mine. I wanted to seek him out after giving this _dimwit_ ," Armaris' gaze flicked to Steam, "A piece of my mind for the shit he put my teacher through."

"She didn't have to show up. I could have gotten myself _out_. Just maybe not as fully intact as I am now," Steam retorted.

Now suspicious, Jet rounded on the young Balancer. "What did you do?" he quietly demanded.

The hedgehog inhaled, then exhaled. "Armaris. You're a complete brat." Steam's gaze flicked to Jet. "I went in search of the Balancers."

"You went to _his_ world _alone_?" Jet hissed at him, temper flaring a degree. He normally had far greater control over said temper these days, but today was just… not one of those days. And he wasn't exactly in the mood to care.

"Yeah, I did. He showed up, tested me, then Cere and Ylden showed up. We all got out of there after that. I also have a damn good idea of where the Balancers are." Steam's own temper was flaring, but he certainly was attempting to keep control of himself. "I am fully capable of making my own choices and being responsible for them."

"You endanger _everyone_ when you behave irresponsibly," Jet remarked harshly. "He well could have decided to continue the conflict with you _here_."

"I wasn't _irresponsible_. I know what the hell I'm doing, Jet. Why do you _think_ I showed up in this timeline?" Steam asked, irritation seeping into his tone. "Don't treat me like some kid, dammit!"

"Okay, look, both of you," Armaris snapped, grabbing up Steam by the hair in annoyance. "This argument isn't gonna get anyone anywhere, so let's drop it and pick it back up on a calmer note sometime _later_." Jet opted to completely ignore both her and Steam after that point and looked away again.

Steam glared backward at Armaris, prompting her to drop him and allow him to stand on his own. "I'm gonna go get some rest. You should do the same, Jet." Without waiting for a response, not that Jet planned on giving one, the hedgehog teleported away.

After a lengthy pause, Jet decided to speak again. "...Your friend," he started slowly. "Who is it?"

"Espio. We met when we were much younger," she explained gently, deciding to sit for the time being.

There was another long silence before Jet finally said, "He's off that way." He gestured vaguely toward the lake that Tails's house had always been near to. He said nothing more beyond giving her that small bit of direction, wanting her to leave so that he could finally achieve the solitude he'd sought by sitting out here in the first place.

She nodded and glanced to him, concern evident in her formerly cold eyes. "Are you okay, Jet?"

The true answer to that was a resounding no, but he refused to admit such. Retreating back into his earlier withdrawn state, Jet simply told her, "I'm fine." He didn't care anymore if he actually sounded convincing, so long as the subject was dropped either way.

"Alright, well," Armaris stood back up, seeing as Jet certainly wasn't in a talkative mood, "I hope to meet you again under better circumstances. Cere speaks highly of you." When he didn't respond, she simply walked away.

 **~保護者~**

Armaris wandered through the forest silently, choosing to allow her body to phase through patches of darkness instead of actually walking around obstacles like the various trees she passed. Her mind was set on finding Espio in all of this, which was undeniably a difficult task for _anyone_ typically. Luckily for her, however, he happened to actually be making noise for once… and plenty of it. Within just a few minutes, the cat had finally located the lone ninja. She hopped into a tree neighboring the one he sat in and offered a small wave. "Remember me?"

Any other person would have been startled, but Espio merely flung another shuriken into the tree ahead of him. This was clearly the source of the noises she had been hearing, as the trunk was already littered with the small projectiles. Lethal black blades jutted out of the wood, filling much of the available space. "You are rather difficult to forget," he remarked, tone neutral.

"I strive for that much, if I'm honest," she explained with a smile, chuckling faintly. Her icy blue eyes had a faint note of happiness to them. Her body was relaxed, unlike the somewhat tense and agitated stance she'd taken in the encounter with Steam. "How have you been?"

He offered a one-shouldered shrug. Despite the fact that he normally didn't feel much inclined to converse with… well, anyone really, he nevertheless followed up his nonverbal reply with a verbal one. "Well enough." His words weren't _entirely_ truthful, but they also largely weren't a lie. And even as he said this, inadvertently implying that things hadn't necessarily been all that bad, he hurled yet more shuriken at the tree. All three hit their marks, perfectly embedding themselves in between multiple others despite the distinctly tiny amount of room between each blade.

"You don't seem all that pleased." Armaris pointed out easily, taking a seat on her perch and raising an eyebrow at him incredulously. "Shit go down recently or… would you rather not talk about it?" She was certainly concerned for his wellbeing, a minute frown suddenly painted onto her face.

Though tempted to, Espio refrained from letting a small scoff. He did his best to put a cap on his temper and responded as evenly as possible, "It's nothing." There was a small pause, then he opted to change the subject. "...Why did you come here?"

Armaris shrugged faintly, "I sensed you here and decided to show up. Thought we could catch up or something." Espio considered this briefly and ultimately voiced no complaint. He started to set aside the shuriken that he'd been holding, but ultimately wound up throwing it, anyway. "So, uhm… What have you been doing lately?" Her gaze fell on his body and ultimately to his ruined eye and arm. However, she didn't let it linger and flicked her focus back to the weapons being thrown, following the flight of each and every one of them easily.

Truth be told, there wasn't a lot to say in response to that. Up until recently, he'd just been living quietly in his home for the most part. Lately, however… "Traveling with them," he remarked with a vague gesture toward Tails's house. After all, aside from two meager battles, travelling was all that they really had been doing overall. He chose, for the moment, to not burden her with the details of why they were all suddenly travelling together again and whatnot, deciding that if she really wanted to know she would just ask.

"Good to know that you've made friends other than me, Espio." Armaris didn't decide to press for the details on this, as she felt she had a decent idea of the situation at hand with their group. "Regardless, I heard you became badass while we were apart. Care to explain?" Amusement flickered in her eyes, a friendly smile slowly appearing on her face.

That little comment actually managed to catch him off-guard and he turned slightly to face her. "What?" he asked, for once mildly confused.

"You. Badass. Pretty self-explanatory, old friend," Armaris laughed, hopping off her branch and attaching herself to the tree he was in.

Espio huffed at her. Certainly, there were things he could no longer remember, but _this_ … her humor… _this_ he remembered. "You have not changed much, in some regards," he murmured.

She rolled her eyes at him, huffing. "I can't change completely or nobody will remember me. It's a special tactic of mine, if you wanna call it that. You're still pretty similar in some regards, too."

Instead of immediately replying, Espio chose to stand up on the slim branch he had been seated upon. Using his good hand, he lightly yanked on a virtually invisible thread that was attached to all of his shuriken, causing them to fly back at him. He effortlessly reigned them in and tucked them away before returning his attention to her. "Staying outside is likely not the best idea," he informed her, though he doubted that she was somehow unaware of this.

"There is one thing that changed about me. I'm not scared of much of anything anymore." Regardless of this statement, she dropped from the tree and smiled to him, motioning him to take the lead.

In response, Espio simply jumped out of tree, being careful to land mostly on his right leg just to be on the safe side. After that, he began walking and asked her out of mild curiosity, "How long will you be in the area?"

"Dunno. It'll just be until whenever I need to head out, I guess." She shrugged, walking after him without hesitation. Espio nodded vaguely and led the way to Tails's house, somehow managing to slip inside without being noticed (which he was grateful for because he was _not_ in the mood for more questioning like earlier). He chose a new seat in the front room - specifically in a dark corner on the other side of the room from the chairs and such - and sat down. Armaris stuck by him, avoiding being seen or otherwise noticed and sat with him.

Before Espio could even decide if he wanted to think of something to say, he realized people were walking back to the house. Internally, he sighed. _So much for solitude… and quiet._

Mere seconds later, Tails walked into the small home with Sonic and Cream in tow. It took several good long minutes for anyone to notice the little haunted corner, but eventually Tails spotted the pair. "Oh - Hey, there," he called over in greeting. There was a note of questioning to his tone, and he glanced specifically at Armaris for just a moment.

She gave a wave of response, blinking a few times. "Heya," she greeted, smiling.

Unsurprisingly, Tails smiled right back. Wasting no time or energy on suspicion (he really wasn't a suspicious person at heart), he went straight into polite introductions. "If you don't mind my asking, what's your name? I'm Miles, but people usually call me 'Tails'."

"Name's Armaris," she explained, sitting up straight for once.

Something in the young inventor's eyes lit up straight away. "Oh, I've heard of you!" he exclaimed, perhaps a touch excited. "You're a student of one of the Goddesses, aren't you?" Espio flicked the cat a glance while Sonic and Cream traded bemused looks.

Armaris nodded, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah… I am. Student of Cere."

"That's _awesome_ ," Tails grinned, his words spoken with feeling.

Cream interjected. "Cere?" she echoed, all innocent and wide-eyed curiosity.

Recognizing the request for information, Espio closed his eye and told her, "The Goddess of Judgement."

The bunny blinked once. "...Ah. I see."

Armaris blinked a few times. "You guys are oddly in the know. How'd you learn all this?"

"Being friends with an Immortal has its perks," Tails winked, tone light and joking. Sonic managed a small chuckle at him.

She rolled her eyes in response, chuckling softly. "Fair enough, I suppose."

Sonic changed the subject on them all right about then. "So… guessing you two know each other?" he asked, glancing between Armaris and Espio (who had apparently decided to ignore everyone now and thus didn't acknowledge the question).

"Yeah. Met when we were pretty young," the cat shrugged faintly. "We hung around each other a lot back then."

Now curious in spite of himself, Sonic turned to Espio. "Was that before or after you and I met and I picked that stupid fight?" There was no real answer given other than a small shrug, and Sonic huffed. "Anyway," he continued, turning back to Armaris, "are you planning on sticking around a while?"

"I guess. I don't have much to do, and I'm kinda just doing my own thing for a bit."

 **~保護者~**

"Seems that everyone is kind of doing that for now," Tails agreed. Then he added, "You're welcome to stay with us for however long you'd like. We don't mind or anything."

She nodded gently, smiling. "Thanks for that. I'll probably be off on my own so as to not be in your hair and all, but I'll stick around for sure."

"Alright," Tails answered with an understanding smile.

"Anyway, with that, I'll head off and explore a bit," she waved, casting the group a smile and fixating her gaze on Espio for a moment, her smile widening before she teleported off. Espio glanced very briefly in her direction just as he vanished, then simply looked away again, resuming ignoring the world.

 **~保護者~**

Sonic shifted on the makeshift bed he had crashed on the night before in Tails's front room and groaned. Sensitive ears flicking, he drowsily batted at a buzzing fly and muttered, "The hell is all that vibrating?"

Cream, who had slept on one of couches (as Tails had no guest rooms), yawned audibly before murmuring, "I don't know… a phone, perhaps?" Sonic listened as she sat up and called out, "Espio-san, do you know what that noise is?"

It took Sonic a second to realize that he did, in fact, very vaguely feel the presence of a third person somewhere in the vicinity. Actually, he sensed two other people, and one of them was just entering the space from the hall that lead to Tails's room. It didn't take a genius to tell that this second person was, in fact, the inventor himself. "Uh, I think it's Shadow's communicator," he called back from the kitchen. A few seconds later, Sonic caught the words, "Jeez, what the heck…"

Finally prompted to get up, Sonic did as such and opened his eyes. "What's going on, Tails?" he asked, gaze swinging to where his half-brother still rested on Tails's second couch. He was still powered down for now, but chances were he'd wind up waking up before too much longer.

Tails walked slowly into view. "People are absolutely blowing up his inboxes," he commented, shaking his head. "Guess a lot of stuff went down yesterday…"

Growing concerned, Sonic asked, "What stuff?"

This earned a gusty sigh from the fox. "It looks like a bunch of tornadoes touched down all at once yesterday and caused a lot of damage… and a particularly large one whipped up in that area where we confronted the Tel'or."

A light bulb turned on in Sonic's head. _That must have been Jet._

"And it looks like some people are concerned that Shadow's been out with us so much lately," Tails continued, "instead of doing… whatever exactly it was he was doing in the compound before. …'The compound' being that place where we found Shadow after you were revived, by the way." When Sonic didn't reply, unsure of what to say, Tails spoke again. "Most of the rest of this stuff looks to be pretty minor, but a lot of people are definitely concerned by his absence."

Sonic almost found himself smirking. "Kind of sounds like how things were when Jet was still in charge of Babylon," he mused. "He constantly had people on his ass about stuff, no matter where he was or what he was doing."

Cream actually did manage to smile. "You're right. And at least we can take comfort in the fact that nothing is _very_ wrong right now. Though, the tornado damage will need to be dealt with at some point."

"Yeah," Tails nodded. His eyes skimmed over some more messages for just a moment longer before he turned the screen off and set the device aside. "Well… I guess we'll just leave this be for now. Shadow can handle it."

With that tiny bit of interest dead and gone now, Sonic stretched and stood up. "So now what? Tein's probably gone now, or will be soon, and I imagine the same is soon to be true about his Tel'or armies. So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"Yes, wasn't Tein the most immediate problem?" Cream agreed.

"Absolutely, he was," Tails was quick to confirm. "But he was far from the largest. But as far as what, specifically, we should be doing next… I just don't know. We'll need to talk to Wave and to Jet, whenever he gets back."

"Yeah… alright." Sonic slapped at the fly again and glanced over his shoulder. _Door's open… figures._ "Just so you know, you let the most annoying-ass fly in the house."

Tails glanced at the door as well, then cracked a smile. "Eh, we'll live. Assuming that fly doesn't have any super powers."

"I swear to god, if that's even _possible_ …" Sonic started to say, aghast.

This made his old friend bust up laughing. "Dude, you look so scared!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, shut up!"

" _Heck_ , no, that was _great_!"

"Whatever…"

Wiping a slight tear from his eye, Tails cheerfully assured, "Don't worry, no Mobian wildlife can have powers like you and I can. Well, _normal_ wildlife, at any rate. Things like yokai and some of the other ancient creatures that used to populate much of the planet can, but creatures like flies or… I don't know, fish and such? No. So don't worry about it."

That was a relief, Sonic supposed. Just the idea of a bug being able to breathe fire or some shit… _That's just too much._

"Anyway," Cream interjected lightly, "what are we doing about breakfast?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Tails told her. "See, I have this new invention - Well, I won't bore you guys with all the details, but basically it rewards me with instant food." He grinned at them. "Care to test it?"

"Sounds good to me," Sonic chuckled. The trio made their way into the kitchen and set about having breakfast together. It was a largely uneventful affair, with the only exception being the multitudinous jokes and whatnot that they shared to help pass the time. It was a welcome distraction from all the tension and uncertainty and nerves as of late, certainly. And, by the time their small meal was finished, they were each in a decidedly happy mood. It showed in the easy, relaxed smirk Sonic wore, the gentle laughs Cream let out now and then, the brightness in Tails's expression… "You know, it's nice to relax once in a while," Sonic told them. "I miss the days when we were able to do this sort of thing all the time."

"Me, too," Tails agreed with a wistful smile. "I miss all the group gatherings, the outings we all went on to go play in the snow or have a picnic or… whatever, really."

"I miss those, too," Cream murmured warmly. "Those days were so wonderful."

Anything Sonic might have been about to say in response was interrupted when he heard the distinct sound of blankets shifting. Excusing himself from the conversation, he walked out of the kitchen and back into the front room to be greeted by the sight of Shadow sitting up on the couch. The darker hedgehog blinked several times, as though to focus his vision, then flicked a glance to Sonic. Relieved that Shadow seemed to be fine, Sonic greeted, "Hey, welcome back. You feeling alright?"

A small pause, then Shadow nodded. "Yes."

"Everything in working order?"

"I'll know soon enough."

Figuring that maybe some systems were still coming back online or something, Sonic didn't pursue that line of questioning. Though, he admitted to himself that he was curious. Instead, he disappeared back into the kitchen for just a second before returning in a flash with a plate and some toast. It was likely the only thing that stubborn half-brother of his might _kind of_ eat, after all. "So, luckily for you, you didn't miss much while you were out of it," he informed Shadow after presenting said hedgehog with the plate.

"Much?" Shadow echoed. He reluctantly took the plate, but made no move to start eating yet.

Sonic was quick to fill Shadow in on what few things had happened since the day before, ending with, "Oh, and your communicator started blowing up this morning. Tails glanced over some of the messages and said that none of it was too serious, but a lot of people were trying to get ahold of you."

Shadow huffed. "They love to act as though things will obliterate themselves if I'm gone for even a day," he muttered.

"Oh, yeah?" Sonic chuckled. "Guess you should count yourself lucky that they were quiet for this long, then." Shadow grumbled some sort of an agreement. What little Sonic managed to catch made his amusement only grow, but he forced himself to steer the conversation to more pertinent matters. "Anyway… what do you think about Armaris? From what you've heard, at least."

Considering that he'd so far only heard what Sonic had told him, it wasn't terribly surprising that he didn't seem to have much of an opinion. "What do you think of her?" he countered evenly.

Blue shoulders shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, we did only just meet."

"But?" Shadow pressed.

"But, I mean… Espio trusts her, apparently." Sonic tugged gently on one ear. "That's not a small thing, coming from him. And she does seem nice and all that, plus she's apparently the student of some Goddess. So… maybe the rest of us can trust her, too."

Pitch black ears flicked very slightly in a display of some unspoken thought or emotion. "...You used to trust your own judgement," Shadow commented slowly. "Why do you hesitate now?"

Sonic felt his ears lower and he looked away. "Look, I've been wrong before. Maybe not _massively_ , but that's not the point. I used to be confident just because I _had_ to, because people always looked to my dumb ass for leadership and I always had to be sure. Except, I almost never actually was 'sure'. I could've put people in real danger."

There was silence for a short time before Shadow finally spoke again. "Stop being stupid," he huffed. Before Sonic could even shoot back at him, he continued, "Your judgement of people is seldom incorrect, and it certainly isn't now. If there was a problem of any kind with this person, do you not think that he," Shadow gestured to Espio, who was sitting well across the room and gazing distractedly out a window, "would be distrustful and suspicious, as he so often is? Do you think that Cream, with all her mental ability, would have failed to sense anything wrong?"

"I-" Sonic started to say, but Shadow cut him off.

"For that matter," Shadow continued, "your ability to read the hearts of others seldom fails you. If there was a real risk, it _would_ have been detected. Now do everyone a favor and stop being a _complete_ idiot."

"I am _not_ being an idiot," Sonic muttered.

Shadow gave Sonic a pointed look. "Inability to trust oneself can lead to extreme danger," he warned simply. "You know better than to fall into that trap. You _are_ being an idiot, and it needs to stop."

Letting out a soft growl, Sonic crossed his arms. "I hate you," he muttered crossly, though he didn't mean it.

"I can live with that." With that smart-ass remark, Shadow simply took a bite of his toast.

Before Sonic could really formulate a halfway-decent retort, the front door opened. In walked Wave, and Sonic gave her a small nod of greeting. "Hey, Wave. You get the barriers back up?"

Wave sat down heavily on a couch. "Yeah, did that hours ago. They're definitely weaker in places now, but they're functional again."

"Did you get any rest at all?" Sonic frowned at her, taking in her appearance as he claimed his own seat on the opposite couch.

Wave sort of shrugged at him. "No, but I'm fine. I'll take a nap or something if I need it."

Sensing that he wasn't going to win this argument if he started it, Sonic let it go. Instead, he asked, "Do you know if Jet's come back yet?"

The swallow nodded. "Yeah. He's been sitting out in the woods since sometime last night." She paused, thought for a second, then added, "And he's fine, by the way. As in, he's not wounded."

 _Physically, at any rate._ Sonic returned her nod. "Yeah… okay. That's good." He grew quiet for a few short moments before something occurred to him. "Hey… where'd Steam go? And Armaris?" Twisting around, he levelled his gaze on Espio. "You've been up, have you seen them?" Espio barely even shrugged, not really answering and not turning away from the window.

Sonic huffed. _Helpful._ He turned back to Wave. "Back on subject… think Jet's up to letting me talk to him?"

She shrugged a little. "Hard to say. He's kind of shut down right now. He won't really engage with me much. I don't know what he's thinking or feeling or… anything." Head tilting, she considered the situation and slowly added, "But even so… he let me talk to him, even if he didn't reply much. I think it's best to leave him be as much as possible right now, but you can probably go see him."

Satisfied overall with this answer, Sonic didn't wait any longer. He teleported straight out into the woods and stretched out his senses. Following the faint wisps of aura that his friend was letting out, he soon approached the normally elusive hawk. "Hey," he greeted, taking a seat beside Jet.

Thankfully, Jet didn't flinch away or show any signs of great discomfort. It was a good sign that he was mostly calm at the moment. Whether it was because he was genuinely calm or _forcing_ himself to be, though… that was another matter entirely. Wave had been correct in saying that Jet had largely shut himself down emotionally speaking. However, that was sometimes the first step that he took in an effort to cope. Sonic knew that. Wave knew that. So Sonic didn't bother Jet about it. Not for now, at least. If it persisted for too long, he would do something then. There were other things they needed to focus on at the moment.

After Jet murmured a greeting in reply, Sonic turned to him. "So, what do you suggest we do about the Tel'or? Aren't there supposed to be scores of th-"

"I dealt with it," Jet quietly interrupted. "They're gone."

Sonic's mouth closed. He opened it again to speak, fell short, then closed it again. _I keep forgetting how much more powerful everyone is now._ After a moment, he finally just sighed and nodded. "Right… of course you did." Jet didn't appear to have anything to say to that, so Sonic continued. "With Tein and his armies are gone, I guess we can just focus on the demons now, right?"

Much to Sonic's surprise, Jet shook his head. "Not quite." He didn't immediately continue, so Sonic started to open his mouth to speak. However, Jet spoke again before Sonic could voice any questions. "There are other dark forces at work. Each threat overlaps the others in such a manner that we cannot adequately deal with one without doing the same for the others."

Aghast, Sonic could only mutter, "I didn't know… I don't even think Tails and the others know, do they? They never mentioned…" He trailed off.

"You didn't know because I haven't had the chance to explain," Jet responded, frowning faintly at the distant horizon. A second later, he stood up.

Emerald eyes blinked at him. "You're leaving?"

"We're on the brink of war on several fronts," Jet patiently explained, turning around to face his friend. "I cannot be idle."

Sonic understood. _He feels he's wasting time. I know that feeling._ Pursing his lips together, he also stood. "So what do you want us to do, then? We need to know about all these other threats."

"Travel to the land of hollow winds," Jet told him vaguely. "There are artifacts there that can explain."

Now it was Sonic's turn to frown. "Where is that? I've never heard of it before."

Jet turned away, plainly ready to take off. "Ask Wave. She knows."

Before he could go, Sonic quickly asked, "Where do we go after we're done there?"

"Wait for me on Babylon." Once more, Jet's answer managed to be surprising. "I'll meet you there." And with that, he was gone.

 **~保護者~**

"Quick question."

Wave paused in what she was doing (namely fussing with her communicator, which apparently had an unsightly crack on the screen) and looked up. Her eyes landed upon Tails, the only other person currently sharing the fox's front room with her. Hating to be cooped up, Espio had gone outside several minutes ago while Cream busied herself with getting a drink in the kitchen. Shadow was in the workshop, taking some kind of a call meanwhile, and Steam and Armaris were… wherever it was they'd been all morning. That left Wave alone with Tails, and he was waiting for some kind of a response. "Sure," she shrugged. "Shoot."

Glancing toward his open front door, Tails sighed. "Honestly, there's something that's been bugging me for a while," he admitted. "It's about Espio, specifically regarding everything that's come to light in recent days."

There were a few different ways this conversation could potentially go, Wave knew, so she waited to see where her friend would steer it. "Go on."

Normally bright and happy eyes were clouded with worry. "I just… can't understand how he could have never known about this. ...Well, I take that back. I know there's probably stuff he can't remember, all things considered. But is it unreasonable to expect that he'd have retained at least _some_ memory of all this?" Tails shrugged at himself. "Then again, though, that does assume that he knew about any of this to _begin_ with… and we don't know that he did. It's not like he ever gave any hints of knowledge about this stuff in the past."

"That's true," Wave conceded. "There's a possibility that he really was never informed by his parents or anyone else. Maybe they thought they were protecting him by not saying anything. Stuff like that happens."

"Certainly it does, but…" Trailing off, Tails gained a slow frown of thought. After a moment or two, he continued. "It goes without saying that his people are _extraordinarily_ secretive and private, so it's hard to know much about them. But from what I _do_ know about them, they don't really shelter their children like that, generally. They're raised to be warriors, after all. You know?"

"That's true, but there are other factors at play here. Based on what Steam said, Espio's parents actively resisted their heritage despite having been born into an at-the-time unbroken family line of evil." Wave leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, frowning unhappily at the content of their conversation. "It's possible, at least somewhat so, that they were ashamed of where they had come from. Or maybe they hated it. Maybe they just plain wanted nothing to do with it. All are possible reasons for not revealing that heritage to him."

Tails pursed his lips together. "Yeah… maybe."

"Why do you ask?" Wave asked. She fixed him with an even ask. "It's hardly relevant at this point."

"No, I know. It's just…" The fox sighed again. "I don't know. It's just hard to accept all of this, I guess. And, for me at least, the fact that even _he_ doesn't know… possibly _never_ knew… that makes it harder.

She supposed it made sense, in a way. Inclining her head, Wave stifled a small sigh of her own. "I think I get it. But, accept it or not, _like_ it or not, this is reality. All we can do is cope with it however we can. There's nothing else _to_ do."

"...You're right." Tails offered a small smile. "Guess I just need to try to relax a bit for now."

The door opened before Wave could answer. Sonic stepped in, looking serious… and determined. "Jet says we need to go," he told them firmly.

His words had Wave and Tails on their feet in a near-instant. "Where?" she demanded.

Looking straight into her eyes, he told her, "To the land of hollow winds."

Immediately, Wave spun around on her heel to face the group's resident shinobi. "Espio, do you still have that crystal I left with you?"

An amber eye blinked once at her. "At home," was the simple reply.

Wave nodded once, looking satisfied. "Good." Turning back to Sonic and Tails, Wave explained, "I know what Jet intends for us to do, but it's something that normally only _Immortals_ can do. However, he took me to do this once before, so I was able to learn about everything. After we returned, he entrusted me with a crystal that I can use just once in order to share the knowledge with someone else." She glanced away from Sonic and to Tails specifically. "I think he'd originally intended for me to do this with you, Espio, and Shadow… whenever he decided it was time to."

Sonic caught on. "But now I'm here and he feels the need to fill everyone in sooner than planned… right?"

"More or less," Wave admitted. "Espio, go get the crystal, please. We'll be ready as soon as you return." Without answering, Espio simply vanished.

"I'll go get Shadow," Tails offered.

"Sounds good," Wave agreed, already heading to the kitchen to inform Cream of their incoming departure.

With everyone else out of the room now, Sonic sighed to himself. "Guess that leaves me to track down Armaris and Steam," he murmured, wandering off toward the door.

"Track down who?" Armaris asked with a touch of amusement in her tone, appearing from his shadow to stand behind him.

Startled, Sonic jumped and whirled around. Then, heart hammering in his chest, he sighed, "Don't _do_ that!"

She blinked and tilted her head. "Why not? I thought you'd know I was there."

"You're as bad as he is," Sonic grumbled, forcing himself to calm down. After that, he continued pointedly, " _Anyway_ , did you hear what Wave and the rest of us were talking about?"

"Mhm. I was listening."

 _Great. Saves me some trouble._ "Alright, good. Any idea where Steam is?"

Armaris frowned thoughtfully for a long moment before shrugging. "I also don't know much about him, so there's no clue where he's gone off to right now."

Sighing again, Sonic decided to look at his communicator. _Tails has been messing with this thing a lot, and Steam has one… maybe one of them connected him to the network or some crap._ Scrolling through his contacts, he was pleasantly surprised to see Steam's name there. _Well, alright, then._ Tapping the name once, he began to place a call.

Surprisingly, the call was answered in moments. _"What in the actual hell? You realized that I connected to your communicators?"_

Sonic's mood dropped even lower than it already was. "Why the hell wouldn't I have?" he retorted quickly.

"You have a strong tendency for the obliviousness that you express. What do you want?"

Torn between wanting to yell at Steam for being such an ass and knowing they didn't have time for this bullshit, Sonic cursed under his breath a few times before speaking again. "Look, Jet wants us all to go somewhere, and I'm assuming that includes your ass."

 _"Ah, I see. Give me like two minutes and I'll show up. Kicking the ass of someone."_

Emerald eyes rolled toward the heavens. "Great. Good to know." Without waiting for an answer, he hung up.

At about the same time, Tails returned with Shadow. "Okay, we're ready to go," the fox stated. "Wave, you guys ready?" he then called.

After another moment or two, Wave and Cream emerged from the kitchen. Much to Sonic's surprise, Espio was behind them. "Yes, we can go now." A pause, then she asked Armaris, "You coming, too?"

"I'll tag along. I assume that it's important, and it'll probably be something good to report back to Cere," Armaris offered in explanation, smiling.

Wave blinked slowly. "Actually… I think your teacher will be privy to at least some of this already. But, yeah, if you're gonna be hanging around us regularly, you'll need to know."

Sonic interjected right about then. "Steam's coming, too. We have to wait for him."

"I'm not waiting more than thirty seconds," Wave announced firmly, arms crossing in a show of stubbornness that reminded Sonic _strongly_ of friends and times long since passed. He did his best to ignore the pang he felt in response to that. Luckily enough, Steam appeared within that thirty seconds. He landed next to Armaris, who immediately gave him a light shove. Seeing this, Wave teleported with all of them to where they needed to go.

 **~保護者~**

 **7,598 words this time. So sorry for the delay, everyone. Scheduling issues are a _pain_. XD Anyway, many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for his assistance and I hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 11:25 a.m.) 05-01-19.**


	25. Stones of Lore

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) throughout this information-laden scene… especially for the one whose thoughts are seldom shared.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Stones of Lore"**

 **~保護者~**

When the group landed, they were in a strange and clearly unfathomably ancient building-like construct filled with numerous… stones? Confused, Sonic eyed the nearest floating object. It was about as flat as a hand with rounded edges and shaped like an oval, as well as about half as tall as he was. Strange shimmering magic held it afloat where it rested, and on it and all the others there was one word carved. They almost looked like… names.

Wave launched into an explanation before anyone could even ask. "These are the ruins of a place known as Farenhel. It was a stronghold of sorts for Immortals of the ancient past, and where many of these," she gestured to the stones, "have been kept for generations. These are known as Stones of Lore."

Looking just about as lost as Sonic _felt_ , Cream asked, "And… what are those?"

This made Wave sigh a little. "I don't pretend to understand it much, but I'll tell you what Jet said to me when he took me here. These are magical objects, as you can see. They contain memories, great moments, ideas, songs, and inspirations. The Immortals seldom record their words in ink or on paper. Ink fades. Paper crumbles. Stones of Lore mark where 'our kind', as he put it, has made a lasting impression, where the seasons slowed to take note on a grand scale."

"If these are Immortal objects," Tails asked slowly, "how are we meant to interact with them?"

"The crystal I had Espio fetch," Wave answered, showing them a small glowing crystal held on a string like a necklace, "is going to help us do that. Like I said, Jet took me here once. I was able to listen to these with his help, but when he left, he gave me this. He said it can only be used for one day and told me to save it. My guess is that maybe he was intending on this for a long time, me filling our allies in via these Stones. Just… maybe not this soon."

"Filling us in on… what?" Shadow asked, visibly growing suspicious.

"There are other threats out there besides our resident Demonic God," Wave sighed. "Threats that are far worse and _far_ more ancient. These stones can't tell us everything about them, but… they do help us non-Immortals get a grasp of just how _dire_ the situation was and even now still is."

Steam bristled at the mention of ancient threats, biting at his lip in agitation. "There's a lot to take in, especially on the topic she just mentioned." Armaris didn't speak, but her curiosity was evident due to her raised eyebrow.

Wave gestured for everyone to follow and walked to the stone Sonic had been eyeing not long before. "This," she murmured, "is the first Stone of Lore ever made. It was crafted by a man named Urath, who hailed from the second generation of Immortals. This means the very _first_ generation to appear after the Faein. The Faein, in case anyone is unaware, were the very first living things in existence _period_ , and the first Immortals. They created existence, mortals, semi-Immortals, realms, you name it. But… they vanished long before this stone was made. And their absence played a huge role in what was recorded here." Without waiting for a response, she very gently tapped the crystal to the worn stone.

A voice began to speak from the stone, as if the speaker was standing right there with them.

 _My true name is Urath, second born of the second generation of Immortals._  
 _This Stone of Lore is mine to share, and mine to keep._  
 _Listen. Listen as I tell you my tale._

 _They came together, the Tiskarn and the Tuark, warriors of blackest nights and slayers of Fae, Karna, and Teirn alike._  
 _My sisters and brother have fallen to these thieves in the shadows, these murderous impossibilities who seek to end us all._

 _Ythene, Voice of Chaos… Teyan, Queen of Chaos… Zenith, Lord of Darkness… Eona, Lady of Light… And Eirza, Ruler of Storms… All came to aid their Immortal allies, each with true power on their side._  
 _The battle was great, the fighters fierce, but the Tiskarn and the Tuark together still free, forged an army, to kill us all… and take for their own that which they should never possess._

 _Three have fallen, but one remains, and I am alone. Alone with my thoughts and perils, and alone with this stone._  
 _Their ships are coming. This world with fall. Ynder, Mistress of Fate and oft Keeper of Destinies, has tried to change it all, to wipe this slate clean._  
 _But our foes, no longer mortal, resist her threads and come for me._

 _The judgement of my brother failed him. What he gifted could not be reclaimed. And now she comes for us all._  
 _Her armies only grow, each day gaining strength, while I lay here… lay here and wither away._

 _They seek what they cannot possess, covet abilities they should not obtain. With my death at their blades, they shall achieve the sundering of existence._  
 _But here my words. Hear them and take heed._

 _It shall not happen._  
 _My blood shall be on my own hands._

There was an audible growl that escaped Steam, but he refrained from commenting in kind. "This is… what led up to the rising of one of the most powerful forces we'll end up having to face."

Too full of concerned and confusion to say much on this just yet, Sonic simply asked, "And there are… others like this?"

"Many," Wave nodded. "But we aren't going to listen to them all. Just the ones that I was shown in the past."

Dismayed, Tails stared at the stone. "What in the world _happened_?" he questioned softly. "I mean, for an _Immortal_ to be put into such a dire situation…"

Wave shook her head. "It happens more often than you think. With the things the Immortals have to face on a regular basis…" She shook her head again.

Cream chose to ask an unrelated question. "He mentioned 'Tiskarn' and 'Tuark'. What are those?"

"I don't know _exactly_ ," Wave admitted, "since I haven't ever seen them myself. All I know is that they are two ancient mortal races that hail from the same world in a realm separate from out own. They're dark and violent by nature which… plays a role in everything."

"And… those names he mentioned?" Sonic eventually asked. "Were those semi-Immortals?"

"More than that, those people are Gods and Goddesses." Wave looked him square in the eye. "They still live today, even Zenith and Eona. Your earliest ancestors, as you may recall." Astonished, Sonic fell silent alongside the others. Wave, meanwhile, turned and walked again to another stone, leaving the rest of them to follow them. Stopping in front of another stone, she said, "These are from the third generation and this stone," she touched the crystal to it, "was left by a woman named Meitin."

No sooner than the words left her lips, the stone began to speak.

 _Though it took us eons, we've finally done it. Perfected a Stone of Lore, as our predecessor called it. This won't be as poetic as the one Urath created, though. And Urath himself… he's been gone for over two hundred-thousand years by this point, and we've just now reclaimed the knowledge he took with himself into death: how to record our words in a way that they will never be lost._

 _I suppose it hardly matters anymore. When he and the other three Immortals of his time died and we were born, we were left with nothing. We still have nothing. I suppose we do know who we are, in a way, but we don't know enough. Each of us learned some way or another that we aren't able to die, so we know that we're Immortal if nothing else. Everything else, however… it's all gone. Whatever knowledge our ancestors had either died with them or was hidden in some secret location we'll likely never find._

 _In a way, I suppose we as a people have completely lost ourselves. Our way of life, if we had one, our history, our knowledge, our abilities… everything. We four can only reclaim so much on our own. At least when Urath's generation was born they had a bit of a guiding hand to help them along. That's not to say that they had direct help, the first of us were very dead after all, but Urath and his kin were born so soon after the unexplained fall of the first of us that it was easy for them to later retrace our ancestors' steps and find everything they'd left behind._

 _We haven't been that lucky. All that we've reclaimed so far is the basics of our identities as Immortals… and this old Stone of Lore. It was by pure chance that Kaen found it - he's just lucky like that I suppose - and this broken world it was resting on… Clearly something of significance happened here. If Urath spoke the truth in his stone, then there was definitely a huge war of some kind that killed his kin, and later led him to end his own life. But it was so quiet in that stone… no background noise to speak of. And Urath was… almost whispering._

 _Faeri decided to nickname these stones 'Whisperstones'. Hopefully the name doesn't last._

"How could they not have knowledge of their kind's own past?" Sonic frowned.

"Look at this this way," Wave explained. "You had no real knowledge of _your_ past because nothing was really left behind, right? It wasn't until you really, really did a lot of digging that you began to learn anything at all. The Immortals were, and in many senses still _are_ , in the same boat. And it's part of why so much of what happened in the past was able to occur at all." She gave him no time to respond before moving on to the stone next to Meitin's. "This is Kaen's stone."

Saying nothing more, she tapped the crystal to the rock.

 _Approximately three decades have passed since Maetin, Faeri, Lukan, and I managed to recreate Urath's Stone of Lore. The lot of us have been so busy that the thought of making and using another such stone failed to come to us until now._

 _Now, when we have suddenly realized all over again just how little we actually know._

 _Despite our tireless days and nights of endless research and contemplation, we still have no real idea who those before us were, what they knew, what they could do, what they were supposedly fighting… nothing. We don't even understand some of the language Urath used in his recording. Lukan believes that the words Fae, Karna, and Teirn mean "Immortals", "Gods" or "Goddesses", and "mortals" respectively, but while the first and second ones seems to be accurate I'm not so sure about the middle one. Karna translates to 'First of Faer' in the oldest known Erukti dialect, unless I'm mistaken. That phrase then further translates into 'First of the Gifted'. If that's true, then it seems there was some sort of great error in Urath's stone. There's no evidence at all that any Gods and Goddesses existed back then. This, of course, raises the troubling concern that perhaps there are other inconsistencies or errors or perhaps even outright lies recorded in that stone. That, in and of itself, raises numerous concerns._

 _At this time, I don't know what to believe._

Wave didn't give anyone much time to think or speak before simply moving on. "This," she said as she activated the next stone, "was left by Faeri. It's a bit more vague, but also a bit more important."

Faeri's ancient voice began to echo softly through the dull, abandoned space.

 _Like-minded though we often are, my brothers, sister, and I often disagree.  
_ _We disagree over the meanings of simple words such as Karna and Teirn.  
_ _We disagree over whether or not there are other realms and the like.  
_ _We disagree over the potential for powerful beings like the 'Mistress of Fate' to exist.  
_ _We disagree over whether the Tiskarn and Tuark, too, ever did exist.  
_ _We disagree over whether or not they truly could have been capable of killing our kind, and of stealing from us that which only we may possess._

 _However, as siblings can and often do, we find many things to agree upon as well.  
_ _We agree that these Whisperstones are useful tools for us, despite our near-complete lack of use of them.  
_ _We agree Urath spoke at least some truth into his stone all those years ago.  
_ _We agree that his foes and the foes of his kin do seem to have once been real.  
_ _We agree that, if his words are all true, then we now potentially face a bigger threat than we have ever faced before.  
_ _We agree that if powerful beings such as Ythene and Zenith and Eirza do exist, then we need them now more than ever to reveal themselves to us.  
_ _We agree that the prospect that they may not be willing or I daresay even capable of it right now… is utterly terrifying._

 _We agree that we may be facing the end of days._

"This was so bad that a whole generation was wiped out," Tails whispered, "and then this one was threatened the same way? Just… _how_?"

"I don't have all the answers to that," Wave admitted. "All I know is everything _you'll_ know by the time we're done here. It's the best I can offer until Jet explains more. If he even can."

This coaxed a rare frown out of the fox. "You mean he might not know?"

"I'm saying it's a possibility, yes," Wave answered. "So much knowledge is lost… it's really a miracle any of us know anything at all." With that, she walked to the next stone. "This is the last one in this cluster. It was left by Lukan right before… well… disaster."

She tapped the stone.

 _There isn't much time to talk._

 _We learned some things. Important things. The Tiskarn and the Tuark - they're real. They're too real, and right now their army - they call it the Virhel or the Winere, or the Trokkelar, among other things - marches for Ferenhel. It's a stronghold, of sorts, the only place we were able to retreat to when they appeared. The weapons they wield aren't natural and shouldn't exist. They hold whispers of power within themselves, power that should never have left any Immortal's form to inhabit any mortal's, and ones as malevolent as these no less… I just don't understand it. They shouldn't be here. They shouldn't live yet still. They shouldn't have these abilities. They shouldn't exist. And yet they do… and for us they come._

 _We've spent so many years so utterly in denial of all Urath had said… and yet here we all are, hiding from the from the threat from which he only so narrowly escaped. His soul rests on the same world on which we now cower. I suppose there may be some deeper poetic meaning behind at all, but it right now simply strikes me as senseless and impossible. And outside our walls… the Widow walks._

 _The Widow walks…_

Horrified looks were traded amongst certain members of the group, but only Cream spoke. "The… Widow?" she asked softly.

"A horrible demoness," Wave answered just as softly. "She lead many attacks against many peoples throughout the ancient past, and at some point was recruited by the individuals largely responsible for total destruction of the second generation of Immortals." She closed her eyes. "More recently, however… she was somehow brought back from the dead. She shifted her form into that of a simple cat woman back on Mobius, from what Jet and I have been able to learn, and tricked two children into freeing Malevolence from where it was once sealed."

Giving no one time to react, she continued. "That woman and her leaders directly lead to the slaughters we all faced back then… and the slaughters these people faced back then." Stunned into silence, no one else spoke as Wave walked to the next stones. "Faeri survived the slaughter that night," she sighed. "These stones over here were left by her and the members of the fourth generation that she helped bring up after her own generation perished. The first one was Yoren's."

The stone activated, and a new voice began to speak.

 _It took me many, many seasons to perfect my magic to the point where I could make a stone of my own and begin my recordings within them. I'll start with the basics for now. I am known as Yoren of the High Seas, a nomadic sailor by trade - a pirate of sorts, really - until it was learned of my status as an Immortal-born. Only when I discovered this for myself did the rest of my kind, so to speak, seek me out. They are my kin, my sisters, all of them. Lady Faeri is by far the oldest of us, and she has taught us so much._

 _In my seasons of training, I learned far more than just magic. No, I learned of our history, the history that was all but lost to the Lady and her first three kin. She rediscovered so much of what was lost when the generation before hers so suddenly perished. It is thanks to her that we know remember so much of our strengths, our skills, our magic, our knowledge, everything. But all of this did not come without a price. In the fires of Farenhel, amidst the screams of her dying kin, Lady Faeri learned the truth of what had been done so long ago… and why we may all very well be doomed._

 _I cannot say much here. This place - it is far from safe. If all does not go well then this night, this place… it will put the horrors of Ferenhel to shame. But, in case I am due to die here tonight, there is one thing I must say, so that it will never be forgotten again. It is far, far too important to be lost once more._

 _The gift of Privilege should never have been invented._

After a long moment of silence, Tails finally spoke up. "What… What's Privilege?" he asked, expressing the main question on everyone's minds right then.

"Privilege is essentially the ability of Immortals to gift mortals or semi-Immortals with abilities they usually… couldn't have," Steam explained, glancing to Wave as if to ask for some help.

"More or less," Wave acknowledged with a small nod of her head, "but it's no longer as insane as that. After all the problems it caused… well, let's just say that a lot of Immortals have created a lot of limitations to it. Jet included. It's too dangerous otherwise, despite how useful it can also be at times."

Steam nodded. "Even in very extreme cases, it's normally only given if several of the Immortals or at least the eldest Immortal agrees, or the situation is so dire that it _has_ to be given immediately."

"That's about the gist of it, anyway," Wave said. "Now come on. We don't have a ton of time, most likely." They walked to the next stone. "This is Faeri's second stone."

She activated it, and Faeri again spoke.

 _Today was a day of prominence, for I saw what was to be of our future - or rather the very beginning of it - and I told it to my kin thusly for it was of the utmost importance that they know. "A day will come when dual realities meet and those three will reunite… and it will be that day that our future can start to be spared."_

"So, uh… any idea what she's referring to with 'those three'? That _has_ to be the most vague way to refer to a group of people." Armaris crossed her arms, frowning at the stone.

"I asked just about the same thing when I first heard this, but Jet said he didn't know anything about it, either," Wave shrugged. "It's just something we're going to have to wait out, unfortunately."

Armaris huffed. "Glad to hear it." She looked away, sarcasm evident in her tone. "Anyway, let's keep going."

For once, Wave chose to ignore the sass being thrown at her (instead of responding in kind) and did as she was told. "This is Yoren's second stone, and the last one we'll be listening to from this generation."

It activated, and Yoren began to share his words.

 _It happened today._

 _Today, Lady Faeri finally regained her lost memories. The memories of what, exactly, happened on that horrific night at Farenhel. She said the army of the enemies - collectively they were named the "Trokkelar Army" by her generation - marched on the fortress in the dead of night, bringing with them unholy fires, Pyrzar beasts, and a demon that had not existed in the dawn of days, when the first of our kin reigned supreme._

 _The beasts of Pyrzar, monsters of pure hatred and fire, tore down the mighty walls of the fortress. Maetin perished in the flames of their wrath, her powers sucked from her body by the demon Shiskaru, also known as Talor. The demon then grabbed Kaen in it's mighty hand and squeezed him until all the life was crushed from his form. The beast Talor then drained him of his powers as well. They would never revive again._

 _As Lady Faeri fought to defend herself against a seemingly endless tide of Pyrzar beasts, Lukan faced down a witch known only as the Widow. She was the one responsible for the rise of Talor. She was the one who summoned the monster, gave it life and called it forth from it's slumber with the sole purpose of destroying that one generation of Immortals. But, while Lukan fell at her hand, Lady Faeri escaped… taking the precious Stones of Lore with her._

 _Where the demon is now, and who besides the Widow commands it, the other beasts, and indeed the entire army, remains unknown to us for now… and I fear that the knowledge may very well come to us too late. We have been under siege here in our new fortress, Terrekal, for days now. The Pyrzar and their riders have found us. Their fires rain down endlessly from the heavens, threatening all who dwell on this world._

 _This... may be my final stone._

At Wave's insistence, they moved on immediately after the stone grew quiet. Sonic, however, had questions that were burning to be shared. Chief of them naturally being, _What's a Pyrzar beast?_

Wave lead them onward. "These are from the fifth generation," she was quick to explain, "and this stone was Yira's stone."

It activated and began to talk.

 _The Widow, the Slayer, the High Demoness who led the march on Farenhell and so ruthlessly ended our kin… is dead. But the price my sister paid to end the witch's life was great. Too great. Planets have been turned to smoldering ruin. Realities have been shaken. Our realm still shudders and buckles with the aftershocks, threatening to collapse upon us all._

 _The Privilege that woman stole was immense, but it can never compare to that of her leaders. They showed themselves to us on this day, all three of them, and I know we cannot defeat them. Though we fought as well as we could, their power was too much. They were strong, and we were not. It is fortunate that none of us perished… but many others did._

 _We lost six Gods and Goddesses in the struggle. The Queen of Chaos and her sister were violently sealed within their realm of origin and now lay dormant. Eona, the true Lady of Light, awoke from her own deep slumber, but she and her partner, too, were sealed away and could not lend us aid. The last few remaining Warriors of Light were slain alongside many warriors of Darkness, each fighting to hold back our oppressors and put an end to their evil. Two of the three Balancers were coldly murdered. Countless mortals fell, caught in the crossfires of a battle the knew nothing about. The war was great… and we were doomed to lose it._

 _However, though we did lose, we learned one thing of immense importance. Those three answer to just one person. Who she is, though… we simply do not know._

The sheer magnitude of that battle was not lost on Sonic and the others, and wide-eyed looks were traded amongst Tails, Cream, and Sonic. "...That's… _insane_ …" Tails finally breathed. "For so many semi-Immortals to have died… and for reality _itself_ to be affected so severely…"

"That should start to give an idea of the scale of the threat these enemies presented then," Wave murmured, "and… still do today."

Sonic _stared_. "You mean they're still _around_?" he demanded, something finally clicking in his brain.

"They're alive," Wave confirmed gravely, "and very much still active. We may not have taken notice of them and their actions, but believe me… They have _not_ been idle." Horror spread through the group, but Wave forced them to move on. "This was Laikaen's stone," she said simply, tapping it with her crystal.

It activated.

 _Was it known before what our enemies have been doing to the demons? I can't say for certain. All that can be said is that now we know, and I admit I feel fear. Through processes I never wish to fathom, our enemies have begun corrupting the already malevolent demonic forces prevalent throughout the realms… turning them into far more horrific beasts that we have come to call "Pyrzar". They are beasts of fire and agony, malevolence and animosity, ruthlessness and death. Even the demons show fear toward them… for it is through combat with these beasts that their Goddess has fallen._

 _Now, while the demons fight amongst themselves in search of a new leader, the three High Generals are free to attack and steal as they please, corrupting vast numbers of demons and bolstering their ranks of Pyrzar far faster than we can destroy them. If we cannot do something soon, I fear our realm, and others, will be fully overwhelmed._

Suddenly, Sonic began to understand something he had been told earlier. "Jet mentioned that some of the threats we're dealing with these days are overlapping," he realized aloud. "Was this part of what he was talking about?"

"Yes," Wave said, voice nothing but firm and unyielding seriousness. "It is. These enemies are very fond of stealing demons from their worlds, realms, or whatever else and corrupting them into beasts of a different kind entirely. They then fully control and use these new beasts as weapons of their own."

"Which pisses off the God of Demons," Shadow rightly assumed.

Wave nodded. "Especially when they decide to steal more powerful demons, such as large breeding mothers, Kings or Queens in charge of their own worlds and such, high-ranking warriors, and so on. It's lead to _many_ violent conflicts between the two forces in the past, with often catastrophic results. Entire realms have been torn apart before."

 _No way…_ Sonic found himself thinking, utterly aghast.

"The last fight like this," Wave continued, "ended with the previous God of Demons, Amnikaribah, being forced into a deep slumber for a number of eons prior to the Nocturnian War. The surge of Darkness that was released when they broke free of their seal awoke it again, which Jet was unlucky enough to discover when he hopped through some realms in an effort to find Cream, Cheese, and Charmy. You know, after everyone was separated somehow by magic or whatever." Sonic vaguely remembered hearing a little bit about that. Wave, however, didn't give him a chance to further reply to her and merely turned to the next stone. "This is the last one from this generation," she said. "It was Tairei's."

With a small tap, Tairei began to speak.

 _Months have passed since I battled and defeated the Widow. So much has happened since that fateful day, more than I could ever hope to speak. But I will do my best to impart what knowledge I can._

 _The woman, the leader of the Trokkelar armies, whoever she is… searches for us. She yearns for our strength, our abilities, our Immortality. We feel it… all of it. All of her. It is she who commanded the deaths of our kin of generations past, and we are her next targets. In an effort to draw us out, she had struck at our homeworlds. My brothers Laikaen and Hachin were eager to remain hidden, but Yira sought vengeance. Though her life remains in tact, she came closer to death than ever before. I fear her boldness may have revealed where we are hidden._

 _The demons, too, continue to suffer. More of their leaders from all across the realms continue to fall. Lords, queens, kings, high generals, powerful rogue warriors… many more have been stolen and corrupted by the Trokkelar armies than have died. I am certain that the repercussions of this will be extreme._

 _Although I can go into much greater detail on these matters, I have just enough time to share but one last concern. Since the day of that bloody war, we have lost contact with the remaining Gods, Goddesses, and other semi-Immortals. We are without allies… and we can only do so much alone._

As soon as the stone fell silent again, Wave led them over to a lone stone a short distance away from the one they just listened to. Sonic didn't protest this, as much of this was self-explanatory or had at least been discussed a bit already. "This is the only stone left by the sixth generation," Wave explained, drawing him back out of his thoughts. "Roki is the one who spoke into it."

She activated it quietly.

 _I saw into the future, such a beautiful thing, and witnessed an end to it all. It will come with a burden too great to bear, a pain so deep and so hollow it can rend the soul of any living being… Immortal or not._

 _How dull my kin's eyes became when I warned them of what was to come… how much time was still left to pass before victory could be ours… how many more lives are still yet to be lost. How dismayed they became when I revealed to them that no vision, no matter how detailed, is set in stone… that our victory can never be guaranteed. How afraid they have become, now that they know there is no one out there who can save us… and, indeed, that we may never even save ourselves._

 _Hope is waning, and I was never meant to revitalize it. I can only speak the truth… no matter how bleak._

Tails opened his mouth to speak, but Wave shook her head. "Sorry, not right now. We really need to move on. I get the feeling that big stuff is going down somewhere, and we need to hurry up and finish here." Reluctantly, he closed his mouth and walked with everyone to another stone that rested by itself, apart from the rest. "This is the sole surviving stone of the seventh generation. A young girl named Una left it."

Crystal tapped stone, and four strangely haunting sentences were spoken… in the voice of a mere child.

 _The Voice of Chaos has awakened… too late. It is too late. We are done. I… am done._

Looking saddened yet determined, Wave headed to another cluster of stones. No one tried to speak, no one had a comment to make. So, clearing her throat, she simply urged them to move on. "These are from the eighth generation," she stated. "They were all left by a woman named Kora, but we'll only be listening to a few of them." Running a hand fondly over the stone, she murmured, "Her actions had immense impact on events during her time… and events we _all_ took part in, no matter how indirectly."

She activated the first stone.

 _Through the insistence of Lady Teyan, the very Queen of Chaos itself, I allowed her sister into my mind. We spoke at length about what to do and how to combat this latest affront to existence… the ever-expanding territory that the Trokkelar armies have begun to claim. It was she who gifted me with the plans… this grand design for a weapon the likes of which has never been seen before… or since._

 _With her as my aid, I crafted what she has called the Chaos Spear. The hands used to craft it may have been Immortal, but the power was pure Chaos. It was the power of both sister combined into one deadly, beautiful force that truly brought this weapon into being. My hands have merely ensured that it will endure. No mortal or semi-Immortal weapon can ever hope to damage it. Its power is too far beyond theirs. So great are its energies, in fact, that I can only safely wield it for very short periods of time. But it was more than enough._

 _On this day, existence saw a victory for the first time in far too long. Arethal, second of the three High Generals of the Trokkelar armies, has fallen. Slain by the Chaos Spear, his body has long since been turned to dust and blown away. His powers, once so violently wielded against us, have now been lost to his allies forever. As he fell, the Spear faded from this realm and to the one where it belongs. We may not have won the war, but we have won this battle. Our jubilation can never be expressed in words._

 _I can only hope that my voice is enough to convey it… and our gratitude._

The second stone was activated before Sonic could even begin wrap his mind around the fact that the weapon he had used to defeat the Nocturne Clan so long ago was made by _her_.

 _Lady Teyan has again gifted me with bold plans… these being nothing like the grand weapon she last had me craft. She seeks for the creation of the most curious black jewels, each shaped like a diamond… and one strangely larger than the rest. From what she has told me, through the voice of her dear sister, it is her intention that these jewels be a vessel for an influx of power she hopes will one day be birthed… I cannot fathom what it is that she waits for, but I will comply with her wishes and craft these mysterious gems. It is the very least that I can do to repay her for all of her aid. And I must admit… I truly am curious._

Eyes wide, Tails blurted out, "Wait, is she talking about the Chaos Emeralds?" Shocked speechless, Sonic couldn't speak.

"And the Master Emerald," Shadow pointed out with a frown.

Suddenly, Sonic remembered a story. He didn't know when he'd heard it, he didn't know where, he just knew that he had heard it… and it had probably been from Locke. _Back during ancient times, his tribe cared for and even somewhat worshiped seven small black jewels and one larger one… jewels they called 'The Emeralds'. Those jewels then came to life with power… the power of Chaos… when I was born. Does… that mean…_

"Yes," Wave answered Shadow and Tails shortly, bringing Sonic back to the present moment. "But there's more. Listen."

She activated the next one.

 _Whispers filter through my dreams, warning of more darkness to come. Yet, in light of current events, I cannot say that I believe my own premonitions as they are. There exists a rogue band of Light Warriors who have long since waged a private war against all that Darkness is, has been, and ever will be. Be they neutral or evil, all beings and creatures of Darkness are a scourge according to this group… a belief born of the memory of the Warriors lost during that one bloody war so long ago._

 _But no matter why their beliefs exist, the fact is that they do. According to what I have heard, the scourge of Darkness is one they intend to battle with extreme prejudice… perhaps even wipe it out entirely if they can. They care not for Balance or Harmony, only revenge, and I fear for the many innocents they may slay on their path into their own Darkness._

 _These people… these supposed fighters for all that is good… should never have been gifted Light in any capacity. They do not deserve it._

Steam raised an eyebrow slowly at this. "I didn't think that any Being of Light could act like this. The few I've seen are at _worst_ neutral in nature."

"That's just it, though," Wave told him. "They aren't _born_ with Light, they're _given_ it." Sonic frowned at this, as he had never heard of such a thing before in his life. Even his mother had never spoken of such a thing being possible. "As a result," Wave continued, "they have the same faults and darker sides that most any normal person can have. And this lot, from what I understand, fell prey to those darker sides. And… apparently this was the result."

She activated the next stone without pausing to hear a response.

 _This is the day of Blackest Death._

 _Rather, it is an anniversary of it… and my failure. On this day, a scant ten years ago, twenty thousand separate mortal races were brutally purged from existence by the Trokkelar armies. Ina and Wenko perished in their efforts to stop the bloodshed. Ani gave his life to end it. Only I survived… for only I had been sent away for training, so far behind my peers in strength was I. Had I only been stronger, had I been there… perhaps things would have gone differently. But, then… perhaps I, too, would merely have wound up dead._

When this stone grew quiet and the group remained equally silent, Wave gestured to another one. "This is the last one we'll be listening to from her collection. It's the only other one that's relevant today. And… it's a touch less dreadful."

It activated, and for the last time Kora began to speak.

 _This will be my final stone before I am to leave. Yet another war is brewing, and I must explain why… should future generations ever be affected by events on this day._

 _The rogue band Light Warriors have found their way into Zyr, the Garden of Darkness, the very heart of any and all Dark energies that directly pours into this realm. Many powerful and ancient clans, both neutral and evil alike, make their home there at the deadly doorway between their realm and ours. They could not have seen the threat coming. They must have been blindsided, if the amount of initial casualties is anything to go by. Thousands were slain in minutes._

 _So much bloodshed… and for what? It was not they who so brutally slaughtered the last true Warriors of the Light. Yet these people think that in slaughtering them there is some semblance of justice to be found? It simply isn't possible._

 _The conflict has now been on-going for ten straight days. I intend to end it before it can continue any longer. Already, through the use of many other beings of Light (whom I can only assume have been in some way tricked or otherwise influenced), numerous clans have been entirely wiped out. Many others are barely hanging on. I cannot stand for this… and I will not. However, ending it will not be without dire consequences of its own._

 _This… is my last Stone. I have hidden my stones with the others, storing the Black Jewels with them. May they all remain safe until they are needed._

Once more, looks were traded. "That… actually explains a _lot_ ," Tails finally said. "I always wondered why family lines like Kaden's had narrowed down so much to just one or so individuals despite being so ancient, with plenty of time to expand."

Now that Sonic was thinking about it, he supposed it was strange. "You're right," he agreed. _...Doesn't explain about the same thing occurring to families like mom's, though._

Apparently considering the matter closed, Wave immediately began walking away, forcing the others to follow again. They passed the crumpled ruins of a collection of stones, and she gestured briefly to them. "That," she sighed, "is all that remains of the stones left by the ninth generation. A _really_ high-level Immortal might be able to repair them someday, but for now…" She lead them to a different set. "For now, we'll be listening to generation ten. This stone was left by a woman named Kar. Not to be confused with Locke's ancestor of the same name."

The stone activated without further ado.

 _Through the Immortal-given gifts of the da Asani, a new world has been born. The princess of their people named it Mobius. It is the first world the da Asani have crafted in many, many generations. Hopes for it are high, and many were present to witness its birth. Among them were myself and my kin, the Goddess of Judgement - Cere , the God of Night - Nyx , and the Goddess of the Sun - Althea. It was not our expectation to see those three today, but it was fortunate that they were present._

 _Seeking to take advantage of the gathering of myself and my kin, the High Generals attacked with their soldiers and many Pyrzar beasts. Seeing their infant creation so direly threatened, the mortal da Asani leapt to action straight away. We followed suit, eager to end the battle as swiftly as possible. Cere, Althea, and Nyx battled right alongside us, aiding us immensely in forcing back our enemies before too many lives could be lost._

 _Few died on this day… and the planet remains safe. We have placed upon it many gifts, in honor of its unlikely survival. Lush, vibrant biomes within which life can thrive, vast continents upon which life can flourish, great reserves of magic and energy with which life can be born to begin with, and our promise to help defend this young world… as much as possible._

Silence. Then Tails pleaded, "Okay, you _have_ to let me ask about this."

After a second, Wave nodded. "Quickly."

Tails returned her nod eagerly. "Right. First of all, 'da Asani'?"

"One of the first four mortal races," Wave answered. "They, alongside the Therians, Babylonians, and one other that went extinct long before the Faein disappeared, were created by the Faein near the dawn of existence. Many eons after the fourth race fell, the Babylonians and da Asani were left with gifts by the Faein, whereas the Therians were left with a warning to change their corrupt ways or face death themselves."

Vaguely, Sonic recalled hearing a story about these people… sometime around the time of the Metarex conflict, in fact. "Does this have to do with Planet Eggs?"

"Yeah," Wave confirmed. "See, the technologically-inclined Babylonians were left the gift of Astral Babylon and the Sphere left within it. The peaceful, life-honoring da Asani, meanwhile, were gifted with the ability to craft Planet Eggs and, thus, foster life itself whenever and wherever they pleased. They did so with Mobius long ago, along with many others."

 _This,_ Sonic reflected, _explains so much. ...Like why we can have things like deserts directly next to lush grasslands and floating islands and weird crap like that on Mobius._

Wave activated the next stone immediately she finished speaking. "This is Jun's stone."

Nothing else was said, and the stone began to speak.

 _The planet of Everia was badly damaged during our conflict today. It shook Kar greatly, for that is the world she hails from. Her people, the Everians (some know them as "echidnas"), are struggling to recuperate. Some have made plans to flee to Mobius to start new lives there… though I cannot say I recommend it._

 _More importantly, the attack forced Kar, myself, and our other sisters to temporarily abandon our training and join the combat. We only just managed to fend the Trokkelar army off. Esa, our youngest sister, died defending the rest of us. We have lost great innocence and purity on this day… while our enemies have gained nothing but power. I wish we could have saved her._

Cream blinked several times. "So _that_ is where they all came from." She was given looks, but no one even bothered to ask at this point.

Yet again, Wave didn't wait for anyone. "The last stone here was left by Shira."

It activated.

 _A great migration is taking place. The Everians (some know them as "echidnas", oddly enough), the wolf peoples of Revera (dearest Esa's homeworld), and even some Tokarians are settling on Mobius. I have heard whispers that even a small number of Chameleons have ventured out of Zyr to explore this new world and all that it contains. And alongside all of these peoples are the first of the True Mobians, young races calling themselves "foxes", "hedgehogs", "cats", and so on are beginning create their first settlements, building homes and taking their first steps toward genuine civilization. It is a beautiful thing to see, especially when times elsewhere have been so dark._

So many different types of people lived on Mobius who weren't actually Mobian… it was mind-boggling. _I always thought, growing up, that the Babylonians were the only aliens on our world… Sonic thought. But all along, I was being cared for by a guy who was just as alien… and I never knew. Did… he ever know?_

"Your people are not Mobian, Espio-san?" Cream asked, turning her attention to the group's resident chameleon. Espio, who despite his unreadable expression looked deep in thought about all of this, didn't respond.

Gesturing for everyone to come along now, Wave led them to a new cluster of stones. "These stones," she said, "were from Kathros's generation."

Sonic stilled, for he _knew_ that name. "Kathros?" he echoed, stunned. _The bastard that once tortured Dad…_

A nod. "Yeah. That pile of rubble there," she pointed, "was his only stone. So we won't be listening to him." There were other piles of rubble to be seen, but she didn't mention them. "Instead, we'll be listening to a few stones left by the elderly Immortal you and I met back during the Nocturne War. The one who trained Jet before she died."

That allowed Sonic to relax. "Yeah… okay."

She activated the stone once she saw he was calmed down.

 _Some may consider it a great misdeed that I have destroyed Kathros's sole Stone, but I see it as a means to further rid myself of his blackness and impurity. He is tainted, tainted by his own hand, and I cannot allow any vestiges of his existence to remain. They are a curse upon us all, a curse I hope may finally be lifted._

 _My only regret is not that I killed him, but rather that we lost so many memories during our initial skirmish. Out of spite, he struck at the Stones of Lore that we stood beside, the Stones of our very generation. Every Stone, all nine of them, now lay in ruin. At least we can find small satisfaction in knowing that his does as well._

The next one was activated immediately.

 _It is not within my power to fathom all the happenings of other timelines. As such, I cannot be certain why this has happened… but it has. A young and injured woman, a Babylonian woman, all but tore open a portal from her timeline into this one. She fled through that tenuous doorway, carrying in her arms a wailing infant. I sensed straight away that both were Immortal… though this should have been impossible. Their relation as mother and son were obvious by the feel of their auras alone, but it should not be possible. An Immortal born of another Immortal would require both parents to be Immortal themselves. Would this not upset the Balance of everything?_

 _But at the present moment, it matters not. For the moment the woman closed her portal, she appeared. The woman who has so plagued my kind since the days of the very first Stone of Lore, the sole and true leader of the Trokkelar armies and Pyrzar beasts, appeared, carrying with her a ship. With an idle taunt of, "Did you not wish for your ship back?" she hurled the vessel at the mother… and the battle was on. I wish I could have helped… but though I could see, I could not fight. I still cannot, for I have been sealed in this strange realm for many eons now… doomed to see but never touch, hear but never speak, yearning for freedom I cannot have._

 _All I know now is this. The mother is dead, but her last actions saved her from simply beings absorbed like so many others before her. It was her remarkable skill and power in spite of her condition that allowed her to avoid that fate, denying our shared adversary the chance to steal yet more power. But she is dead nonetheless… and her child is alone._

Sonic, Tails, Cream, and Shadow all traded looks. "...Why would this have been recorded?" Tails eventually asked, plainly confused. "I don't understand." Even he had failed to grasp the implications of some of what had been said, but Wave could hardly fault him for it. She had made the very same mistake herself purely due to how _impossible_ the truth seemed. It was only just recently that she had begun to understand.

As before, Wave could only shrug. "I don't know. ...Not fully, at any rate,"

"It… is _immensely_ important for several reasons," Steam said. "Think about how semi-immortals are born. At least one of the parents has to be semi-immortal or Immortal for the child to be born that way, barring some other exceptions. However, for a baby to be born an Immortal from an Immortal mother and father…"

More looks were traded, these ones decidedly more stunned. "No _way_ …" Tails breathed.

"You can't be _serious_ ," Sonic cut in. "Wouldn't that just… I don't _know_ , break existence or the balance or some shit?"

"Long story short, there was a reason the _father_ wasn't there," Steam explained vaguely. "Only four Immortals can be part of a timeline at any given moment."

"On that note…" Wave turned to the next stone and activated.

Again, Sheira began to speak.

 _I am forced to admit that I never imagined the boy would remain in our realm, that he would grow here and assimilate with no knowledge of who or indeed even what he is. The boy is an anomaly to me, living such a strange and active life fighting mechanical threats and squabbling with strange "friends" and chasing down a villainous madman who also does not belong… A humanoid on that planet was not meant to be, much like the boy himself._

 _It would seem that he knows some truths about himself, however. His Immortality itself is not lost on him, and indeed he has taken pains not to reveal it to others. I find myself at a loss to explain why. In times as dark as these, we all need allies to rely on. They are especially useful for one as young as he, an Immortal just beginning on his journey to truly earning that title. He will one day be forced into wars far greater than anything he or his friends have ever known… and, perhaps, so will they. It will be my duty to teach him, to train him… and one day I will. But I cannot teach those who do not wish to learn. If he continues to avoid the simple truth that he is Immortal, then I can never help him._

 _His only hope is to grow. Grow… and learn._

Gears began to turn in the group's minds, but Wave ushered them along. They didn't listen to any more of her stones, moving instead to the last couple of stones kept tucked away in a corner by themselves. "So, these ones are a touch different from the rest," Wave explained. "They're the newest of the bunch, despite not being from the current generation. They're from the twelfth. Jet made them, actually."

Blue eyebrows shot up. "Jet did?"

"Yeah," Wave nodded. "He didn't actually show these to me, but I managed to listen to them when he wasn't paying attention. They seemed important in their own ways, so… we're just going to listen to them and not tell him. Got it?"

Steam snorted in amusement. "Good job."

A fleeting smirk crossed her face, but soon faded. "This first one is only important in the sense of providing a little more context to what went down recently. The second… Well, you'll see."

She activated the stone without further ado.

What you fail to understand is that I see you.

 _I was there today - perhaps you noticed me, perhaps you did not - as you were introduced to our library, our vast accumulations of knowledge, for the first time. Your knowledge is deep already, but your interest in the Trokkelar army is too great. I see a fire within you, a spark that - if tended to properly - could become the fuel you need to be among the greatest of our kin that has ever lived. But every speck of Light can cast great shadows, and the shadows you already turn to are far darker than you realize._

 _You asked for me by name today as you and your guide toured the building. How you know of it already, I do not know. But you asked, and I watched. I watched as your aura brightened with the chance to test your mettle against someone you view as a challenge. Make no mistake, Child of Valor. I will challenge you. Every step you take, every conclusion you come to, every little thing you think you understand - I will openly challenge it all… but not out of disdain._

 _I wish for you to grow, Tein, to move beyond the shadows you have so unknowingly opened yourself up to. There are many lessons out there for all of us to learn, and one I hope you someday come to understand is belief in yourself and the Light you, like us of all, carry within. If we cannot have faith in ourselves, how can we ever have faith in others?_

 _As of this day, you have no faith. It is why the shadows cling to you, greedy for every bit of control that they can hold over you. Have faith, Tein, and do not fall into the Darkness. You may feel alone now, but nevermore. We are kin, all of us. Even in the darkest of shadows, even when others cannot, I can see you. I can only hope that one day you will find it in yourself to realize that._

Turning slightly to face the last stone, Wave activated it without a word.

 _There are countless indomitable and timeless truths that will never change nor fade, but myself and my kin are different, as I have been learning. We are not invincible… and we will not last forever. Unless something changes, and changes soon, we are the last there will ever be. Now, more than ever, we need allies… allies that never seem to appear. Allies that many are inclined to believe we could never need. But they could not be more wrong._

 _Once, our kind battled great beasts of chaos and darkness, marching to a glory borne only out of many hard-won victories. Now, we merely exist. Our kind lives still, but we know no longer who we are, who we were. What use can we be now, with the strength and the knowledge of our kin buried so deeply within the dust?_

 _What use can we be when we are so utterly alone?_

There was so much that could have been said here, so much that possibly _should_ have been said, but no one had any chance to voice any of those things. Not Sonic, not Tails, not anyone. It was not for lack of trying, however. Tails looked with concern to Wave. Shadow frowned visibly. Cream bit her lip just a little. Sonic opened his mouth, ready to speak, but a single freak event shut him up.

Reality… _rippled_.

 **~保護者~**

 **END OF PART ONE**

 **~保護者~**

 **9,642 words this time. _Whew_ , that was long! There was a _ton_ of important information, as well as references to past "Hero" series stories as well. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for his help with Steam and Armaris! Posted (at about 6:10 p.m.) 05-02-19.**


	26. Second Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of corruption and uncertainty… especially for the one who knows more than he can share.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Well, you'll probably find out. ;) Haha, yeah, it's pretty in-depth. I only remember because it's fun for me and interesting, lol. XD**

 **~保護者~**

 **"First Reunion"**

 **~保護者~**

 **BEGINNING OF PART TWO**

 **~保護者~**

Kaden frowned down at the image he was currently viewing through a small mirror that a now _very_ dead demon had recently conjured up and been carrying around. Displayed on that shimmering smooth surface in full view were both of his sons, each standing around with several of their friends and occasionally speaking. Being that he was viewing them through a mirror, he could hear nothing to indicate what was being discussed. He could certainly see several important details, however… such as the floating stone visible just behind where Shadow currently stood.

Now, Kaden may not have been an Immortal or even anyone that had ever really had much _contact_ with Immortals, but he _knew_ what he was looking at. Secretive though their kind were, the Immortals didn't always feel the need to safeguard everything they knew and could do… especially when the object in question wasn't one any non-Immortals could typically interact with, anyway. So when he had once traveled to meet with the Immortals in ancient times in order to practically _plead_ for them to do something about Kathros (ashamed though he'd felt for having to do so, it had been necessary), he had seen the stone. Being curious, he had asked about it before leaving, and been told a very brief summary of what it was… and where it had come from. The very same place where his sons now stood.

The question was… why? Why were they there, exactly? He had no real idea of what ancient whispers were contained within those stones. No one outside of the Immortals themselves were _supposed_ to know, but if Sonic and Shadow and their allies were there then that meant that Jet must have shared _something_ with them. Something important. Something… that perhaps he needed to know as well. As for how he was meant to learn whatever it was they had learned without confronting them (something he wasn't prepared to do yet), he didn't yet know. All he knew was that there were absolutely things he needed to get done, and it was likely in his best interest to get on that as soon as possible. After all, an uninformed warrior was hardly a warrior at all.

Shattering the demonic mirror on the ground, he turned and walked away.

 **~保護者~**

Complete and utter confusion written all over his face, Sonic turned to look at each of his friends and allies in turn. "You all saw that… right?"

Slowly, almost cautiously, Cream nodded. "What… was that? Did Mister Jet do that?"

"Something _big_ happened, and Jet almost certainly wouldn't have caused something that grand," Steam murmured with a frown, eyes flicking around rapidly as he attempted to take stock of the situation at hand.

Subtle eye movements revealed to anybody paying attention that Shadow was actively scanning his surroundings. "The energy levels are well beyond anything even he puts out," he added quietly. "...Usually."

"He absolutely did _not_ do this," Wave cut in, tone firm. "Someone _else_ , however, _did_. And my money's on another Immortal because, really, how else even _could_ cause that sort of thing to occur?"

Armaris wasn't entirely sure about which Immortal it could be that caused this. "I don't think any of the others alive _could_ have done something on that level. It most certainly was someone at Jet's level, but…" She trailed off for a moment and mumbled incoherently for a short few seconds before resuming. "None of them _were_ at his level yet."

"Look, it _wasn't_ him," Wave insisted. "Trust me. Where he's at right now, he _has_ to keep a low-profile. He can't risk someone like the God of Demons ferreting him out."

"I didn't say it was him, did I?" Armaris asked, turning her icy gaze over at the swallow. "Jet wouldn't have done it, and it _was_ an Immortal."

Wanting to head off an argument before it could really begin, Sonic started to say, "Okay, anyw-"

"Anyway, I will answer your worries myself with this piece of information I am privy to," Ylden said in lieu of a proper greeting, stepping through a portal that suddenly appeared. Officially cut off, Sonic shut his mouth and spun around to look. "The situation was… dire. Therefore, we had to take a dire step forward."

A cerulean blue-feathered Babylonian stepped out of the portal behind Ylden, sky blue eyes glancing around at all the new faces before them. It was readily apparent that this man was a hawk who was rather young in age, perhaps about twenty-two. His long hair was pulled back into a traditional samurai knot (much to the surprise of Espio in particular). However, it was the shimmering colors of his boots and gloves that most caught the group's collective attention in the dim bluish lighting. His shoes were plain silver, but gloves were a different matter entirely. The gloves were silver with rose gold creating a picture on the back of each hand. There was an ornate knightly sword on each hand, and snaking its way around those swords was an accompanying serpentine dragon… that looked just like Jet's Raiga attack.

No sooner than they had all taken this in, a woman lightly stepped out into the open as well. The portal shut behind her, briefly sending her waist-length hair into a tizzy from the wind. Her long bangs shadowed her eyes, silver-grey feathers glinting softly in the light. Her shirt was little more than a covering for her chest with baggy partial sleeves looping around her upper biceps to hold it up. The rest of her outfit was fairly simple and plain, just pants with boots. Her pants and shirt were a strange yet entrancing sort of mixture of colors, somewhere between golden and creamy white. Her gloves and boots bore no real patterns and were very light gold with hints of bronze here and there. She looked to be virtually the same age as the other hawk, perhaps a single year younger in their ears, and quickly turned her electric blue gaze from the group to the male Babylonian beside her.

"He is not here," she murmured nearly under her breath, sounding sort of… defeated.

"But the people who know him are. Let's start with that," the man answered gently, pulling her into a soft embrace with one arm. "We'll see him soon enough, I promise."

Ylden breathed a somewhat understanding sigh, his attention having shifted to the two hawks before returning to the group. "I will keep this brief and you can all question it after. This is Sein and Alana, the latter being the daughter of Laralei and Kath and the former being her husband. These are Jet's birth parents."

"Oh, so I'm downgraded to just being the husband of the famous Alana?" Sein asked incredulously. Alana gave him the _look_ to silence him.

Stunned silence overtook the rest of the group (with the exception of Steam, who probably already knew this, and Armaris who didn't have much reason to care much about this). After a few moments of intense silence, Sonic finally managed to blurt out a simple, "Wait, _what_?!" Beside him, Tails just stood there with his mouth open.

Steam snorted faintly. "About fucking time." Several pairs of eyes glanced to him, but only Alana addressed him straight away.

"I take it you are aware of us from your own reality, Balancer?" she questioned easily, not missing a beat.

"Precisely. Been through a lot of this where I came from, already," he answered just as easily, a faint smirk painting itself onto his face. "Nice to meet you guys again here, by the way."

Sonic cut in before their dialogue could continue. "Seriously, _what_? I thought his parents were _Ross_ and _Selena_."

There was a faint sigh of something akin to agitation from Ylden, the man shifting his incredibly cold gaze to the hedgehog. "There is so much you do not know. The 'parents' you know of were merely… caretakers, so to speak."

"Caretakers?" Cream piped up.

Ylden nodded once. "When an Immortal is born, typically it is by random chance. Seldom do Immortals have a child that is also Immortal. However, even when it does happen, there is no disruption to the balance. _But_ , when an Immortal has a child _with_ another Immortal, that forces two things to happen. One, a different Immortal is forcibly removed from existence to preserve the balance, and two, the child is then born as an Immortal."

"I was that Immortal," Sein revealed. "I gave up my own life so that, when Jet was born, he could live."

"The moment he," Ylden glanced at Sein, "died and Jet was born, a terrible evil made their move. The leader of a force known by some as the Trokkelar army set her sights upon Jet and his mother, chasing her from one reality to the next in an effort to accomplish… truly, no one quite knows." Alana looked down and away, her bangs now fully shadowing her eyes. "It resulted in her death and Jet's near-death, but he was eventually rescued and saved by the woman you mentioned. Selena and her partner unofficially adopted the boy, from what I know. Hence the confusion."

Armaris took a moment and frowned faintly, then glanced away. "So, all this time he's been a target of this Trokkelar army threat?"

"Yes," Ylden answered simply. "The question is merely _why_."

Finally, Tails managed to find his voice again, whereas Sonic remained mute from shocked confusion. "That's… honestly something that he himself might not know," he pointed out. "Unless… I mean, unless there's something big he's been hiding from us."

Several pairs of eyes turned to Wave, but she shook her head. "No, nothing on _this_ scale. Trust me."

Crimson eyes narrowed. "Where is he now?" Shadow demanded.

It seemed that Wave was reluctant to share that bit of information, but she soon sighed and relented. "You two may actually know of it," she murmured, directing her words at Sein and Alana. "It's a place that Kath shared with him. It's a weapons vault, known as the Vault of Ice."

The name made Alana freeze, recognition written all over her face. _Father's vault… I forged my sword there…_

Sein raised an eyebrow. "What's he doing there?"

"Another, more powerful and far more secure vault, the Vault of Time, was compromised," Wave revealed carefully. "That was where he stored his most lethal and important weapons, artifacts, and so on. He's had to move everything, but he's also had to take inventory of what was potentially lost. He's just finishing with that, I believe."

"Wait, how was the Vault of Time compromised?" Sein demanded, eyebrows furrowing in concern and faint agitation.

"You can thank demons for that," the swallow sighed. "That is, extraordinarily powerful and high-ranking demons, such as the Black-Winged Messenger (the right-hand of the God _himself_ ) are responsible." She didn't go into further details, but it didn't matter much at this point.

A growl escaped Steam, the hedgehog shaking faintly to keep himself in control at the mention of the demon. "I'm assuming you guys are heading there first, then."

"We weren't planning on it," Wave admitted. "He told us to meet him elsewhere, but… That plan might need changing at this point. The Vault is close enough to New Babylon, anyway."

That made Alana pause. "...'New' Babylon?" she questioned slowly, almost carefully.

Ylden cut in before Sein could speak, making a vague motion at Wave with a hand to say this should wait. "We will discuss this another time. I presume you all have finished with the Stones of Lore?"

Cream nodded. "Yes. We had just finished when all of… this… happened."

Sonic finally broke his silence again. "How are we supposed to get to wherever this is? Is it close enough for us to teleport?"

"Not for you," Wave replied, "sad to say, but yes. We can teleport." She turned to Sein, Alana, and Ylden. "I'm assuming you'll follow?"

"I'll be there shortly enough. I have a matter to attend to first," Ylden murmured as he walked toward Armaris. He leaned down and faintly whispered something to her, then teleported off to handle his aforementioned business.

Wasting no further time, Wave gathered her energies. "Right, then. Let's go." She teleported away, taking along with her the people who wouldn't be able to teleport that far on their own. Alana followed shortly behind her, followed by Steam and Sein.

They all reappeared together in a large snowdrift outside of the (apparently very appropriately named) Vault of Ice, encouraging an _immediate_ bout of complaining from Sonic. "Must it _always_ be snow?" he griped, trudging out of the mound as quickly as possible. Shadow also looked annoyed, but he said nothing.

Alana glanced around in utter silence. She hadn't been here since mere weeks before… _Before our world was destroyed._

A long and deep exhale escaped Sein as he glanced around with his wife, eyes uncharacteristically narrowing to a degree as he took in his surroundings. "Let's get moving. A fair few of you aren't suited for this weather."

No one really moved initially, until Espio finally reached out and nudged Cream toward the large doors ahead of them. Once she started walking, others followed. "How are we meant to even open these?" Tails asked, eyeing the ornate stone doors incredulously. "They're massive."

Sein walked forward, holding Alana's hand in his own as they approached the door. He surveyed it for a long moment before pressing his hand against the seam between the two doors, a light blue aura flowing out. Alana poured her aura into it as well, allowing the two to very easily unseal and subsequently open the doors. They slid inward with a sort of thunderous, echoing roar that only faded once the doors ceased to move. Alana tugged lightly on Sein's hand as she said to the others, "Go inside. There is warmth."

Trading a brief look, Sonic and Tails hesitantly stepped in, closely followed by Shadow, Cream, and then Espio.

"It'll be alright," Sein assured Alana softly, eyes glancing over to her. "He should be here, and we'll finally get to really meet him. Everything _will_ be alright." Alana's eyes remained mostly downcast, too emotionally drained to much share in his belief, but nevertheless she gave a slight nod. She did trust him, after all…

Wave stepped past them and went inside just behind Armaris. "Now, the only trick is gonna be figuring out where in the hell Jet _is_ in this place." She stopped and looked around, huffing at the fact that none of the lights were on anywhere, then called out, "Jet! Get your ass over here, will you?" Her voice echoed eerily, then gradually faded. There was no initial response, not that she had been expecting one to come straight away. "Typical. He's ignoring me." Despite her words, she was more amused than anything else.

A faint snort of amusement escaped Steam as he walked up to Sein and Alana. "I don't remember which of you did the disappearing acts, but just know he's good at it." With that, he slipped inside to search around for the time being.

Finally, a tiny trace of amusement managed to enter Alana. She gave her partner a small nudge. "I seem to recall," she murmured, "you doing the very same thing very frequently when we were children." As she spoke, Wave called out again, walking deeper inside as she did so.

"I happen to not know a thing of what you're talking about," Sein huffed indignantly as he walked along beside her. "However, I would be mighty proud of any child capable of doing it at such an age as what you speak of."

"You cannot replicate a formal speech pattern," Alana responded, managing to crack a tiny smile. "Do spare me from your attempts from here on, will you?"

Just about as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Wave called out one last time. This time, she finally got the answer she had been waiting for. Jet appeared before her faster than she could even blink, once again wearing his cloak and carrying his sheathed sword at his hip. Looking vaguely annoyed, he asked her, "What?" He said nothing yet about the fact that they were _here_ instead of at the agreed upon meeting place.

Sein's eyes snapped open wide and he froze in place (as did Alana) at the sight of the blade, his breath halting just as suddenly as his movements. "Alkarus," he breathed out weakly.

This caught Jet's attention, and his gaze slid impassively over to the pair. However, before he could speak (if he had even intended to in the first place), Wave cuffed him lightly on the shoulder and brought his attention back to her. "Do me a favor and answer me sooner next time, will you? Honestly."

"I was busy," he reminded her. Then he asked, "Why are you here?" He refrained from asking _how_ , assuming that Wave had done it (as he had taught her how and she was fully capable).

Wave gestured at Sein and Alana. "They kind of needed to be here. Actually, they _really_ needed to be."

Steam walked up with his arms crossed. "Mind sparing just a minute for us to explain who they are and all?"

Jet gave Steam a long look, then glanced over Sein and Alana very briefly before giving his consent with a simple, "Fine."

"Long story short is that these two are your parents. Alana is the child of Kath and Laralei and all that." This succeeded in immediately granting the situation Jet's _full_ and undivided attention and he gained a visible frown. However, he didn't immediately speak as he began to try to wrap his mind around what he'd just been told. "They are both Immortals and when they had you, you were _born_ Immortal, so Sein let himself die for you to live."

Deciding it was best to try to put Jet a bit more at ease before he got completely anxiety-ridden over this, Wave tentatively suggested, "So, good news is, Ross _isn't_ actually your dad."

That certainly was something, Jet supposed. But even so, the rest of this was just… _Too much._

Sein decided to speak instead of Steam, noticing that the hedgehog's lack of… tact was beginning to bother Jet to a degree. "Hey, let's just slow it down for now and take this one step at a time. It's… really nice to finally meet you, Jet." He offered a reassuring smile to his son, trying to ease him into all of this.

"Why don't you guys join him as he finishes taking inventory?" Armaris proposed, raising her shoulders in a manner that suggested the trio go now. "Could be a good way for you all to get acquainted."

Sensing the subtle tendrils of anxiety that were trickling into Jet's mostly hidden aura, Wave was quick to assure, "I'll tag along, too. You know, to chat." Already planning on hanging back, Sonic took a seat against a wall near Tails and the others.

After a very brief pause, Jet decided that this was going to happen whether he liked it or not, so he gave a curt nod of agreement. Spinning around on his heel, he strode back down the long corridor toward where he'd been. Wave hastened to follow, tossing Sein and Alana an encouraging and hopeful glance as she went. Alana hesitated for only a second before beginning to walk after them, Sein at her side.

They were finally going to meet their son…

 **~保護者~**

"Tell me something, dove… Why do you believe so _strongly_ that I should let any of you live, hm?"

Squirming in his grip, the woman he was currently antagonizing fought to loosen his hand on her throat. Her efforts had no affect, and he continued to hold her up off of the ground. "We didn't… come here to… fight," she struggled out, teeth visibly clenched.

With an idle twirl of the dagger in his free hand, the God of Demons swept an assessing gaze over the group huddled in the dirt before him. They had appeared suddenly, unarmed like the fools they were and boldly calling for him. He had incapacitated them in a matter of seconds, taking entire legs off of some and stabbing dangerously close to the hearts of others. They were weak, pathetic, not even _attempting_ to defend themselves… and they perplexed him. It occurred to him that that was potentially a part of their plan for whatever game they were playing at. After all, his curiosity was currently the only thing keeping them _alive_. With a soft growl of annoyance, he returned his attention to the woman. "Then why are you _here_?"

Several coughs escaped the woman before she answered him. "Our… Our leaders," she gasped. "They sent us here t… to make a d-deal."

That one word instantly made him narrow his eyes at her. "Deal?" he echoed, voice lowering to a silkily dangerous near-whisper.

Perhaps sensing that she was testing his patience with her mere presence, she sought to quickly explain herself. "W-We serve the Army," she told him breathlessly. His eyes narrowed further. "As… the newest recruits we… we were the ones selected to c-come here."

Annoyance morphing into irritation, he bared his fangs slightly and growled again. "Tell me _why_ ," he demanded. He didn't give her a specific threat in order to coerce her and force compliance, but he suspected that he didn't need to. This lot was radiating so much raw fear already that there was no real reason for him to waste words.

She swallowed as best as she could and continued hurriedly, "A command was s-sent down… from our… from one of our High G-Generals." She coughed some more, nearly prompting him to stab her right then. She was taking too long. "She wishes to m-make a deal with y-you."

Finally, one of the others spoke up. "The general proposed a trade," he bit out, clutching at the stump that had once been his right leg. Glowing demonic eyes shifted to him instantly. "In order to end the long-standing wars between your kind and the Army, he believes it would be beneficial to form an alliance of sorts."

 _Alliance is a condition for the weak._ "...Ally..." The God pronounced the word slowly and with supreme distaste. "You think I would _ally_ myself with your beloved army," he murmured, "simply because you _asked_?"

"No," one of the other women quickly interjected. She, too, was missing a leg. "As an incentive, the general has also proposed a trade. Some of your battle-worthy demons for some of our best Pyrzar beasts."

His chin lifted. "Trading highly-trained members of my legions for your mindless fiery puppets… I think not." With a single forceful movement of his arm, he threw his captive to the ground. She struck her head upon a jutting rock, splitting her skin open wide, but the blow didn't kill her. What _did_ kill her, however, was when he hurled his dagger through her chest and set her ablaze. Turning to the survivors, he muttered darkly, "You are fools, allowing yourselves to be used so easily…"

The man from before started to speak, but the God cut him off. Summoning a sword into his hand, he executed two perfect slashes. The left arm fell away first, closely followed by the head, and then the entire body slumped backward into the dirt. Turning, the God then studied the four terrified individuals who still sat trembling before him. "You believed that a force as ancient as the Army's would _truly_ place their trust in powerless fools like you?" he questioned. It was less an effort to really accomplish anything _important_ as it was a way to briefly entertain himself by watching them slowly realize their own mistakes.

"We were sent here to prove our _worth_ , to be accep-"

A stab to the throat was more than enough to shut the man up. "You were used," the God informed them simply as his victim clutched at his throat, choking on his own blood. "Your leaders are not fool enough to expect this little plan to work."

"Then why would they have sent us here?!" the woman who had spoken earlier demanded, fiery anger burning in her eyes.

Mildly amused by her display of temper, he humored her by explaining, "Simple… they knew you would die." Slowly, he smirked. "And they enjoy bloodshed as much as I do." With that, he whipped back around and callously lopped the head off of the man he had just stabbed, paying no real mind to the spurting crimson fountain that proceeded to collapse into the dirt. He then coated his sword in flames and hurled it straight through the heart of the only member of the party who had opted not to speak, ensuring they suffered a rapid and excruciating death. Only then did he turn his attention back to the woman.

She glared hard at them, eyes as cold as steel. She was the only one not to show true fear, the only one who remained largely stoic and unshaken. It… _interested_ him. "You should have honored the deal," she hissed. "When they discover you refused, the fires of war will be upon you again."

As if that were any sort of a _threat_. Did she not understand that demons _lived_ for things such as this? Crouching down in front of her, he responded softly, "I do not know what power you seek… but your dreams of Immortal-slaying are naught but ash now. I have other plans for you…" Wispy black and crimson energies formed and coiled around her, filtering into her soul and occupying every fiber of her being in a near-instant.

Understanding and horror dawned in those steely eyes, but by then it was too late. Standing, the God turned and walked away from the newly-corrupted demoness, closing his eyes as he went. Strong individuals like her… they would be useful in his own plans. Plans that he was more than ready to begin setting in motion _very_ soon. He was just about to begin contemplating which action to take next when suddenly, he stopped. All senses on high alert and stretched out to the max, he snapped his eyes open. Just as he did so, all of existence around him _visibly_ rippled… and right then he _knew_.

Something of untold consequence had just occurred.

 **~保護者~**

Ylden stepped up to the wide open doors of the Vault of Ice, regarding them with a raised brow before walking inside to join the others himself. He vaguely glanced in the direction of Sein, Alana, and Wave before resuming his walk forward to return to the others. The cat didn't deign glance in the direction of the Balancer who fell into step behind him, nor did he fully regard Armaris when she began following as well.

He blinked as he approached the group, glancing over them all before demanding their attention with a soft clearing of his throat. "If you all have any questions, raise them now."

After some silence, Tails hesitantly posed the first question. "Are you able to give us any further information about everything? Like, how Jet's mother died, who attacked them… that sort of thing."

"That… is sadly something I cannot answer. Only those who were present can do so, and one is someone you do _not_ wish to meet," Ylden explained, eyes shifting in the direction of where Alana was.

Several pairs of eyes shifted to gaze in the same direction, but no one attempted to say anything to her. Instead, the group fell momentarily silent again. It took a few moments for someone to speak up. "So, you obviously know about them. Nobody mentioned where Sein came from, just that he was Alana's wife. Who was he?" Armaris asked, crossing her arms nonchalantly. This caught Sonic's attention, and his ears perked up a little as a sign of this.

"There was a degree of similarity in the pasts of Sein and his son. He was orphaned and taken in by the royal family, Kath and Laralei. He grew up with Alana as a bit of a troublemaker and became a passionate fighter. Sein was born with a pure aura, as well as being an Immortal. As you all already know, he also did give up his own life for Jet to live. That's the extent of our knowledge other than things that are not concerning as of now, seeing as he was born and lived in another timeline."

Tails piped up again. "Yes, I remember. What timeline _was_ that, anyhow?"

"Sein and Alana hail from the second timeline," the cat answered, raising an eyebrow at the fox's apparent knowledge.

The fox gave a sharp nod of understanding, but more than knowledge filled his eyes. There was awe as well. "That's… _astounding_ ," he said to himself. "Absolutely spectacular."

Sonic frowned at him. "You gonna explain why at any point?"

"Yeah, of course. See, you guys already know about how there are other timelines and stuff. _Obviously_ , since most of us here have been to at least one separate timeline each. But what we didn't used to know was that these timelines all have numbers associated with them. For example, Silver and Blaze came from timeline fifty-two, and that one with the ruined future was roughly one sixty-six or one sixty-seven. All of these timelines and all the other ones came to be as a result of the very _first_ reality, or 'timeline', branching off into two, then three, and so on. The first seven are said to be _especially_ important, as they were supposedly created _deliberately_ by the first beings in existence. The rest gradually formed on their own over time, without the interference of those beings."

Shadow clued in just slightly quicker than Sonic did. "The Faein."

"Exactly," Tails grinned. "And with the second timeline being the very _first_ timeline to exist aside from the very main reality… it's naturally _quite_ ancient and _quite_ important."

As always, Sonic was completely cut off before he could ask anything further (not that he truly needed to, though, since things had mostly been laid out for him already). "And who, exactly, are you meant to be?" Shadow asked Ylden pointedly, shifting the conversation entirely. Then he observed a touch moodily, "You are far from an 'ordinary' person."

"Did I say I was…?" Ylden asked rhetorically asked, hand gently rising to his chin as he seriously considered his own question. "I do not believe I did… hm."

Cream solemnly shook her head. "You did not," she revealed. "But you also did not do terribly much to say otherwise."

He gave a faint nod before glancing to Shadow. "I am not. I am a being of Darkness with ties to most of the Realms of Death and essentially the right-hand man of the current God of Death."

Surprise plain in his eyes, Sonic asked, "The God of Death? Is this guy actively running around dealing with stuff, too?" He thought it a perfectly sound question to ask, seeing as how he now knew that at least one other God (or, rather, Goddess) was currently active these days. Namely, the Goddess of Judgement.

Ylden's eyes grew stormy as the question was posed, a scowl settling on his face. "In a way, yes. He is dealing with _stuff_ , as it were."

Sonic frowned at the odd wording and the vagueness of the response, but held his tongue for now even though he wanted to know more. _I get the sense that pushing it might get my head bitten off. ...Maybe even literally…_ Instead of pursuing that line of questioning, he opted for what he deemed to be a safer route. "So, I think we can reasonably assume _part_ of how Sein and Alana are here right now," he started, steering the conversation back a bit, "in that two of the other Immortals from here are dead. But, aside from Tein, who the hell died? And how? What happened?"

"Sein and Alana gifted me the Privilege to kill an Immortal who was walking a dangerous path. It was necessary both as a preventative measure and so that Sein and Alana could take their places."

Slowly, Shadow shook his head. It was Cream, however, who spoke next. "Why was this done?" she asked. "Aside from ridding our timeline of further evil, why go to such extents to bring these two back, specifically?"

Ylden took a long and deep breath, closing his eyes. "They were the closest in living history to reaching the True Immortal status."

"...'True Immortal status'?" Sonic echoed, too confused to put together a proper question.

"There are much better people to ask this than myself. My knowledge lies most prominently in the affairs of semi-Immortals. I have less dealings with those above me. Perhaps Cere can shed light on this another time," he answered, sighing. "They were, to put it lightly, the top of their kind."

This seemed to spark a fresh bout of curiosity in Tails. "That reminds me… There were mentions of the semi-Immortals in those stories from the Stones of Lore. One of the big things we learned is that all manner of beings of both Light and Darkness gathered together to help fight off this 'Trokkelar army' threat. Do you happen to know if there are any such gatherings taking place these days, or if there _could_ be?"

"There were vague attempts at it that were wiped away by the hands of the God of Demons. Two of the major figureheads are not present as they once were. This diminishes the number of gatherings that can occur. I have also been thwarting minor attempts so as to not gather too many such beings prematurely in an unsafe manner that could risk further lives."

The implications of part of what Ylden had said struck Sonic deeply. _He means mom and dad…_

Tails pursed his lips together and frowned in thought. "That… That makes sense," he murmured. There was a small pause, then he continued, "But… you're wrong. Partially." Ylden tilted his head curiously at this, motioning with a faint incline of his chin for the fox to explain further. Blue eyes lifted to look at the cat directly. "There _is_ a gathering of beings of Darkness, in a sense, and there has been for eons. There's very large, flourishing population of them, in fact, all living very close together. And I'm not referring to demons of beings living in Zyr." In further explanation, he gestured to Espio (who barely acknowledged this conversation with the slightest of glances). "He comes from that population. They're living on Mobius, thriving and staying strong. They've never been attacked in such a manner by _any_ god before, let alone _that_ god."

"I see. That is certainly good news to hear. I spend little time on Mobius and as such was not made aware of that gathering in particular."

"So… this is something at least. It might help us in the future, especially since they've been left alone for some reason so far."

Finally, _finally_ , Espio decided to speak. "It is not for no reason," he murmured. "With the exception of a few villages, most are guarded by barriers few can penetrate. Even that god would find great difficulty in breaking through." After that, he resumed his earlier total silence.

Ylden turned quietly toward the doors the moment he heard footsteps, watching as Sona stepped into the Vault of Ice. "Ylden. We're conducting a meeting of the Gods and Goddesses. You should join us." Surprised and more than a little confused, Sonic and Tails both looked between this new person and Ylden.

"Are you finally extending to me a position to join as a god?" Ylden asked with an amused raise of his eyebrow.

Sona rolled her eyes with an annoyed grunt. "No. We want you as a stand-in for the God of Death. Now, come on."

Ylden huffed at her. "Fine. I will be there in a minute. Go ahead and return, miss messenger." There was a flare of flames around her body before she teleported away.

Tails blinked when she was gone. "A meeting?"

"Presumably to speak of important matters such as what actions we should take against the God of Demons and so on," Ylden answered with a shrug.

"Go on, then," Sonic sighed with a wave of his hand. "I don't think we have too much else to ask right now, anyway." _Plus, it isn't like we're in any sort of danger. We have three freaking Immortals here._

The cat nodded faintly and walked toward the doors. "Don't do anything moronic in my absence," he said, his glance shifting to Sonic with a faintly amused smirk. With that said, he teleported off and waited for no response.

A muttered string of complaints and mild curses followed him as he vanished.

 **~保護者~**

 **6,315 words this time around. I can't apologize enough for taking so long to update this, guys... but thank you all for your patience. The next chapter (which will be much shorter than this) will be up tomorrow, I swear. Hope y'all enjoyed! Posted (at about 7:40 p.m.) 07-13-19.**


	27. Waiting For Gods

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these two very different meetings… especially for the one who was not expecting to hear what was so suddenly said.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Waiting For Gods"**

 **~保護者~**

Nier was waiting patiently outside of his home when a portal opened. Turning to face it, he peered into its depths and then relaxed into an easy smile. "Ah, Ylden. Nice of you to drop in. I trust our resident napper located you without too much difficulty?"

A faint shrug served as a response. "Better get some good info out of this. I'm still not being offered a place among you all, ya know."

Nier let out a quiet laugh as the portal shut. "I understand. However, I feel I simply _must_ remind you that the role of God of Grumpy Bastards is still available."

"I gotta say, that's not really a good place for me. If you haven't noticed, I'd fit 'Cocky Bastard' just a little better," he replied easily, stepping forward with little hesitation.

This time, Nier laughed out loud. He turned, gesturing for the two cats to follow him, and began walking. "Anyway… come on. We do have a meeting to attend, after all… Though, we are still waiting on a few people." He looked back at Sona and asked, "Will your ever-elusive friend be joining us?"

Sona shrugged with an agitated sigh. "Dunno. That asshat comes and goes as he pleases."

"Mm… That's true enough. I see little of him in most any scenario," Ylden said with his own half-hearted shrug. "I doubt he would miss something such as this, however."

"So you weren't able to locate him, Sona?" Nier asked, mildly surprised. "Normally only you even can. Or, at least, only you can typically do so _easily_." After that, he let the subject drop for now. They rounded the Rune God's home to a grassy area with a couple of benches, where he gestured for them to sit down. "Once Finis and Cere arrive, we can start our discussions. Until then, I'm afraid that we'll just have to wait."

The God of Thieves (a grey cat with hazel eyes named Therin), watched them with annoyed, hooded eyes. "When exactly are you gonna bother to explain why this meeting is even _happening_?"

Nier sighed. "I don't really want to repeat myself over and over again, so I'll explain about that when everyone is here. But I can tell you this: we're having this meeting because Jet ordered it. We're needed here, so here we are."

Ylden motioned for Sona to move to his left as a portal opened to his right, a leg immediately flying out and tripping the green hedgehog that stepped through. "I don't remember you being invited, hedgehog."

Letting out a short yowl of surprise, Therin leapt out of the way of the green blur that proceeded to fly across the gathering place, then watched with everyone else as said blur slammed head-first into the house. "Watch it!" he hissed at Ylden just after the crash.

Nier, meanwhile, ran a hand over his face. "Oh, boy," he sighed. Already, he recognized who had arrived.

"Damn it!" Steam cried out as he rolled to his feet, snorting in frustration at the glaringly calm black cat. "You're an _ass_."

"Mm."

Scenting the air, Therin quickly demanded in his usual harsh way, "Who the hell are you, kid?"

Nier answered first, hoping to stave off an argument of any sort. "He's a Balancer from another timeline. His name is Steam, and he's only here to help from what I understand." Despite his words, distrust filled Therin's eyes still.

"Nier is right," an ancient yet powerful voice explained from nearby. Turning around, Nier spotted Cere (none other than the Goddess of Judgement) and smiled. "He's not in any way bad, even if he's an asshole at times."

"I resent that," huffed the hedgehog.

Cere glanced over the group, her lips forming a terribly straight line as she searched. "Finis should arrive here soon. I know he doesn't tend to stray… far." Knowing she was speaking of the God of Night, Nier blinked.

"How come?" Sona posed, tilting her head with a faintly curious and unknowing expression.

The Goddess of Judgement took a moment to mull over her answer, eyes closing momentarily. "So to speak, we have intertwined roles. For me to cast various judgements, I need the aid of a powerful being of Darkness such as Finis. And without him, there are some that I couldn't cast at all."

"Likewise," Neir jumped in, "she's tied into his role as well. See, Darkness is normally an energy, just like light. Night energy _is_ Darkness, but based almost solely on a more magical element than normal energy-based Darkness. But nevertheless, being Darkness, it can go out of control and do great harm. This is where Cere comes in. By casting some of her special Judgements, the ones that require Finis himself, she aids in drawing that rampant energy out of him and his realm, thus preventing it from going out of control." He paused for a second, then thought to add, "This only works in his case, though. In most beings of Darkness, taking away energy only promotes the creation of more. With Night energy, that doesn't happen. And the only reason they can do these things with each other is because of how intrinsically they have been tied to one another due to the circumstances and timing of their births."

Sona blinked. "Oh."

Her vague response earned a small eye-roll. "I'll refrain from commenting on that, because we've already been on the cusp of a fight today. Cere, you ran into Li, right?" Ylden asked, raising an eyebrow faintly. As he spoke, Finis inexplicably appeared in the shadows of the house nearby and sat down. The black and purple Babylon gazed upon the group silently, then closed his dark purple eyes.

Cere nodded faintly. "Yeah. He's currently collecting something from wherever his friend Novei used to live. He will be here momentarily."

Therin sat up straight. "Wait, you guys managed to find his ass? We'd all started assuming he got fried years ago."

There was an annoyed snort from the resident flaming cat. "We knew he wasn't dead, fuckface," Sona growled.

Glancing to the red-eyed, black feathered Hexan he was tied to, Finis telepathically (as he almost never physically _spoke_ , preferring telepathy with Cere and general Thought-Speech with others) commented to her in a dry tone, _"They are as irritating as ever."_

 _"I know."_ There was a faint red pulse from Cere, immediately catching the attention of Therin and Sona. "We are not here to be at odds with one another." Sona huffed, but otherwise seemed to oblige with her attention flicking elsewhere for the time being. Therin just looked away, irritated as always.

Nier tried to steer things on track a little. "Do we want to wait for Li to arrive, or should we go ahead and begin?"

"Let's get this going. He won't miss anything that me or Finis couldn't quickly fill him in on," Cere murmured softly in response.

Nier nodded and leaned back against the wall of his house… ignoring the fresh imprint of Steam's head for now. And the fuming hedgehog who sat beside it, for that matter. "Sounds good to me. As I was telling Sona, the reason why I've asked you all to come here is both simple and complicated. The _simple_ part of the reason is that Jet said we needed to get together and have this little chat."

That caught Finis' attention, and he opened his eyes again. Using Thought-Speech, he commanded simply, _"Explain."_

"Getting to that," Nier assured. "But before I do, I need to ask a few questions. First of all, how many of you are aware of what went down recently with Tein?"

"Myself and Steam are, assuredly," Cere answered.

Ylden spoke up, saying, "As am I."

"I heard about it," Therin shrugged. Sona nodded in agreement with Therin. Finis didn't speak up, but it wasn't necessary since knowledge and information was often shared freely between Cere and himself.

"Alright, so that's one less thing I have to explain," Nier acknowledged in a pleased tone. "On to what you guys probably _don't_ know, then. Jet's been keeping me up-to-date via various means with what's been going on since he killed Tein. From what he's said in the last few hours, the other evil Immortal was somehow killed as well, and two more Immortals have somehow filled their place without being _born_ here. These events have various evil forces in a bit of a frenzy, since they can sense the shifting powers and whatnot."

There was a sigh from Ylden. "I killed the other Immortal, after being granted the ability to do so. We made way for the parents of Jet, Sein and Alana," he explained easily enough, as if it was no big deal.

Obvious questions needed to be raised about this, but Nier left no time for that just now. "...Alright. But we'll get more into that later. There are a couple bigger issues that merit our attention right now. Namely, those threats I mentioned. As you all are aware, the God of Demons has been increasingly active over the past dozen of eons. His levels of activity have only been increasing over the years, and from what Jet tells me it's been absolutely _skyrocketing_ throughout the course of the last seven or so centuries. We know he's up to _something_ , but aside from knowing that he's been gathering these odd mirror shards, we aren't sure what he's doing."

This was when Li finally showed up, walking through a portal and smiling sheepishly. Cere glanced his way and filled him in on the current topic while Sona decided to speak. "Do we have _any_ clue what those shards are? I _doubt_ he'd bother to be constructing some large-ass mirror for any conventional purposes."

Nier let out a heavy sigh. "We know just a few things, and nothing more. One, these are shards he will _murder_ for. As in, _far_ more savagely than he does for most any other reason. He has brought entire realms to their knees _solely_ to lay claim to even the smallest of these shards. Secondly, we know that they have some kind of arcane magical properties to them, though Jet and I didn't have much time to study it before the shard we'd acquired was stolen from us. And, lastly, we know that he is indeed constructing _something_ with those shards… though, as you said, it most certainly will _not_ be _just_ a normal mirror."

"It's likely something akin to a portal. I myself have a power that allows me to travel between mirrors, so the big question is likely _where_ the portal leads or to _what_." Cere offered, a notable frown on her face. Finis offered a curt nod of agreement.

"That's what I was afraid of," Nier confirmed with another sigh. "But _whatever_ that mirror will be used for, it seems we're not the only ones interested in it… or in the man creating it."

A much softer, gentler voice suddenly murmured, "I could not wish more strongly that you were wrong, my friend."

Turning his head, Nier gazed upon the mirage of the Goddess of Life. He honestly had not expected to see her here, as her physical form was literally rooted to her world, but his surprise was belied by the sense of peace and calm that always followed this woman around. "So you know about this, too, Cosmo?"

Cere motioned to Cosmo so as to invite her to continue. Cosmo acknowledged them both with a small incline of her head. "Jet and I have been monitoring the situation for some time now," she murmured, "but the time for observation has since passed. The Trokkelar Army is beginning to rise out of the shadows anew, and they have currently set their eyes upon the God of Demons and his actions. Word has traveled that the two forces are on the brink of war with one another once again, as well as them both still being completely at odds with the Immortals."

Cere's fists clenched at the mention of the Trokkelar Army, a dangerous light of hate flaring into her eyes before she managed to quell it. It was a reaction that Finis shared, though his response was more subtle. Their hate was justified, since they had participated in the original wars against the Trokkelar Army so many, _many_ eons ago. "There's little chance of them working together, I assume?"

"None at all," Nier confirmed. "The Army tried to coax and then later _coerce_ an alliance several dozen years ago, and… let's just say that ended in their territory being shrunken by a fair margin via sheer destruction. The God of Demons has expressed _zero_ desire to work with _anyone_ , let alone them."

Steam finally bothered to join the conversation. "He's not gonna work with fuckers like them. Firstly, they'd get in his way. Secondly, they have _very_ conflicting interests. And we all know the God of Demons absolutely refuses to let anyone have any degree of control over what he does."

"There is also the fact that he resents them for previously stealing many of his more powerful demons to turn them into their mindless Pyrzar beasts," Cosmo added quietly. "He views them as puppets, from what I have heard, whereas he views his demons as proper warriors. It was a source of great anger between them."

"That makes sense. That's a _direct_ attack on his army, which he wouldn't take lightly. But… if they're going after the powerful demons, couldn't they also be recruiting or otherwise controlling people that _aren't_ demons?" Sona asked.

"They have their allies," Nier answered grimly, "all of which appear to be willing participants so far. Most notably, members of powerful families of Darkness… such as a surprising variety of the once-dormant chameleons."

This caught Finis' attention. After all, the Chameleons had been keeping themselves hidden ever since the great purge so many eons ago. _"That should not be possible,"_ he muttered.

"Somehow, it is," Nier shrugged. "But it does get worse. Some of us here have heard of Nyokae, sole surviving member of one of the greatest chameleon clans of old, yes?"

"She's annoying," Ylden remarked faintly, sighing faintly and leaning up against a wall of his own magic. "I've had a run in with her once. Got caught up in another brawl that was nearby and she vanished."

"She likes to fuckin' toy around with people," Therin growled. "Irritates the shit out of me whenever I think about it. I've dealt with her several times because we wound up trying to steal the same shit. She always got away with those things, too. Probably gave them to whoever she's working for."

"Most likely," Nier confirmed. "She does work for the Army, after all. She is one of their top commanders, operating under the direct instructions of their sole true leader." He paused, visibly troubled, then asked, "Who here needs explanation about the matter of chameleon clans before I continue? The gravity of this will fail to sink in if anyone is uninformed."

Li sheepishly raised his hand, shortly followed by Sona. "Not a clue about it," Li said.

"Yeah, explain it," Therin grumbled. "May as well."

Nier nodded once. "First, you need to understand about these people as a whole. Aside from the Tokarians, these are the oldest beings of Darkness in existence. They emerged into being directly from the Garden of Darkness itself, the point where the Realm of Darkness directly touches this realm. It's where the two meet, allowing easy passage back and forth for beings of Darkness. They lived there for many, _many_ generations, forming groups based on power alone. Eventually, these groups formed blood ties through births and the like, thus creating clans of families."

Finis closed his eyes again. _…'Families'... Perhaps only in the vaguest sense._

"Over time," Nier continued, "each family began to display curious black marks that distinguished every family from the rest. In their young, these marks would manifest as specific patterns such as stripes, vines, waves, and so on that would cover just one part of a person's body. These parts could be the face, an arm, the torso… most anything, really. But as the youngster aged and grew into their Darkness more and more, it wasn't just their powers that would mature. Their markings would as well, coalescing eventually into a single symbol on the right or left shoulder, depending on what side of the body the patterns were originally on. The original pattern was always tied into only one family's symbol, meaning every person uniquely marked from birth."

"That's fucking weird," Therin muttered.

He went ignored. "Of all the clans, there were just a few that rose above the rest in terms of power and sheer evil. ...Though, they were _all_ evil, mind you. Only three of these clans are relevant to this, however. One was the clan marked by diagonal stripe that bears a striking resemblance to the shape of a slash wound from a dagger. It's the same angle as a forward slash in a URL, for the reference of those of us who use computers." Therin silently huffed at the odd reference. "This is the clan that the infamous Nyokae hails from. The first of the other two was the clan marked by a simple four-point diamond-shaped star. The last of these three clans had a slightly more complicated symbol. They were marked by a serpentine dragon of sorts, the kind still often seen represented in ninja culture today, that was coiled into a spiraling shape with its head at the center."

Therin frowned at him. "Okay… so why are _they_ so important?"

"Because one single generation ago, one descendant of each of these two clans fell for the other," Nier explained slowly, "and they bore a child. Members of many other clans had been being born inherently neutral for numerous generations by that point, but these three more powerful clans, along with some others, had continued to be evil until this point - and in some cases still do so to this day. The parents of that child and that child himself are so far among the only members of those powerful clans, in particular, to _not_ be born evil."

He continued without allowing anyone to speak. "Though these two individuals _were_ neutral, however, they couldn't be and subsequently _weren't_ far removed from the evil of their parents and other ancestors. Evil that now lurks just beneath the surface in their son. A child no longer, he is now a very powerful and highly-skilled adult who has somewhat fallen under the sway of Nyokae and her own evil. He remains an ally for now, but we have to acknowledge the fact that she doesn't intend to allow him to _stay_ that way. The fact that basic patterns have begun appearing on his arm as of late is proof of her influence. Our enemies are making a very obvious and active effort to steal an ally - possibly even other allies as well - right out from underneath us, and it's something that we _have_ to be mindful of… and prepared for."

"Not to mention they're gonna try collecting people that we may or may not have a clue about," Steam muttered, a deep frown on his face. "He isn't the _only_ one that's gonna get involved, and that's a fact."

Several inquisitive looks were passed his way, but Nier spoke first. "Anyone in _particular_ that we should be concerned about?"

Steam sighed faintly. "Not sure of any in particular. I've already begun noticing the divide from this timeline and the one that I came from."

Nier opened his mouth to reply, only to find the entire conversation derailed when the sun overhead began to shine noticeably brighter than normal. Squinting upward, Nier gained a faint smile. "Knew he'd show up eventually."

"Took him long enough. Slow fucker," Sona snorted, glancing up with squinted eyes. "Hurry up, you old bastard!"

There was an intense flash of searing-hot light, and then it vanished as though it had never been. A hard fist thumped Sona on the head almost immediately after those words left her mouth. "And who, exactly, are you calling _old_?" huffed the newcomer who now stood beside her.

Sona growled at the annoying sensation, huffing. "You, of course. If I called Cere or Finis old, I'd have been punted into another reality or something."

"You'd best mind your manners in this company," the man chuckled wearily, "judging by the looks you're getting right now." Sona snorted at him, but otherwise didn't respond. Ignoring her snort, he turned to address the rest of the group. "I'm assuming I've missed a fair bit of what you lot have been discussing," he remarked, glancing curiously at Steam as he spoke.

Cere nodded faintly. "I'll fill you in within a moment," she answered to the man with a faint smile. "Thanks for reigning that fireball in for us."

The God of Suns indulged in another world-weary smile before stating, "I'm afraid I can't stay long. Other matters require my attention, unfortunately. Whatever important things you all discussed that I need to know, please share them soon." Cere nodded in response and began filling him in as quickly as possible.

Once all was said and done, Nier informed him of one more thing. "And in your case in particular, there is another bit of news. Good news, in fact. Sonic is back. You know, Jet's friend."

This successfully stunned the god into silence.

 **~保護者~**

Within her home on a desolate planet, Astra roamed throughout the building, pinning papers to the walls and examining various runes that she'd carved into the wood. The home was covered in pitch black markings from where she'd practiced various spells and attempted several questionable procedures of varying types. Close to her hand, suddenly a corner of some piece of paper began to smolder and then burn with eerie black and crimson flames. The same began to occur on numerous other papers one after another all throughout the room mere seconds after the first one.

"Oh, fuck. Fuck!" Astra immediately cast a spell on the room to try and keep the papers from burning. "Who the _hell_ is touching my shit?" she demanded loudly, magic circles appearing in the air around her. _Purely_ to spite her at this point, the God of Demons made himself visible and ceased hiding his presence and very deliberately touched a finger to yet another paper. Fire sparked to life where his finger rested, continuing to burn even as he pulled it away. A growl escaped the cat momentarily until she realized exactly who this intruder was. "Oh, fucking hell…"

For once, the God showed no signs of negativity despite her reactions. In fact, he was more openly amused than anything else. She had, after all, been quite vocal in her angry distress. "You should take more care to guard that which matters to you," he drawled, idly watching as page after page around them tried its damnedest to burn into naught but ash.

"I've got it all fucking memorized, but this is _millennia_ of work just being burned to ash," she retorted, snorting in anger at him. "And here you are, getting a kick out of it all."

His amusement only building, he queried in a smooth voice, "Is there something you mean to say to me?"

"Bitch."

He smirked at her, glowing demonic eyes alight with dark humor. "I have been called worse things," he rumbled, his amusement making itself known audibly in a sort of small growl. Then, all at once, he seemed to grow more serious. "But you should know, woman… you are _woefully_ unprotected, yourself."

"I didn't expect the God of Demons to go after a lowly sorceress in her shitty hut."

This seemed to suddenly irritate him. "I would not trouble myself over a _lowly_ sorceress," he responded with a frown. "As it is, you waste my time, in spite of your potential." He was beside her in a flash, a sharpened knife digging into her arm. "I suggest you choose your words wisely," he warned. "As it stands, I am prepared to keep you alive, for now… But that can change."

Astra growled, both in pain and agitation at her situation. "What do you even want, then? Surely I don't have anything that's actually useful for you, seeing as not even the Immortals can properly stand against you."

"Perhaps not. But I am not after what you think." He drew the knife upward, cutting all the way and stopping just short of the base of her head. "Your mind is a broken thing," he murmured almost thoughtfully. "It is easy to read, easy to comprehend…"

She winced and watched as blood flowed from her arm, hateful eyes glaring at the god. "Just tell me what you're wanting and I may be able to help _give_ it to you so we can end this needless game."

At the word "help", he openly scoffed. "I do not seek your _help_ , nor do I need it. However… this little plan that you've managed to conjure up and so flawlessly execute thus far… I admit that it _interests_ me."

"Wait… what? What _part_ of my plan, and how did you even come to know about it?" she asked, more curious now than anything.

"As I said, you are woefully unprotected," the God responded, not elaborating further. Digging his knife in a bit, he then added, "Seeing every last detail of what you plan to do and have already done was far from difficult."

Astra bit her lip and clenched her fists due to the pain, her breath hitching momentarily before she managed a response. "It's about Jet, isn't it?" she suddenly guessed, wanting to end this encounter as quickly as possible.

"How astute," was the murmured reply. A second or two of silence passed before he continued. " _Help_ is not what I am after here," he reminded her calmly, "but I do require your… _cooperation_."

"Cooperation in _what_? Do you want me involved in taking him down?" Astra ventured.

In answer, his head tilted, almost as though he was considering her words. A second later, he swung her around and pinned her to the wall by her wrist with his knife for no particularly _apparent_ reason. "You are a curious individual," he told her softly. "Next to no one and no thing _quite_ like you has ever managed to exist before."

She bit back a cry of pain, her frail body certainly not responding well to this sudden force. "What… do you want with me…?" she groaned, her injured arm trembling from pain.

He appeared to ignore her. "How long ago was it now that you inflicted this upon yourself?" he questioned. "This corruption, this _darkness_ that now fills you so deeply… Have you any idea the consequences of what you have done, little girl?"

"I was young… _very_ young…" she murmured softly, stomach churning. "And no, I don't know what you're referring to."

"Corruption so deep that it can cause even innate Light to fall entirely dormant..." he murmured, smirking faintly. "Such a thing is only _barely_ possible… and yet you achieved it."

Her eyes widened a fraction, gulping softly. "You bastard…" she breathed, terror for once instilled onto her features. "Don't you dare…"

His smirk grew, but also darkened considerably. "I'm afraid my mind is already made, dove. But don't worry yourself too much… you will still be carrying out your little plan, regardless." He was by no means genuinely trying to comfort her, only drawing the moment out so as to further revel in her fear. A magic circle flashed into existence above the god, all of Astra's focus shifting to that before it suddenly faded and she nearly fell limp. Her little attempt didn't faze him in the slightest, but it did ensure that he ceased playing games for now. Crimson and black energies began to engulf her body, beginning the swift process of corruption.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,816 words this time. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed and, as always, many thanks to Blazing Winds for his help writing this chapter and the last one! I forgot to mention it last time... oops. Anyway, I'm not certain when we'll have the next one done, but it'll be up as quickly as possible, I promise. Posted (at about 7:35 a.m.) 07-14-19.**


	28. A Suitable Distraction

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these small scuffles… especially for the one who _really_ doesn't want to be destroyed by his friends, thanks.

 **~保護者~**

 **"A Suitable Distraction"**

 **~保護者~**

As reluctant as he was to admit it, situations like these forced Sonic to do just that. He didn't _mean_ to be, he didn't _like_ to be, but he nevertheless _was_ a bit of a worrywart. He worried about sensible things, sure, but the fact that his fears weren't unfounded or impractical hardly made it any better for him. It was just awful, worrying nonstop about everything from the outcome of battles to other people's hardships to his own shortcomings and on and on… And it was just as awful feeling like he had to worry over his best friend, too.

Granted, Jet had always done plenty of things to warrant Sonic's constant concern. Sometimes plain _stupid_ things, too, like brashly challenging an anrgy gun-toting thug who had stolen from Storm back when they were all just teens. Other times, he did things that _weren't_ stupid, per se, but were no less reckless… such as the time he'd taken on Ix and Shade all by his lonesome in order to (quite understandably) save baby Suri. It was normal for Sonic to find himself worrying about the hawk when these sorts of things came up. But just now, worrying about every little thing that might go wrong when all that Jet was _doing_ was meeting his (apparently real) parents for the first time… that felt like a little too far.

It wasn't like Jet wasn't safe. He was strong enough on his own and, even assuming he _wasn't_ , he also had Wave with him - and they were within the same building as everyone else, no less. His parents had seemed nice enough, too. So he wasn't in danger _physically_. It also stood to reason that he wasn't in danger otherwise either, given the fact that his parents really did seem nice and Wave was there as support, but Sonic still couldn't help the nerves stabbing at his heart. He was such a damned worrier, after all.

Perhaps it was best to take his mind off of it all. It wasn't even his business, anyway, so surely thinking of something else was prudent. Something else, _anything_ else other than this worry and all the other ones that he'd left to lurk in the back of his mind for now. Worries about… well, _everything_. He rubbed at his temples. _This isn't working. Need a new plan. Gotta think of something else._ In theory, that should have been easy enough. However, it seemed life was just hellbent on making his life as difficult as possible today. "Could you _stop_ grinding your teeth, Shadow? For God's sake, you're driving me _nuts_."

His half-brother leveled him with a flat look. "I'm not."

"Sure." Emerald eyes rolled toward the ceiling. "I must be _imagining_ the sound that's preventing me from hearing myself think. Got it."

Taking notice of the air of annoyance arising from the pair of them, Tails left off examining items on a nearby shelving unit and suggested, "Maybe we could go outside and get some air?"

"No thanks," Sonic huffed. "I've had enough snow for one day."

"Come on," Tails coaxed with a smile. "It might do you some good. And besides, we have time to spare at the moment, so maybe you and Shadow could work in some more training."

Shadow's demeanor in that moment fairly screamed, _"I'm not going out there and you can't make me."_ All he said, however, was a much simpler, "I'm staying here."

"Do not bother trying to convince him otherwise," Cream interjected with a small laugh. "I believe his mind is made. It is a lost cause."

Tails laughed, too. "You're probably right. Guess I forgot that he's sensitive to the cold. Sorry, Shadow."

"What, no sympathy for me?" Sonic asked with an exaggerated sigh. "I don't do well in the cold, either, you know."

"You're different," Tails replied, laughing a little more. He then went on to explain, "See, _way_ back before Malevolence went and turned Mobius upside-down for a while, Shadow and I found some really ancient data on some of the experiments Gerald did on him and the abilities that Gerald was working on giving him as a cyborg and such. We found some things that _really_ needed improvement, and for most of them that involved erasing any weakness and sensitivity toward heat. The catch is that it makes him extra sensitive to the cold, though."

After giving himself a second to consider this, Sonic nodded. "Right. Got it."

"I still say you should make use of your time a bit better than this, though," Tails persisted. "We all could stand to get up and do something, actually."

"And you expect me to do that how?" Sonic asked, jerking a thumb at Shadow. "You three said it yourselves, this guy's not moving out that door."

"No," Tails agreed easily, "but that still leaves myself, Cream, and Espio. I'd include Armaris in that number, too, but I'm not actually sure where she and Steam went."

Sonic glanced around, noticing their absence for the first time. _Was I really that lost in thought?_ He wondered about that briefly before brushing it off. "Okay… but I have _no_ idea how to fight you three."

"I think that's the point, isn't it?" Cream answered, tilting her head a little. "That is, to learn how to battle opponents who fight differently than yourself."

Tails's agreement was pretty enthusiastic. "Precisely. I mean, you can't reasonably expect to be able to fight _everything_ with a sword and some fire, you know? Sometimes that just won't work. Take Cream here, for instance. In a fight against her, she can easily keep you at a distance using her mental powers in various ways, thus rendering your sword useless." He paused, thought, then added, "I mean, unless you did something crazy like throwing it, but I imagine she'd just fling it back at you."

That mental image finally lifted some of Sonic's random bad mood, and he smirked. "Probably," he agreed. "We all know how vicious she is, after all." Cream covered her mouth to quiet herself down, but nevertheless indulged in a series of amused giggles. Sonic gave himself a moment to think this all over, then asked, "Okay, so against you three specifically, what would I need to be mindful of in a fight?"

"Let's break it down one person at a time," Tails suggested, "starting with Cream since we've already discussed her a bit. As previously stated, she can very easily be a long-ranged fighter with her powers if need be, putting you at an immediate disadvantage with your weapon of choice. She's also fully capable of using powerful barriers, further hindering you since that allows her to block your fire. On top of that, physically speaking what she lacks in speed, she makes up for in her ability to fly and get herself away from you that way. Though, it's true that you can probably jump high enough to catch her before she could get away."

"You're right," Cream agreed. "I can only fly as fast as I can move my ears, and they do tire easily if I try to fly too quickly."

"Right," Tails nodded. "But keep in mind that in the event you _can_ get close to an opponent like her - and assuming you can also _stay_ that close long enough for it to matter _and_ get past any barriers and such - your physical and energy-based attacks will be your greatest ally. A psychic-user's strength lies almost solely in their mind, after all."

Sonic inclined his head a bit, frowning as he committed all of this to memory. He basically knew all of this in the back of his mind, he noted, but since he'd never actually fought anyone with such powers… he supposed he had never really given it much thought before. "Yeah. That all makes sense."

Armaris emerged from Sonic's shadow and huffed faintly, causing them to jump. "And if you're not careful, chances are she could just blow you away before you ever were to land a hit."

"How long were you _there_?" Sonic demanded, heart thudding.

"I've _been_ here," she answered easily enough, blinking in an almost amused manner.

" _Why_? And for that matter, _how_?"

Armaris raised an eyebrow for a moment at him. "I'm a being of Darkness, as for the _how_. Why, well… Dunno. Didn't really feel like standing."

For several seconds, Sonic tried (and failed) to respond in any way, but ultimately he just clamped his mouth shut, too flabbergasted to speak. It wound up being Tails who picked up the slack. "Erm… okay. Uh, anyway… Point being, it'd be a difficult fight for you, Sonic. That's all I was really getting at." Sonic just huffed at him, arms crossing as he nodded. Seeing that he wasn't going to speak at the moment, Tails pressed on. "Against me, you don't have as much to worry about. Pretending that I don't have a ton of gadgets and such on-hand, I would be forced to mostly rely on my dual katana, which you can probably fend off easily. I don't have a lot of _physical_ strength, after all. My strength is more energy-based."

Sonic sighed. "Yeah. You've got electricity and that crazy radiation power."

"Yeah, but… I mean, it's not like I'd use that _last_ one on you," Tails said, offering a small and sort of tired smile at the mention of his radiation. "I'd be forced to rely solely on the electricity, which might not be _super_ useful against you in all fairness. Your fire is stronger than it, I think. So, without gadgets and without radiation, I'd say I'd be the most disadvantaged. Besides the whole 'I-can-fly-and-you-can't' part."

Turning his head, Sonic regarded Espio. "What about you, huh? What crazy ninja shit do I have to be worried about with you?"

"A lot," Armaris answered with a snicker. "Amazing evasion tactics, quicker-than-the-eye-could-hope-to-see movements and attacks, attacks from multiple directions… You'll probably be a bit discouraged if I keep going."

Tails would have comically sweat-dropped if he could have, judging by his expression. "She's not wrong," he confirmed. "Aside from our Immortal friends, he has by far the highest capacity for speed in short bursts, hence his perfect evasion - when he's focusing, mind you. Combine that with the fact that he has the highest strength in physical attacks out of all of us aside from Jet, his mastery of more weapons than even Shadow probably knows about, his general ninja skills, and… yeah. Pardon my language here, but, uh… you'd be fucked. Just saying."

Sonic frowned. _Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy._

"As far as advantages you might have against him… there aren't many," Tails continued. He paused, thought, then amended, "Actually, correction, I don't think you have any at all. He may not have use of his left arm and eye, and his left leg may be permanently damaged, but he's trained to overcome those weaknesses for longer than you even lived previously, so… yeah." He gave Sonic an apologetic smile. "I pretty much stand by my original statement, I think. You're just kinda screwed."

Armaris inclined her head to Tails. "Kid's right, and I gotta say you'd have an easier time going against me. I tend to have minor openings between my attacks and all, and I don't exactly move so fast that you couldn't hope to touch me."

That was something Sonic took a small amount of time to consider. "Okay… but there is still a problem. You use Darkness, which I have no means of countering without Light. Which I've only ever been able to access using some objects I don't have at the moment."

"Isn't the biggest enemy we've got lurking about a _being of Darkness_?" Armaris posed in question, crossing her arms.

Suddenly, Espio interrupted. "Wrong," he said quietly. "It was never stated that she was."

She rolled her eyes faintly. "Sorry, right. That one. The _other_ of the biggest enemies, then."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Sonic muttered. "That's part of the reason why Jet's not let me _fight_ them yet, if you ask me. I don't know _how_. Watching my dad fight wasn't exactly enough to teach me that."

"Then going against someone like me should give you some insight. Not to mention _my father_ , Ylden, considering he's the right hand of the God of Death, meaning he's an extremely powerful one as well," she offered in explanation, a faint smile on her face.

Tails had a hand on his chin as his mind worked, then he said, "Honestly, I think it'd be a great idea to go through with this, Sonic. Aside from me and Shadow, you have a lot you can learn from everyone here. It'd be good for you."

By now, Sonic had given in to the idea and recognized the soundness of it. As such, he didn't grumble _too_ loudly while standing up. "Fine… but the _second_ my fur gets matted with snow, I'm calling it quits."

"Deal," Tails laughed.

Sonic stifled a sigh. "So, who exactly am I up against?"

"Unless anybody objects, I guess Cream, Armaris, and Espio," Tails answered. "That alright with you guys?" Armaris just nodded.

"That sounds alright to me," Cream said. "I believe Espio-san will be fine with it, too." Sonic didn't doubt that. The ninja had always had a thing for combat, after all. He _lived_ for battle and other such thrills, as far as Sonic could remember. And, tellingly, Espio made no effort whatsoever to correct Cream.

"Now that that's settled," Tails continued, "who's going first?"

When Armaris didn't volunteer and answer, Cream decided to. "I would rather not, personally. I'd like to take some time to get in my own practice before participating in a mock-battle. I've never really used my new weapons before."

That was a fair request. "Fine by me," Sonic agreed. He looked at Espio again. "You wanna go first?"

For a second it almost looked as though Espio was prepared to ignore the question (or maybe hadn't been paying attention to any of this at all), but then he shattered that illusion by also moving to stand. "Fine."

Sonic glanced from Espio to Tails and back again before asking no one in particular what he deemed to be a very important question. "Erm… so, how _serious_ is this fight gonna be?"

Much to Sonic's surprise, Espio decided to answer himself. "In combat, your enemies will not show restraint. Do not expect me to do so."

Blue ears lowered slightly. _Oh… joy._ "You're not… gonna be _that_ serious about this, though, right?"

There was no real telling whether Espio was just giving him shit or being genuine when he replied, "I will refrain from killing you or inflicting permanent damage."

At least that wasn't any worse than training with Shadow, Sonic supposed. Still, though, he wasn't thrilled by the idea. "If I'm supposed to be fighting three people, I don't want to be badly injured right off the goddamn bat," he grumbled.

"I might have a solution for that," Tails volunteered. "We're close enough to New Babylon that one of my teleporters can probably get me there, even if I have to use it more than once to get all the way to the surface. I can pick up some medical stuff from a shop while you guys go at it. There are capsules and things that can accelerate healing immensely for a short period of time, and that ought to do the trick."

 _Not a bad idea._ "Maybe stock up on those, then," Sonic suggested. "We could use 'em, especially when real shit starts hitting the fan."

Tails nodded. "Will do."

He began walking to where he'd left his things, so Sonic turned away and reluctantly started toward the doors. The idea of heading back outside didn't leave him feeling particularly enthusiastic, but… _Tails does have a point. It's better not to waste time sitting around. Besides, it's already been proven time and again that I'm way behind everyone in terms of power. That just won't do._

Cream slipped out past him, flashing a smile as she went. "I will join you two in a bit, once I finish practicing." Turning her head, she called back lightly, "Do not be too hard on him, Espio-san. He has never sparred like this before." With that, she disappeared outside and around a corner.

Blue eyebrows shot up. "Sparred like _what_? The hell kind of other tricks does she think you're gonna pull, Espio?"

The ninja was outside standing with crossed arms (well, sort of, since only one arm could be _moved_ ) in the snow before Sonic could even finish blinking. "I do not do 'tricks'," he informed Sonic blandly, expression as closed off as ever. Then his head canted, and he unexpectedly added in a murmur, "Illusions, perhaps."

Oh, the joys of fighting a ninja. Sonic could see it already… He was about to get his ass _royally_ kicked. "Lovely," he sighed, stepping outside the rest of the way. "Look, just… do me a favor and don't hold back more than is necessary. It's gonna suck for me regardless, but at least if I improve it'll ultimately be worth it." When no reply other than a small hum came, Sonic looked around. "Looks like there's an open area over there, away from all these trees. Think it'll work?"

Amber eye sliding calmly in that direction, Espio nodded once. "It will suffice."

Sonic returned his nod, then looked back inside. "Hey, Armaris," he called, "you gonna hang out in there, or are you gonna come watch me get my ass handed to me?" No response. He shrugged, but nevertheless found himself griping. "Wish she'd stop disappearing like that."

"She will not cease solely because it annoys you," Espio informed him. Sonic got the feeling he spoke from experience.

"Guessing she used to do that a lot when you two knew each other, huh?"

"Yes." With that said, Espio turned and began walking off toward the clearing Sonic had spotted.

In an effort to try to prepare himself mentally for the coming fight, Sonic filled the silence with questions. "So, seriously… what should I expect you to throw at me?"

"Telling you would partially defeat the purpose of this, no?" Espio countered evenly. "Your goal is to learn how to fight those you have no experience with in combat. Encountering unfamiliar foes in real battle will often leave you unprepared. Dealing with it in a mock-fight will help that happen less."

Sound logic. Truly, it was. That just didn't translate into Sonic _liking_ what he'd been told. "Any advice, at least?" he sighed. "Seriously, I'm completely in the dark. I know jack-all about ninja skills, as you probably recall." _Hopefully. Or else I've just made an ass of myself by assume he can remember._

After a slight pause, Espio relented. "In many cases, ninja utilize speed and illusions as a means of overwhelming their foes. The latter is not preferred method, but all ninja are trained to perfect it."

"Right, you mentioned that a little," Sonic nodded. "So, what's your advice for me?"

"Simple." Espio gave Sonic a stern look. "Never allow yourself to be fooled by what you _think_ you see."

Sonic frowned. "...I assume that translates to other senses as well, then. Like hearing, in my case. I tend to rely a little too heavily on that when something seems up with what I'm seeing." That was a trap he had fallen into more than once.

"At times, that strategy is effective," Espio responded with a small half-shrug.

"But just as often not," was the sighed reply. "Guess I have to be mindful of that."

Unexpectedly, Sonic was offered a second piece of advice. "You have sharp instincts. They have served you well throughout most of your life. Trust in them, and they will continue to serve you well."

A few seconds passed in silence, then Sonic smirked. "Except against you and your kind, right?"

"Perhaps," Espio allowed, stepping into the clearing.

For the first time, Sonic noticed that the ninja was treading so lightly across the snow that he wasn't leaving any footprints. He felt a pang of jealousy as he glanced down to his own feet, both of which were fully buried (right up to his shins, in fact), then brushed it off. _If I could practically walk on air, too, instead of dragging my sorry butt through the snow, I would._ Reaching behind him, he grabbed the handle of his sword. "You ready?" Though he tried to sound confident, ultimately he wasn't. Try though he might, he just couldn't quiet his mind down. _You're going against Espio with a freaking blade?_ he chided himself. _Are you absolutely insane? There's no way this'll end well… for me._

Espio drew his sword and gave it an almost idle twirl, his thoughts seeming to be elsewhere. But despite how distant his gaze seemed to be, Sonic knew better than to be fooled. There was _no_ way Espio wasn't focused. Not when they were about to fight. "That question is better directed at you."

 _True enough…_ Sonic took a breath and assumed a steady stance. "Yeah. I'm ready. ...As much as I'll ever be, in any case." The hedgehog approached slowly, eyes narrowing. _He's fast, so I can't rely on speed to help me much in this fight. Maybe I can try to predict his movements…? Maybe this is a good time to try and learn to use Dad's magic, though…_ He watched Espio for a long moment, noticing no nuances from Espio's overall appearance. _Just as I thought… He's not going to let on to anything. Time to experiment. Gonna get my ass handed to me either way._ Sonic suddenly surged forward at Espio, letting a torrent of flames fly from his left hand to judge the way Espio reacted.

Just like that, Espio appeared at Sonic's side, and he knocked the hedgehog sideways with a swift kick to the knees. He only made one comment, and it was delivered with a small frown. "You have speed. Use it." The second the words left his mouth, he vanished from sight.

Sonic grunted from the sudden hit, spinning in the air until he managed to catch himself on the ground and skid a few feet back. _Yeah… expected something like that to happen._ He turned on the spot for a moment, clenching his sword handle tightly. Things were silent for all of two seconds. After that point, however, all hell proceeded to break loose. Razor-sharp attacks suddenly came flying at him from a surprising variety of directions, cutting him each and every time. Though, it could be said that Espio did keep his promise. He never inflicted damage that was _too_ serious.

There was a moment of pride when Sonic managed to maneuver his sword to block one of said attacks properly, a sigh of relief escaping him until the next attack came only moments later. A hail of kunai knives began to rain down upon him (seriously, where did they all even _come_ from?) a short time later, threatening to take him down and end the fight already… especially when the curious paper tags tied to the handles of some of them began to freaking _explode_. Quite violently, in fact. Suddenly getting an idea, Sonic quickly threw his hand down and let out an eruption of flames from the ground to throw the kunai well off course and mitigate the damage he'd take. Satisfied that Sonic was no longer just taking the blows, Espio eased up for just a moment to see what the other man would do. He crouched in the branches of a tree, almost perfectly invisible as he watched on.

The hedgehog took a moment to slowly tap into his father's magic, letting it flow around him. After taking this time to remember how Kaden had used the magic, he let it explode outward throughout their battlefield to try and force Espio out of hiding. The magic roared outward at rather impressive speeds, forcing Espio to quickly make use of his speed so that he could pull off the "perfect" evasion he was known for. In doing so, he managed to successfully dodge the magic, and he flung a small firework-like bomb at Sonic as he did so. This was purely meant to be a distraction, mostly on a sensory level, to buy him time to decide his next move. Poor Sonic didn't even have time to notice before it went off, assaulting his ears with a loud _bang_ , followed by bright lights that clouded his vision. Quickly, he teleported away from the sight, his ears folded down and ringing from the noise. _Damn it! Of course he's that versatile._

The second Sonic reappeared, an ice-cold chain launched forward and wrapped around his ankle tightly. It pulled taut, then flung him high into the air. "Crap!" No sooner than the word had left his mouth, he was swung full-force into the ground. As it turned out, it was surprisingly hard under all of that snow. But his ordeal wasn't over when he hit the ground. Instead, it only continued, with him being flung around into trees and other pieces of the scenery in rapid succession. Espio gave him no real time to react, but Sonic would _have_ to if he wanted this to stop. Which was the point, no doubt.

The moment that Sonic had even the _slightest_ chance to move, he made use of it by maneuvering into a homing attack to launch himself as far away as possible from where he assumed Espio was. As soon as he pulled the chain taut again, Espio released his grip, but not before he sent the other end of the chain flying straight toward Sonic. And it turned out there was a sickle attached to that end (because of _course_ there was) which proceeded to miss Sonic's cheek by mere fractions of a millimeter. It shaved off the tips of some fur as it sailed by.

Sonic landed in the snow some distance away, holding a hand to his cheek instinctively before rushing in the direction the sickle had come from. As the chain fell away, his mind was already racing with ideas to try and save his ass. Meanwhile, Espio (who had assumed a defensive crouch as soon as Sonic had landed) stood up and blurred forward to meet Sonic's sword full-force with his own. The hedgehog skidded backward from the impact, using his left hand to brace the end of his blade as he held off Espio's attack for the moment before trying to throw the chameleon backwards and away from him. This attempt ultimately failed, but Espio leapt away of his own accord regardless. As he moved, he threw a fairly sizeable dagger at Sonic's head. It missed, deliberately, but the threat it implied by just how _close_ it was when it embedded itself in the tree Sonic was beside… that could not be underestimated.

Sonic's eyes widened at this, more fully realizing that Espio really hadn't _tried_ yet. _Fucking hell._

Expression as aloof as ever, Espio lowered his hand. "You're done," he murmured. "In a real fight, you would be dead."

"I figured as much…" Sonic huffed, watching Espio as he panted faintly. His body was certainly aching, with the adrenaline rush already beginning to fade.

More than bored by this point, Espio turned to leave, only to pause when he spotted Cream jogging up to them. When she arrived, she gave Sonic a once-over and then cheerfully deduced, "Oh, you _did_ go easy on him. Thank you for taking my advice, Espio-san." He merely shrugged and vanished, taking his many scattered blades with him. "At least, I hope he did," Cream giggled, turning to face Sonic more fully. "Are you alright?"

Sonic snorted a little. "Yeah. He didn't beat the ever-loving crap out of me this time. Guess I should count myself lucky," he grumbled.

"I was more concerned with stab and slash wounds, if I am to be perfectly honest," Cream confided. Though, she did so with a very unconcerned smile still present on her face. "I didn't think he would treat you _that_ poorly, however. It's good to see I was right."

"Honestly, that's what I was worried about most, as well," Sonic admitted readily, sighing faintly.

"I suppose it's fortunate that he got bored," Cream giggled. After that, she changed the subject. "Do you want to rest before we begin?"

Emerald eyes glanced briefly over minor wounds again, then Sonic sighed. "No, I guess not. There's not much point." There was a small pause. "So… how're we gonna do this? Do you just want to jump right into it, or…?"

Cream smiled sweetly. "Actually, I _did_ have an idea about that."

The sheer amount of _sweetness_ in that smile somehow put Sonic on edge. Growing wary, he carefully asked, "What… _kind_ of an idea?"

That evoked a giggle. "Relax, Mister Sonic. It isn't as though I intend to maim you."

 _That makes one person from the last hour to feel that way, at any rate._

"I was thinking, instead, about something we could do as we spar."

Wariness ebbed away into curiosity. "Oh?"

Visibly pleased that he was listening calmly again, Cream continued. "Battling while distracted is an important skill to learn," she said. "Espio-san always used to tell me so, but I never did quite learn how to apply that knowledge to battling with my psychic abilities. By the time I came into his care, we were all done with fighting and such, after all."

"Until a long time after you passed, yeah," Sonic nodded.

She returned his nod. "Yes. So I believe that it would be most prudent to practice today. It's a skill that you, like most anyone else, can benefit from learning as well."

It made sense, Sonic decided straight away, and it was a good idea. But he had one lingering question about her little plan. "Alright… so how do you wanna do this?"

There it was again. That sweet, sweet smile. "I suppose there are probably many ways to practice this, but I was thinking… that perhaps we can talk."

Both eyebrows and pointed ears perked up. "Talk?" he echoed.

"Yes," Cream confirmed. She lifted her weapons up with her mind, allowing them to hover around her almost menacingly. "Let's have a conversation, shall we?"

He felt himself gulp. "Erm… sure." he eyed the sharpened metal discs, slowly shifting into a fighting stance as he did so. "But, I mean, about _what_?"

"Oh, anything," Cream answered breezily. "It doesn't have to be anything important." She paused to think, then her smile grew. "Oh, I know. Let's play that question game. What was it called? Truth?"

The memory of that _very_ old little game made Sonic unintentionally drop his stance. "...Yeah… Yeah, I think so. That's the one we used to play with the whole group, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Cream answered brightly. "I loved that game as a child. Might we play it?"

There was no way he could deny her this simple request. Not when she looked so hopeful. "Yeah," he agreed. "Yeah, of course. We'll have to play it a bit differently since it's just the two of us, but… it's fine." Shifting, he assumed his stance again. "You go ahead and make the first move, I guess. I'll think of a question to start the game." She wasted no time in flinging two of the discs at him at high velocity. He dove to the ground straight ahead and they whizzed past him on either side, spinning wildly all the while. Heart pounding from the near-miss, he quickly got up and asked, "You've always tried to do everything you can to make other people happy, even though you don't have to. Why?" With his question asked, he flung a small fireball at one of the discs as the arced in the air to come back toward him. His fireball threw that disc off course momentarily.

It was likely a bit of a struggle to focus on attacking while also thinking of a response, a fact visible in how Cream's attack hesitated momentarily. However, it quickly resumed. "As a child… I suppose I thought I _did_ have to. At least, to a point. I thought that if people were sad or angry or lonely or… anything, really, that _someone_ had to do something to help. If no one else did it, I tried to take it upon myself to make up for that." Her discs flung full-force at Sonic, forcing him to block with his sword. The impacts were bone-jarring and knocked him backward. "I do know now that it isn't my job to make everyone happy," Cream continued, bringing her discs back around again. "But be that as it may, I still wish to _try_. I suppose it's just the kind of person I want to be."

 _Damn_ if that wasn't heartwarming. Sonic blasted the discs away with some more fire and readied himself for them to fly back at him. "That's real fitting of you, if you ask me."

She giggled. Then, out of the blue, she blasted him sideways into a tree with a small psychic blast. "I remember you used to be very… reserved, Mister Sonic. Why was that?"

That question came as a surprise. He hadn't thought of himself in such a way in _many_ years, after all. "...No one can hurt you quite like a friend can," Sonic murmured, picking himself up out of the snow. "Even if they don't mean to, even if it only hurts because they're no longer _there_ … they can still hurt you deeply. I was tired of that pain. I'd experienced enough of it at that point." With another blast of fire, Sonic deflected the discs, only to be pushed roughly aside again by a now very familiar invisible force. Still, he smiled. "I guess making new friends again taught me that the risk is worth it, though. It just took me a long time. is all."

Smiling right back at him, Cream readied herself for his attack… and his next question.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,940 words this time. Apologies for the delay... again, but I hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for his help! He of course wrote for his own character (Armaris) here, but he also played the part of Sonic for me during the brief fight with Espio because I got stuck. Posted (at about 3:20 p.m.) 07-28-19.**


	29. Lightning Strike

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this difficult time… especially for the one who feels protective.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Lightning Strike"**

 **~保護者~**

Walking along several feet behind Jet, Wave decided to try to help everyone ease into the conversation they were about to have by opening a mental dialogue with Sein and Alana. _"Sorry to intrude,"_ she said quietly, _"but it's the best way for me to communicate without having to worry about him overhearing. But, more on topic, how are you guys doing right now?"_

 _"Still trying to catch up on this whole… 'being alive' thing. Been a long while since that happened and all,"_ Sein responded nonchalantly.

 _"I am alright,"_ Alana answered simply, not really communicating much beyond that.

Wave looked ahead and watched as Jet turned a corner. She deliberately lagged behind several more steps than before so as to buy them a bit more time. _"Do you guys think you'll need much help trying to get talking with him?"_

 _"Would you guys trust me when I say I think I can handle this myself for the most part?"_ Sein asked, letting his gaze flick between them both.

This earned a small glance from Alana. Eventually, she admitted, _"...I trust you more than myself currently."_

Getting the sense that together they'd be fine on this front, Wave shifted gears a bit. _"In that case, mind if I offer a bit of advice? I've known him since we were kids, so there are a few things I've picked up on over the years."_

Sein shrugged. _"Lay it on me."_

 _"First thing's first,"_ Wave said, not wasting any time, _"you should keep in mind that he's got some disabilities. Things such as autism and PTSD that make him somewhat… disinclined to communicate much. Please remember though that it isn't personal. ...Erm, usually."_ Alana managed a slight smile, but only at that very last bit. It reminded her of her father. But the rest of it… that was more concerning.

 _"I assumed as much. Living this long… you've undoubtedly seen some shit…"_ Sein blinked once and shook his head faintly, a distasteful look coloring his expression.

Wave shook her head. _"It has next to little overall to do with what he's seen… trust me."_ She was silent for a moment before pressing on. _"But, on a related note, you guys have to remember to refrain from touching him, especially without warning or when he's not in a position to see it coming. It's just… not a good idea unless you want to make a bad impression. Which I doubt."_

Being used to such a thing thanks to her own father, Alana took this in stride. _"We will be mindful,"_ she assured quietly.

 _"Of course. I'll keep all of this in mind."_ Sein responded, taking a faint step ahead of them. _"You can remind me of anything else as we go. I'm sure it's hard to think of everything so suddenly."_

 _"It can be,"_ Wave sort of mentally sighed. They caught up to Jet a mere moment later, and she subtly gestured for the two of them to go ahead while she hung back just a little. Jet, meanwhile, had focused the vast majority of his attention on carefully rifling through the pages of a large tome that had recently been damaged by hellfire. Chances were, hardly any of it could hope to be salvaged.

Sein walked off toward Jet, making sure to stay some distance away. "So. Those others by the doors are your friends, right?" he asked softly, hoping to try and start this off simply.

 _Assholes that they are._ The thought was there and gone in a flash, never to be voiced. Instead, Jet just gave a slight nod with a vague, "Mm-hm." He wasn't sure at this point what he was hoping for more: that this conversation would end quickly or that it… wouldn't. Honestly, he didn't know just yet. He was still just grappling with the idea that any of this was even _real_.

"I saw a fox and a hedgehog. From what I can tell, they're pretty close to you. Who are they to you?" Sein prodded gently, a faint smile on his face.

It took a rather long moment of utter silence for Jet to begin to respond. "The fox is Tails. He's less _my_ friend and more the friend of others. I merely trained him."

Though curious, Alana refrained for asking for any further details yet. He seemed reluctant to talk at the moment, after all. Instead, she asked, "And the hedgehog?"

"Sonic," Jet supplied almost on reflex. There was another lengthy pause before he finally added, "We've been... friends, since childhood."

"Best friends," Wave corrected with a smile. "They're inseparable, don't let their bickering fool you. The pair of them are practically brothers."

Sein chuckled. "Sound familiar, Alana?" he asked with a soft smile.

"If you refer to yourself and Li, then yes," Alana answered with another faint and ultimately too-brief smile. Jet largely tried to tune this slight bit of banter out in favor of focusing on carefully removing still usable pages from the book he was holding.

Sein's gaze roamed about the room for a moment, seeming to sense that Jet was trying to focus. Instead of speaking, he began trying to help find various things to collect them for Jet, a smile on his face. Seeing this intention plainly in his aura, Alana subtly gestured to some discarded rune-covered papers that seemed to have slid unnoticed under a shelf beside their feet. He nodded and collected the papers, looking them over curiously for a time. They appeared to be little more than spell pages, but were nevertheless probably better off being accounted for and stored properly if someone had bothered to bring them in here at all. "So, uh… Where do you want these papers?"

Jet glanced over, barely taking the time to really look over the pages before gesturing vaguely to a shredded book. The poor thing looked like it had been mauled by a bear. "They fell out of that," he answered simply. Though he kept his tone neutral, Wave suspected he appreciated the helpful gesture.

"You don't mind if I just ask whenever I find things, right?" Sein asked as he lifted the book up and searched through it for anything else salvageable. "It'll make the process easier if I'm a little less apprehensive about potentially bugging you."

Jet gave the older hawk another glance, this one a bit more open in its caution and mild confusion, but he soon looked away and just nodded. Alana, meanwhile, began carefully looking over various nearby weapons. Being that they were made in a time far after she and Sein had died, they were like nothing she had ever seen before, and she was fascinated. Part of that also came from the fact that she'd been raised around weapons from the beginning, too, thanks to her parents. _Mother would have enjoyed using these,_ she reflected briefly.

Sein continued taking. "I can't help but ask this sort of question, but have you ever had children?" he asked in a gentle way, gaze falling onto his son as he began pulling the still-intact pages from the book.

Mildly startled by such an out-of-the blue inquiry, it took Jet a moment to collect himself and answer. "Biologically… three," he eventually said.

The word 'biologically' caught Alana's attention, but she ultimately focused on the larger part of what had just been revealed. _Three children…_

"Then, that means you've probably taken in at least one or two children that weren't your own. Glad to hear it." Sein reminisced over something, happiness evident in his eyes before he seemed to snap out of it. "What were they like?"

Something in Jet's gaze grew distant as memories began hitting him. "There were many," he murmured. "All were different, some fiery in their passions, others soft as the clouds they so admired… None were ever in any way forgettable." Wave's eyes saddened as she recalled one simple fact: Tein had once been a recipient of the very same care that Jet was sharing now. Care that had been utterly _betrayed_.

"I'm glad you got the chance to be a father. It really… makes me happy that you've been able to raise your own children, whether or not everything turned out okay," Sein responded carefully, closing his eyes. "I hated that I felt I may never actually get to see you, but I knew it would be worth it."

When Jet didn't seem too inclined to respond to that, perhaps because he didn't know how, Alana carefully asked, "Your three… who were they?"

Some of Jet's silence bled away again when asked this. "Lukal, H'aana, and Suri," he answered quietly. After a moment, he added, "Though, the older two… they often went by Lucas and Hannah around foreign company."

Committing these names to memory, Alana then asked, "What were they like?"

Though he gave a small shrug, this time Jet didn't hesitate to answer. "Suri was always… sweet. Happy. I suppose it could be said that she truly embodied the purity of her aura most of the time." The mention of a pure aura made Alana glance at Sein briefly. "Hannah was often at odds with their brother, too strong-willed to let him get his way all the time but also too sensitive to stand her ground just as often. She grew quieter with age, more… serious and firm. But she was always just as caring as her sister."

Her head tilting slightly, Alana then inquired about the last of their apparent grandchildren (which she was still trying to fully wrap her emotionally-tired mind around). "And Lucas?"

"A brat," Jet answered immediately, but with a clear note of fondness to his tone. "He was irritable, argumentative, mischievous, stubborn… but strong, protective of his sisters, caring in his own way. He was… an adventure all his own, I suppose."

"That's kinda how I acted when I was younger, honestly. I didn't want to listen to anyone and I _frequently_ gave Kath shit when he was taking care of me," Sein snickered faintly. "I still don't regret a moment of it though. That man really cared to have dealt with my bullcrap."

After a slight pause, Jet for the first time posed a tentative question of his own. "You were in Kath's care as a child?" he asked, mildly surprised by the idea. Kath wasn't much of one for childcare, really. At least, not _generally_.

There was a faintly noticeable shift in Sein's mood that he quickly buried for the time being. It was… always a bit of a sore subject for him. "Yeah… I was…" He shifted for a moment, stopping in place as he slowly made the words come out. Alana sensed his emotions and laid a reassuring hand on his arm as he spoke. "I was an orphan… I got pretty damn lucky that someone found me. I ended up in the care of Kath and lived in the palace."

Jet nodded faintly, giving himself some time to process this. Alana, meanwhile, ventured to ask, "You knew Father in this timeline… yes?"

Another lengthy pause, then finally Jet gave another nod. "Yeah. Not for most of my life, but… enough of it."

"I can tell you were very close to him," Sein said. "You two shared a deep bond?"

"...I suppose, yes."

Sein took a long, deep breath. "What about more recently acquired friends? Got any new people outside of that group here?"

"A few," Jet conceded after a moment.

"Like who?" Sein pressed with a calm smile.

Their son took a moment to consider that before revealing vaguely, "A handful of the Gods and Goddesses. Such as Nier and Cosmo."

"That's good to hear. Say… is Sona still around and kicking?" Alana shook her head in mild amusement at her partner's question.

Though tempted, Jet managed _not_ to roll his eyes. "Yes. Kicking, fussing, and scowling, as usual."

Sein snickered before outright laughing. "That's Sona for you. Always been the pissy type. Helped balance out the normally calm group of myself, Alana, and Li."

Alana immediately shot him a look. "I do seem to recall that you most certainly were not one of the calm members of our family during your youth." Her comment prompted Jet to fully look over at them for the first time since they had initially been introduced to him.

He coughed and glared faintly. "You're not supposed to say that, ya know. Let me seem cool with my kid, asshole." Wave choked on a laugh. Jet blinked.

Just this once, Alana decided to let that little remark slide. "What of Cere and Finis?" she inquired, giving Sein the benefit of moving the conversation back off of him. "Surely they remain?"

Jet looked away again, resuming his work with the book, but answered, "Yes. It goes without saying that they aren't seen much, but they're around."

"What do you think of them?" Sein asked with a raised eyebrow.

That was honestly difficult to answer. Though Jet could say with certainty what these two _weren't_ , it was difficult to say what they _were_ to him. They weren't friends, and therefore he didn't think of them as such. Cere in particular behaved somewhat maternally toward him at times, though he had never viewed her or anyone else truly _as_ a mother figure. Things with Finis were equally as complicated, as they'd barely ever interacted… aside from Finis unexpectedly hauling his ass out of trouble on more than one occasion. "...I don't know," he finally answered, unsure of what else to say aside from this basic truth.

"From what I can tell, they watch over you a good bit. In any case, it's good to know that you've had people looking out for you like Sonic and all these acquaintances or friends of yours." Sein inclined his head to Wave with a gentle smile, watching Jet to see how he'd react. Jet blinked slowly, the fingers of his right hand drumming lightly on the back of a book he was holding for a second before he caught himself and stopped. After a second, he simply shrugged in response and carefully put the book away. Unsure of how to continue the current topic, Sein moved on to the first thing that came to mind. "Anything in particular that you really enjoy? Things like music, crafts, or reading. Hobbies or varying interests. Anything, really."

Wave, who was standing beside Jet now, nudged him gently. "He likes all of those things, don't you, Jet?"

Though initially silent, after a moment Jet relinquished the truth with a vague, "I suppose."

"Do you have anything specific? I mean, I really enjoy things like sparring or weapon making. For example," Sein said. Something in Jet's eyes briefly sparked to life at the mention of sparring, but he quickly quelled it. An eyebrow was raised to him in faint curiosity. "Sparring, eh? You like it as well?" he prodded softly, a tender smile slowly spreading onto his face.

With another gentle, encouraging nudge from Wave, Jet relented. "Yes," he agreed with a sort of sigh.

Smiling, Wave revealed, "He spent a _lot_ of time training with Kath when he was younger, and that trend has continued pretty much ever since. Kath taught him more than just how to _use_ swords, but also how to enjoy doing so."

There was a faint, almost bittersweet smile on Sein's face. "He does that really well. It's because of him that I'm even here today." Alana laid a hand on his shoulder, doing her best to mask her own sadness so that she could help him with his.

Wave thought for a second, then suddenly suggested, "Why don't you all go outside and spar for a while? It might do you all some good, actually." Given that people like Jet (and Kaden, and Sonic, and whoever else) really could connect with people through combat, it sounded like a _splendid_ idea to her.

Sein cast a glance from Wave to Jet, raising an eyebrow. "I'm more than fine with it, as long as you are." Alana nodded.

Jet seemed to give this a moment of thought, then glanced at Wave. Guessing at his thoughts, she assured, "I'll continue dealing with things in here if you want to go. I don't mind."

Another few seconds passed, then finally he gave in. Murmuring some vague reply, he turned away from her and began walking toward the doors. Sein flashed a bright smile to Wave. "Thank you for all the help. It really means a lot."

"Of course," Wave smiled. "Now go on, both of you, and have fun."

He nodded softly and gently took hold of one of Alana's hands. "Come on. We should catch up to him."

Alana eyed him for a second, then managed a faint smirk. "I am surprised that you did not just tear down the corridor, dragging me along. I seem to recall you doing that a fair number of times when you were in a hurry." Wave laughed while walking off to get to work.

"I didn't feel like doing that this time. Last time, I'm pretty sure I was in some deep shit with you over it." Sein huffed.

"That is because you deserved it," Alana responded lightly, beginning to walk. Jet had already long since disappeared around a corner, headed for a sort of side exit. Sein followed after her with a faint chuckle, seeming unbothered by this fact. Before too long, the pair of them were walking outside, and Alana glanced around for where their son had gone. She spotted him after only a few short seconds as he was walking toward one of a few spacious, open clearings.

Sein split off from Alana (who settled herself down somewhere to watch) with a confident yet goofy smile on his face, pulling his claymore free (through the use of magic) from the gauntlet he wore and approached the clearing. "So, I imagine we're gonna be rather casual about this sparring match? No Kath levels of training?"

Jet blinked silently, then shrugged. "If you want." Entirely _thanks_ to Kath, he wasn't used to think of sparring in a casual manner. As such, the question caught him somewhat off-guard.

"It's more of… let's not _really_ try to hurt each other, but we can still go all out and be badass and all that," Sein explained with a shrug of his own.

It took a second and some thought, but soon Jet realized what had happened. _I misunderstood… again._ Unfortunately, that wasn't something new. He often found himself taking people's words very literally and at face-value, not always considering deeper or at least more subtle meanings. It came with his autism and was something he didn't _entirely_ know how to deal with when situations like this occurred. Inwardly a touch frustrated, he just nodded his assent.

"So… uh… I guess we just kinda… begin?" Sein asked, unsure of exactly how to start a sparring match with the son he'd _just_ met.

In response, Jet drew his sword, shifting it from the somewhat broader form he'd been using it in earlier and back to the usual slim katana-like form he favored. "If that's what you prefer," he answered, not really caring how they went about this.

He gave a gentle nod to his son. "Since we're just meeting, I'd rather it not be cutthroat and all."

That made sense. As such, Jet didn't disagree with him. He made his agreement known with a simple, "Fine," and then quickly put up a barrier around the building itself and the surrounding areas. The very _last_ thing he needed right now was for the vault to get damaged from their fight. It would also quite nicely prevent the others (who he knew were sparring elsewhere already) from sensing this little spat, which was very much what he wanted. Especially since Sonic, being the worrier he was, would… well, worry.

 _He's off in his own world, it would seem._ Sein lowered his stance and watched Jet for the time being, wanting to see if Jet would take the first move or not. He had _no_ idea on how his son fought, so he thought this a sound strategy. Jet's head canted slightly at the older hawk's apparent hesitation, but he took the opportunity to act. _Casual_ to the very core, he allowed lightning to coil around him in the vague form of a serpentine dragon and sent it hurling across their makeshift battlefield.

The fight was on.

 **~保護者~**

There were many names she went by.

Nakea.

Nazei.

Nyra.

N'yr.

Na'lo.

Her true name, however… that was a piece of knowledge she granted to next to none. Not even the ninja whose attention she had so fully capture knew of it. Not yet. The time wasn't quite right. But her leader, her savior, the only person in existence whom she _obeyed_ … she knew. And she addressed the younger woman as such. "Nyokae. You returned early." Shadows loomed and swirled around the pair, roiling off the sheer cliffs and into the abyss surrounding much of the rocky platform they were on. Yet despite the darkness, Nyokae could see the curious expression that played across her leader's face.

Kneeling on one knee in a show of respect, Nyokae bowed her head. "Yes. I gathered the information you requested."

Pleased that this had occurred earlier than anticipated, her leader shifted forward in her stone seat with a slow smile. "I see. And where did the little birds run off to?"

"A weapons vault on a lone moon near New Babylon," Nyokae reported. "I could not enter the barriers surrounding the location without arousing suspicion, but I was able to confirm that they are there. _All_ of them."

"The new arrivals as well, then?"

"Yes, and the two new Immortals you warned me about."

"Interesting." The woman leaned back again to give this information some thought. "I suppose the lot of them intend to head to the planet itself some time soon, then."

"Almost certainly," Nyokae agreed. "Their plan is likely to gather supplies and meet with the queen."

"To what end, I wonder?" the woman chuckled. "Meeting with that _child_ will do them little good… Though, I suppose that they will not see it that way." There was a small pause before she asked, "They are rather intent on gathering allies, are they not?"

Nyokae nodded. "Most of them, yes. Though I would wager that one or two members of that group would prefer to involve fewer people." _My favorite battle partner included._ Not that she would disagree with him, if she were in his position. Solitude was, after all, was a position for the strong. Allies were a bother, bonds weakened resolve, emotions complicated matters unnecessarily…

Her leader closed her eyes. "A conflict of interests…" she murmured. "Mildly intriguing, but hardly enough to cause a fuss."

Sensing that a plan was beginning to form, Nyokae dared to raise her head. "My lady?" she inquired.

Eyes opening, the woman asked, "You made a recent visit to him, did you not?"

Unintentionally, Nyokae perked up slightly, more alert and attentive than before. Any mention of _him_ had this sort of effect on her. She had a habit of becoming too… _enthusiastic_ with regards to him. "Yes," she confirmed. "I had hoped to toy with him more than I was able to… but I had not accounted for the interference of a new ally that they have acquired."

"Hm… the misplaced Balancer, I would presume."

"Yes. He behaved fairly… protectively, I suppose, and actively got in the way of the fight. I was forced to cut it short, lest he cause any damage to my long standing plans."

That caught her lady's interest. "I see. And how are things progressing? Have you been met with any measure of success?"

"Significant," Nyokae reported with a hint of a smile. She tries to hide it so as to maintain a more respectful, solemn demeanor. "He has begun to show markings off and on these past few months with increasing regularity. Even if circumstances prevent me from continuing to directly push him, the shift will happen regardless. With all that is going on, he cannot avoid it."

Visibly pleased anew, the woman's smile returned. "Good. However, that corruption will take time to come fully to fruition… as will the corruption of our other prey. It will _also_ take time for the God to settle after we riled him so. We have seen some of what he is prepared to do in retaliation, and now we must plan. This, too, requires _time_ , Nyokae… time that I am prepared to buy."

"My lady?" Nyokae asked, intruiged.

Her smile only grew. "I propose a little game. One that will indeed slow the Immortal and his friends down. Though it may, perhaps, not be for long, it will be enough." She stood and walked over to Nyokae, bending down and placing a hand upon the younger woman's shoulder. "I entrust you to carry it out for me, my darling assassin… for only you can get close enough to see this plan come to fruition."

Inclining her head again, Nyokae murmured, "What would you have me do?"

"Take these," her leader summoned a small bundle into the palm of her hand and passed it over, "and use them. One for each enemy present when you encounter them. And if there are extras… use them as you see fit." She straightened, removed her hand, and gave one last silky command. "Do ensure that you meet with them before they leave the moon… I wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

"I understand," Nyokae answered, fighting once more not to smile.

Her leader did not resist that same temptation. "Nyokae, dearest… You are my best and strongest warrior. I can trust you with this, yes?"

Nyokae bowed her head deeply this time in a show of respect. "Of course, my lady." Smiling wider, her leader turned and began walking away, vanishing into the shadows as she went.

Thrilled that she had a chance to play again, Nyokae looked down at the bundle in her hand. She knew already what it was, what magical instruments it contained and what they were designed to do. That knowledge, coupled with her excitement to be returning to _him_ so soon, made her smirk widely. Too eager to let her anticipation build any longer, she stood and teleported away.

~保護者~

With their discussion over, the Gods and Goddesses prepared to disband for now. Everyone was informed. Everyone was up-to-date. But for the God of the Sun, there were still questions that needed answers. "How long?"

Nier shook his head. Somewhere in the background, Finis took his leave while Sona and Therin bickered. "Not sure. Jet didn't mention that much to me. Seems like a pretty recent development, though. I don't think Sonic's been here for a very significant amount of time."

Growing quiet, the older God crossed his arms and lowered his head in thought. When he finally decided to speak again, his voice was lower almost as though to avoid drawing the attention of the others. More likely, however, was just that he was trying to keep a lid on his emotions. "How is he?"

Suddenly sympathetic to this man's feelings in regards to this matter, Nier was quick to reassure. "He's fine. From what I can gather, I was reunited with his friends almost immediately. He's not alone, and he hasn't gotten into any serious trouble so far. You don't need to worry. He's in good hands with his friends. They won't let anything happen to one another. I'm sure you know that."

That already quiet voice dropped a little lower. "Yeah." Clearing his throat, the Sun God stated more clearly, "I'll check on the lot of them soon, regardless. Give Jet my thanks for the information, will you?"

Nier smiled. "Sure. Next time I manage to see him, I'll tell him. Assuming he doesn't immediately take off again like usual."

That earned a good-natured chuckle and smirk from his companion, though that small expression of amusement did little to ease the tension and stress in the man's face and posture. Still, he kept up the facade as though it had. "I'll be taking my leave, now. I have other business to attend to."

"I understand," Nier said. "But there is one more thing you should in partnership should know."

The Sun God's smirk fell and he frowned. "What is it?" he asked, much more serious than before.

 _This won't go over well._ "Sonic… he and his friends may be safe now, like I said, but I won't lie to you. He was spotted by the God of Demons recently. Nothing else happened, but he was seen. That means that _he_ knows about Sonic's return."

Unexpectedly, the God of Suns cursed openly before stating through gritted teeth, "I'll do what I can." He gave no opportunity for Nier to reply. The light of the sun overhead flared intensely for just a moment and, when it died down, he was gone.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,992 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. As always, many thanks to Blazing Winds for his help in writing this chapter. Sein and Armaris are his characters and he wrote all their parts. Posted (at about 8:35 p.m.) 08-12-19.**


	30. Needle in the Thread

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this altercation… especially for the one who first falls.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Needle in the Thread"**

 **~保護者~**

Roughly twenty minutes after his surprisingly lax sparring match with Cream, Sonic returned to the inside of the building to try and track down Armaris. He was supposed to fight her next, after all. "She's probably hiding in a damn shadow again," he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" she asked from behind him, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised incredulously. "As if I'm always sitting in a shadow. It's more like a pass-time than anything."

"Well, you sure make it seem like you're always in one," Sonic huffed, turning around. "But… Look, whatever. Point is, we're all done. It's your turn, if you still want to fight."

Armaris blinked once, almost surprised. "Oh. So, you're ready for an ass kicking?"

Blue ears tilted slightly down. "I mean… I escaped the main one I was really expecting, so I guess this is just karma or some shit."

"Yep." She vanished into his shadow, huffing. "Go on. Outside for your thrashing."

He stood by, stunned into silence for a second, then demanded, "Are you making me _carry_ you?"

"Precisely. Now, move. Go. I don't have all day." His ears lowered further in a display of irritation, but Sonic nevertheless began walking. Though, he did mutter a few choice words under his breath as he went. That ended when they made it to the clearing where he had earlier sparred with Espio and Cream. There was still a bit of evidence of those fights, but it was clear that he hadn't been forced to fight that hard yet. Armaris reformed several feet away, arms crossed and watching him with narrowed eyes. "I've got one rule. Don't grab my hair. I'll kill you if you do."

"...Why would I grab your _hair_?" Sonic slowly questioned, supremely weirded out by the sincerity in her voice.

Armaris shrugged faintly. "Some people decide that grabbing my hair is some _great_ idea. Then they get impaled by several pointy objects."

For some reason, Sonic's eyebrow twitched a little. "You… sound just like Espio. With the impaling thing, I mean. I don't like that at _all_ , just so you know." After all, that didn't bode well... for _him_.

There was a faint nod from her before her hair started to tease upwards, slowly lifting around her. "Alright. Let's get moving. I'll give you the honor of a first attack. Just to be kinda nice."

"Gee… thanks," Sonic mumbled with a gusty sigh. He sheathed his sword as an afterthought (he doubted it would do him much good, for once), then flung a fireball at her as fast as he could manage.

Tendrils of Darkness rose up from the ground and swallowed the fireball whole while she stood, unmoving. "What else you got?"

 _Ugh. Of course she can counter that easily._ Resisting the urge to sigh again, he mumbled in reply, "Very little else. I don't have that many powers or anything." Even with that said, he conjured up some magic in his hand.

"Mkay. Guess I'm coming in, then." A gust of wind blew through the area, snow flying into the air and rushing for Sonic as Armaris ran forward, manifesting a sword of Darkness in her hand. Momentarily taken aback by the wind (he had _never_ seen anyone else use it besides Jet), Sonic nearly failed to react. He snapped out of it after a few seconds, but by then it was nearly too late to react. Just barely, he managed to fire a small beam at her with the magic.

Eyes widening in faint shock, Armaris flipped into a sideways dodge, resuming her run as if nothing had happened. She jumped forward, slashing down at him as her hair rushed for his arms to prevent a potential block. Sonic was alarmed by her hair's seemingly _deliberate_ movement and started to jump backward to get away. Alas, he again failed to react quick enough, and he became ensnared. _The hell?! Stop doing that, you moron!_ he yelled at himself internally. _I'm not usually this fucking easy to distract, am I?_ Ah, the joys of having an old brain in a young body. Actually, screw that. He hated it.

At the last second, the sword vanished and her hair let go, her feet planting themselves into his torso and forcefully launching him some distance away. "Hot damn. I thought you woulda done… something."

Grunting, Sonic hit the ground with his feet and straightened. "Look, I'm _nowhere_ near as young as I look, alright? It's hard as _shit_ to fight like I used to."

Armaris walked in Sonic's direction, eyebrows raised. "I figured as much. Focus on reacting, dumbass. Keeping yourself alive is more important than killing the enemy, and as such, find that as your priority." Without giving him a moment to ponder this, sharp tendrils of Darkness launched out at him from her body, each looking to impale him.

His initial instinct, cultivated from _years_ of using this one power, was to loose a burst of fire in all directions as a means of defense. However, that was destined to fail, despite how hot the flames that rocketed outward were. They simply couldn't do anything against the Darkness. Cursing himself and various other people and things along the way, he jumped high into the air.

 _Better._ Blades of wind were fired at him while he was in the air with Armaris following behind them at a rapid pace to meet him if he were to avoid the attack. "Doing better!"

The wind was easy enough to deal with. Sonic was at least familiar with that power. Using his fire again, he created a wall of flames too massive for winds to break through and get to him. That only left Armaris herself to worry about, and he _fully_ expected her to get around the flames easily enough. Plus there was the issue of him falling… because he couldn't fly. _It'd be just my luck if she can, though._

Armaris stopped about two feet from him and groaned. "Damn. You're gonna fall, eh?" Falling wasn't something he was normally concerned that much about (he could handle rough landings pretty damn well, he had learned), so Sonic tossed her a moody glare in response to her comment. Then, after a second, he curled in a ball and launched a single Homing Attack at her. Her hand rose up and wind surrounded it as she simply batted him out of the sky and directly into the snowy ground.

After a few moments, Sonic's head popped out of the snow heap. "For the record, I _said_ the second my fur got matted with snow I'd be done," he snapped, "and now it _is_ , so we're done!" With that said, he encased himself in flames briefly to thaw himself… but also got wet in the process for a second. Which only made him more irritable.

The cat landed nearby and frowned faintly. "You left yourself far too open at the end there. Granted, you couldn't do much else, but I'm fairly certain you could've used your fire to move yourself in the air. Or, you could've delayed me with some flames and bought a little time."

Sonic nearly groaned. "Maybe," he muttered. He then paused, ears suddenly perking when he heard the very faintest rustle of leaves, and gained a fresh scowl. "And of _course_ we had an audience watching me get my ass beat again. _Ugh_."

"Eh. It happens. Except when it doesn't." Armaris shrugged unhelpfully, her hair shifting around to prevent itself from tangling. "You'll get better in time, but you've definitely gotta work on ingenuity in fights."

Sonic shrugged once himself (rather moodily) and began walking toward their silent watcher instead of bothering to properly reply. "Maybe," he repeated over his shoulder a second later. "But for now, I'm done. I'll deal with it later."

Armaris shrugged once more and made to follow, arms behind her head casually until she saw a green blur appear. She hardly had time to blink before the blur disappeared into the trees. The cat made a wise choice and teleported herself and Sonic forward in time to watch as Espio unexpectedly perform a drop-kick on the green blur and sent it rocketing back in the other direction. Sonic stared in mute surprise, mouth slightly agape while Espio landed on his feet and then simply jumped out of the tree like _nothing_ had even happened just now. "Alright then, badass," Armaris called, trying to gain the chameleon's attention. Espio shot her a vaguely disapproving look.

"The hell was _that_ all about?" Sonic demanded, frowning at his old friend. Predictably, Espio didn't make any effort to explain himself, choosing instead to gaze in the direction that the blur had flown in.

Steam appeared in a teleport, huffy and noticeably pissed with a glare at Espio. "Asshole. Not like I-"

"Was about to plow into the tree and take me down with it?" Espio cut in coolly, managing to again seem vaguely disapproving.

Steam was about to reply, but the fact that _Espio_ of all people had so suddenly cut him off had him stunned into momentary silence. Sonic sort of shared in his reaction, though he was a bit less surprised than he had been earlier. Armaris, however… she was rolling in laughter, more than amused by this display. "Oh my _fucking_ god, Espio!" This time, the glance he tossed her was more calm and reserved than before. It had lost that disapproving quality, _almost_ giving the hint that perhaps he was amused, too. If such a thing were even possible.

"Alright. Fuck you guys," Steam huffed, blinking a few times rapidly as he tried to process what just happened.

Sonic made an appeasing motion with his hands. "Alright, relax. I don't want anymore fights of _any_ kind today between _anyone_."

"And there won't be," Espio smoothly assured, "so long as he ceases to behave wildly." Sonic stared.

The green hedgehog glared faintly. "Wasn't _trying_ to."

"Why'd you come tearing in like that, anyway?" Sonic asked, trying to change the subject.

"I could've sworn I sensed something going on, so I showed up as quickly as I could," Steam answered, frowning. "Dunno what it was, though."

"Nothing else was happening besides some sparring matches," Sonic told him honestly. "It's been dead freaking silent and boring otherwise."

Armaris shrugged. "Not sure about that. I've gotten a kick out of scaring the shit out of you."

"Shut up," Sonic groaned. He swore he saw Espio smirk for just a second, and he pointed an accusatory finger at the ninja. "And _you_ can stop finding all of this so damn funny!"

"I did nothing," Espio responded blandly, tone hinting at (of course) nothing on an emotional level.

"Honestly, I doubt you could stop any of that either. I've got way more tricks up my sleeve that you don't even have a clue about." Armaris snickered, a smirk playing at her face.

Sonic opened his mouth to reply and Espio, curious as to what the other man would say, watched him for a moment. But a split second later he stiffened and started to spin around at near-max speed, reaching for his sword all the while. For once, it wasn't fast enough, however. He felt a sharp prick at the back of his neck, and for the moment the sense of danger vanished. Cursing once under his breath (something he normally never did), he reached back and quickly removed the source of that slight pain. It was… a sewing needle…?

Armaris and Steam tensed up, immediately alert. Steam quickly attempted to locate their threat while Armaris hurried to Espio to check on him. "What the _hell_ was that?"

As Sonic also rushed forward, Espio started to reply, but was cut short when he suddenly began feeling lightheaded. Within seconds, he collapsed, utterly unconscious. Sonic cursed loudly and bent down to check on him. " _The hell_?" he exclaimed. No doubt sensing the trouble, Shadow and Cream rushed over to them all from inside the building. Cream dropped down to her knees beside her former guardian with wide eyes.

Armaris formed a sword in her hand, gritting her teeth. "Steam! On the lookout!" As she spoke, Shadow pulled out his trusty handguns, Sonic placed a hand on his sheathed sword's handle, and Cream ran an assessing eye around the area.

Steam gave a nod and flicked his gaze around. He knew _who_ the enemy was, but not _where_ the hell they were. It wound up not mattering to him for that much longer, anyway, for within a matter of mere seconds he was also pricked in the back of the neck with a needle. The enemy left it protruding from his skin as they had done before and vanished again before anyone had a chance to see them. _Fucking hell._ "Armaris! Catch her! It's gonna make us all pass out!" Very promptly, he collapsed to his knees while attempting to, through sheer willpower, stay awake.

Shadow started to scan their surroundings, attempting to locate whoever or _whatever_ was attacking them, but by the time any foreign readings of any sort came up it was too late for him to try to shoot or dodge. He was stabbed in the back of the neck as well, this time with enough force to knock down onto his knees. Swearing, he reached back and ripped the needle free, then tried to find the strength to get up out of the snow. This quickly failed and he blacked out.

Armaris, in a display of protective nature, quickly grabbed Espio, Shadow, and Steam with rapidly elongating hair, then surrounded the entire group in a dome of Darkness. "Cream, Sonic. Stay close. Do _whatever_ you have to do to slow her down."

"Is it her?" Cream questioned quietly, psychic energy visibly gathering around her body. "The woman Espio-san fought with before?" Sonic gritted his teeth and drew his sword. Armaris only nodded, suddenly whipping around and launching a tendril in Sonic's direction the moment she sensed Nyokae's entrance into the dome. Sonic began to whip around and draw his sword, but his fate was already sealed. A quick stab to the back of the neck and he went down while Nyokae simply vanished yet again. Pursing her lips together, Cream all but shoved Sonic back toward the others (though she did so very gently) with her psychic powers and then turned her attention to Armaris. Speaking in an unusually crisp tone, she demanded softly, "Let me out of this dome." The dome fell in response, the cat already having begun a plan of her own.

Cream turned away from her just as Sonic passed out and closed her eyes to concentrate. The energy around her began to burn ever brighter and brighter as it gathered force and energy. Armaris' left arm began to morph, surrounded by Darkness she inherited through her demonic ancestry. Cream focused as hard as she could for as long as she was able to before their enemy revealed herself once more. Knowing there was no time left to prepare, Cream snapped her eyes open and loosed the frenetic energies she had been gathering straight at Nyokae. A massive circle of corrupted Darkness enveloped the area where Cream's attack was heading, intent on giving their enemy _no_ room to dodge as it attempted to consume her whole.

Seeing all of this coming straight at her, Nyokae let out a small frustrated, "Tch," and reluctantly dodged _quite_ far away as quickly as possible. More than a little annoyed, She glanced down at the bundle in her palm. "Pity. I still have a needle left, too…" The attacks she had just dodged exploded very violently where she had been not an instant beforehand.

Armaris glared hatefully in Nyokae's direction, Darkness swirling around her as she tried to keep control of herself. Slow down. _Calm yourself…_ Thankfully, Nyokae had already decided that enough was enough for now. She had no interest in dying, after all. Not yet. So, taking no further chances for now, she teleported away. She had done what she had set out to do.

Sensing her departure, Cream slowly allowed the tension in her body to fade. With lips still tightly pressed together, she turned back to her friends and knelt down to check on them all. "What do you think she has done to them?" Frowning, she plucked the needle out of Sonic's neck.

Taking a moment to calm herself, Armaris landed gently on the ground from where she'd been momentarily hovering and breathed. "Not sure. But… it _can't_ be good. Likely something long term."

Cream nodded and reached over to remove the needle as well. "These objects are magical. They _must_ be. Is there any way of determining exactly what they were intended to do?"

"Give me a second to try something." Armaris' arm slowly morphed back to normal and she kneeled down, black, wispy magic slowly enveloping the group. "Alright… so… Steam seems to have had one of his powers nullified. Shadow… something cognitive was affected. Espio's Darkness is fluctuating really badly… and Sonic… one of the energies he has access to was messed with…" She growled in frustration, the magic suddenly vanishing without a trace. "Can't get anything further than that right now."

Cream gained a deep and uncharacteristic frown, one borne from worry, but was startled into dropping that expression when Jet suddenly was just _there_ next to her. He knelt down, running an assessing eye over the collapsed individuals as Alana also appeared. Sein appeared mere moments after, casting his gaze toward Armaris for a moment before he shifted his attention back to the others. "What happened?" he asked the two non-Immortal women, a touch of annoyance in his tone betraying his mood.

Eyes a bit wide now, Cream sent a beseeching look Jet's way, hoping he would somehow be able to explain. She knew it was irrational, since he hadn't even _been_ here apparently, but somehow he came through. "A woman named Nyokae was here," he said simply, standing up. Though he sensed Armaris's energies, he currently chose to focus on the bigger problem at hand. "She works directly under the leader of the Trokkelar army and she was armed with these." He held up one of the needles he had retrieved from the ground, carefully pinched between two fingers. "They were coated in a magic that is known for having random negative effects on each victim it claims."

"Jet. Do you have somewhere we can take them for now? I don't want to leave them unconscious here after this." Sein glanced to his son, trying to keep down the certainly notable anger.

"I'm taking them to Babylon," Jet answered in a clipped tone, turning back to those who were down and out for now. His voice held a certain note of irritation of its own, though he was quick to squash it. Alana made no argument to this idea. Surely New Babylon would be safe, after all.

Sein nodded gently to this and glanced to Armaris. "I wanna talk with you for a minute before we figure out what to do from here. Alright?" A short nod served as a response, and he seemed fine enough with that. As they spoke, Jet knelt back down and carefully checked the others over one by one. It didn't escape Alana's notice that he chose to check on Sonic first, and that managed to warm her heart a little despite the circumstances. Smothering a small smile, she bent down to help him out.

Armaris stepped over to Sein quietly, and they both moved a short distance from the group. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Meanwhile, Jet finished his brief examination and teleported Sonic away. He then moved on to Shadow.

"The demonic energies I can still sense on you. You didn't tell us anything about that, and it would've been nice to know a bit ahead of time," Sein responded softly, a notable frown on his face. Shadow was sent away in about the same moment, closely followed by Steam.

The black cat held her arm lightly, turning her head away. "I don't like talking about it. It's… not… something I wanted." After a prolonged moment and with a few quiet words exchanged between himself and Cream, Jet sent Espio away and stood up.

Sein gave a faint sigh at this, glancing away. "You're fine, kid. I'm not mad. I just wanted to check and make sure of my suspicions." He set a hand on her head in a gentle manner. "Just be careful. I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt if it can be avoided. Alright?"

Armaris blinked a few times and gave a wide-eyed nod, having been worried that he would have disliked her _purely_ for that side of herself. "I'll be as careful as I can."

"Good. Now, come on. Let's rejoin the others." Sein cast her a faint smile and nudged her along softly, following beside her.

Alana looked over to see them coming back and murmured to Jet and Cream, "They seem to be finished."

Jet barely nodded in response, frowning subtly to himself. _I should never have left them alone._ Gritting his teeth, he forced his tone be as normal as possible and stated, "Then I'm leaving." He teleported away without waiting for a reply.

Sein sighed softly at this, bothered by the way he could _tell_ his son was feeling. "Alana. We following him?"

"We should," Alana answered immediately. "He is a lot like you, I believe… and I would not often recommend leaving you alone when you are upset, either." She thought for just a second, then added, "Perhaps you should speak with him first. I wish to check on his friends. That magic… concerns me greatly." Cream's eyes clearly showed the fact that she agreed with that last part.

He nodded softly, glancing to Armaris. "You joining us, or do you have something else to do?"

Armaris frowned. "I'm going to report to Cere. I want her to know what just happened." Alana had no objections to this, so she stayed silent. Armaris opened a portal under her feet and fell through, said portal snapping shut in time for Sein and Alana to teleport away. Alana went to New Babylon with Cream, while Sein… Sein went after their son.

 **~保護者~**

 **3,834 words this time. Thanks again to Blazing Winds for all his help, and I hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 12:15 p.m.) 08-13-19.**


	31. Crimson Flames

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this awful ordeal… especially for the ones who are in so much danger.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Crimson Flames"**

 **~保護者~**

Flames climbed high into a crimson sky in the distance as the God of Demons gazed out into the distance. A mother demoness and her spawn clambered around the rocky hillside where he had chosen to perch, threatening to disturb his thoughts. Fighting to ignore them any longer held no appeal, so he snarled at the nearest runt and kicked it away. This sent its siblings scampering downward, ultimately having the desired effect of convincing the mother to follow suit. Satisfied, he turned his head forward again and resumed contemplating the desolate landscape.

There were many matters that required his careful consideration at this time. He rested his chin on the folded fingers of his clasped hands while his elbows braced on his knees, glowing demonic eyes fixated on some wispy trails of smoke that rose up from the ground ahead of him. Taking in a slow, deep breath, he allowed his thoughts to become more focused. _Decisions have to be made… one at a time._ The key to this was, of course, to deal with one issue at a time. So, on a whim, he picked a problem and started there.

 _The Army is becoming bold… and their leaders are too presumptuous._ To expect to be able to force his cooperation with them… for the lot of them to believe that he would _want_ to work with them toward their cause… _Ludicrous. Idiotic. Offensive._ Something had to be done. While he certainly desired the opportunity to simply slaughter each and every member of the Army, he was above all else a rational individual. It was far from a wise notion to believe that he could get away with such a direct assault. Not now, at any rate. Not when their leader was sticking so close to her forces. He was forced to deal with them in another manner, and that was exactly what he would do. An increased militant presence of his own would be enough to keep them out of his territories for now, and that was fine. He would deal with any further issues as they arose, as he had other much bigger matters to give his attention to.

One such matter was one of his newest demons. He had corrupted Astra a very short time ago, but already he had high expectations for her usefulness. In spite of this, however, he also knew that she had the potential to be unreliable. _She has almost irreparably damaged her own mind. That alone can prove troublesome._ Was it worth the risk of keeping her around solely because it might mean that greater damage was done to the enemy than would normally be possible? In the end, he decided that it was… assuming she could prove her worth in smaller assaults first. If she could survive interactions of even comparably minor scale with Jet and his friends, then perhaps he had truly not underestimated her ability. She simply had to prove that to him, for he trusted _no_ one. On that note, he decided to send her off on one such mission very, very soon.

The last of the major... _dilemmas_ he was faced with at the present moment involved two very specific individuals. _The boy… and his brother._ A frown marred his once empty expression and he closed his eyes. _Each poses a threat in their own way, yet each can also prove to be an invaluable asset._ _However, the threat that Sonic poses as he is now may outweigh any benefits he may offer._ The reason for this was, of course, incredibly simply. Sonic possessed within an innate _Light_ , and quite an extreme amount of it. This was equal and yet entirely opposite to the Darkness that the boy also possessed, Darkness which the God of Demons was itching to find a means of utilizing. However… _He will not submit quietly. Nor will his friends put him in a position where it would be easy to try and force him to._

Another deep inhalation of smokey, fire-choked air. A hot breeze filtered across the rocks. His thoughts swirled much like that small funnel of air, growing in number before eventually dying down into nothingness. Only when he achieved this calmer state and cleared his mind did a basic course of action began to form. It would be painfully simple for now: find a way to force corruption or simply send the boy back to the grave. More specifics would be worked out later, but it would take a fool to think that there were any other options available to him than that. The boy may not have been on-par with some of his friends in terms of raw power anymore, but that did not translate into him not being a threat. His Light ensured as much. Ignoring and otherwise leaving him be simply was never an option. If he could not get the boy corrupted (be it purely due to who his mother was, or because of his friends, or whatever else), then the boy was to die with the rest. There was nothing else to do.

Sonic's half-brother, however, was a different matter entirely. Unlike the boy, Shadow had been born _purely_ of Darkness. As such, the latent abilities he possessed from said Darkness were far greater than what Sonic could ever hope to achieve. And given the lack of conflicting light within the somewhat younger hedgehog, he would be _vastly_ easier to corrupt. The God had determined as much some years ago, back before the Army had reared its head again and well before there had been any indication that circumstances would spur Ythene into action… prompting her to revive whoever she saw fit through the use of the once long-dormant Master Emerald.

But, while his decision had been made long ago, he had not acted upon it or even attempted to yet. Instead, he had bided his time, waiting to see what events would transpire that might necessitate such a direct attack against his Immortal enemy and said enemy's friends. It was a risky endeavor to consider, and at the time the various wars he had been conducting had demanded too much of his attention. Perhaps he had been too curious, as well, too eager to see how much stronger Shadow would grow when left to his own devices and not knowingly threatened by any outside forces. Certainly, he had not disappointed. The few times he had been able to access his Darkness throughout the years had spurred him to train with it so hard that the Demonic God was honestly puzzled as to how Shadow's friends and allies had not noticed a change. Add to that the sharp increase in his other abilities (such as physical strength and the like) and the many constant upgrades to his ever-improving mechanical parts, and it was clear that he was beginning to become a genuine force to be reckoned with in this realm.

Now was a prime opportunity to capitalize on that.

Opening his eyes, the God scrutinized a newcomer who kneeled cautiously in front of the slab of stone he had been sitting upon. "What do you want?" he muttered.

Not daring to raise their own gaze from the ground, the bulky demon answered, "The planet we were informed of has been located. My troops are razing the cities to the ground as we speak in search of the shard."

The God's demeanor, initially tense with irritation over the interruption, shifted to one of dark delight. "Oh?" he inquired smoothly. "And what of the people?"

"Simple-minded creatures with no knowledge of what we seek," the demon reported. "Their king, it would seem, does not think them capable of handling his secrets."

"A coward's response," the God responded. After a slight pause, he added, "I assume he is unwilling to aid you in your search."

The demon, clearly afraid of repercussions, quickly but reluctantly admitted, "We were unable to make him talk, my lord. He will admit to nothing."

That was something the God had expected to be told. It was par for the course, merely business as usual with this sort of thing. "Bring him here," he ordered. "If he feels he can be brave in his domain, then I will introduce him to _mine_." _And he will soon discover that lack of cooperation will do little more than add to his suffering._

Head bowing further, the demon informed him, "I anticipated your orders and already transported him here. He awaits you in the catacombs."

This show of basic competence was enough to spare this enough to spare him from any consequences for failing to get any answers himself before now. And, besides that, he had given the God a prime opportunity to alleviate himself of some of the usual boredom he suffered. That was a more than desirable outcome. So, satisfied with what he had been told, he stood up. "Return to your troops and continue your search. Do _not_ approach me again until you have the shard."

Sensing the unspoken threat, the demon did not dare argue. "I understand," he said instead. He also stood to leave, but the God briefly stopped him.

"Word will be sent regarding the shard's location," the God told him simply. "If you find that the king was lying, I am to be informed immediately… so that I may prove to him that cooperation is in his very _best_ interest." With a quick nod, the demon disappeared.

Turning away, the God nimbly jumped down to the foot of the hill. A second leap forward he disappeared down one of many hellish openings in the ground that could be found across this world's landscape. This was but one of countless entrances into the catacombs. The fall was long and rapid, but he landed lightly and without injury. Once on the ground again, he began walking. As per usual, many of the demons that populated this underground world shrank away from him or outright fled… especially when they detected his powerful desire to maim and kill. Even the bolder individuals who often desired to seem strong in his presence wisely backed down. Now was not the time for them to risk testing their mettle against him, and they knew it.

The lack of interruptions pleased him as he passed through chamber after chamber, following maze-like corridors from one location to the next until he reached one of his very _favorite_ places. In this particular cavernous space, there was a sizeable pool of lava fed by a constant leaking stream from the ceiling. Fires burned and smoke churned and covering nearly every inch of stone and dirt… blood. Here, many a prisoner had been tortured and killed for the sole purpose of retrieving the information they hid away in their minds. It was true that any demon with half a brain and any degree of psychic ability could simply steal away what was needed but, as it was… the God distinctly _preferred_ employing his own methods. Their blood, their suffering, their agony, their screams and their pleas for mercy… it all served to fuel the wicked fires within him, and this was not a pleasure he was willing to relinquish unless forced.

As he entered the line of sight of his newest captive, the distinctly younger creature (whose hands and ankles were bound with painful tightness) paled. A shiver worked its way through this supposed "king" and his voice quavered when he spoke. "I fear no form of death, you vile beast!" he declared. Yet his eyes were wide and his pulse breaths were much too fast and his aura… there was no hiding the amount of sheer terror clouding it.

 _A coward indeed._ Walking over, the God knelt down and placed a hand on that small, child-sized head. "Little creature…" he whispered with a vicious smirk, "you have _far_ worse things to fear from me than just your _death_."

Trembling anew, the child-man demanded, "W-w-what do you _want_?"

The God's smirk never faltered as he slowly gave his answered. "Fool though you are, I believe you know as well as I that every world will one day see its end. Your world, as it happens… appears to be seeing it _now_ , thanks to you."

Immediately, there were protests. Those wide eyes managed to grow even wider. "B-but," the little king demanded, "I n-n-never d-did anything t-to you! I-I don't even know wh-who you _are_!"

Removing his hand, the God tilted his head and regarded the pitiful soul before him. "No," he agreed easily enough. "However, that has little bearing on your current circumstances. You see…" He summoned a small blade into his right hand. "I have learned something of rather large importance over the years. The greater the treasure, it would seem, the deeper it is buried." Reaching forward again, he slowly ran the tip of his blade against the skin of the smaller man's throat, leaving a trickle of blood along the way. "Likewise," he continued, "when left with such a great treasure, people will fight _hard_ to protect it… And the longer you resist me, the more savagely my demons will slaughter your planet's residents in their search. Eventually, there will be no one left for us to harm but _you_." Bringing the blade upward, the God used it to force the other man's chin up so that they were eye-to-eye. "The question has now become… how prepared you are to suffer for your secrets."

Not waiting for a reply, he swung the knife down and plunged it into his prisoner's knee. This man was terrified enough already that he would likely speak without necessitating any torture, but that would kill any potential for getting enjoyment out of this. So, determined to draw things out as long as possible, the God relished in the horrified squeal of pain that was let out… and prepared another blade.

 **~保護者~**

 **2,362 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed this darker installment to the story! Posted (at about 9:50 a.m.) 08-14-19.**


	32. Splinter

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these separate conversations… especially for the one who has surpassed the limitations of living flesh.

 **~保護者~**

 _ **REVIEW REPLIES:**_

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Haha, yeah, it has been! Hope you've been well, dude. I've been doing pretty well, myself. :) Glad you're enjoying the story!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Splinter"**

 **~保護者~**

Shortly after taking off, Jet found himself on a lonely outcropping of cold, rocky land on the remains of a dead world. Taking a seat against a sort of natural wall, he closed his eyes and let out a breath, once more internally cursing the situation and his inability to effectively remedy it. Sein landed some distance away from Jet, letting out a soft sigh at the surroundings. _Drawn to isolated areas… just like Alana_. His musings were cut short as he approached his son, sitting a few feet away. "So… you like more or less complete silence, yeah?"

Jet offered Sein a brief glance. Though he considered not answering for the sake of maintaining said silence, he decided it was probably better not to ignore the question. Upsetting the parents he had only just met was far from an ideal scenario, in his mind. "...It's preferable," he murmured.

"I get it. Helps you think as well as process information." Sein chuckled faintly to himself, draping an arm over his knee. "You know, me and Li were amazing friends way back when. Ya know, 'cause I'm old as shit and all. We'd get into all sorts of trouble together, mostly because he decided to tag along with me and I'd get something started. Always drug him into it."

A few scenarios from Jet's own memories came to mind, but he chose not to voice them for the moment. Instead, he just asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Sein cast a smile his way. "I mean, I'd rather us hold a casual conversation. I've noticed that, with good company, something simple like this can help spark thought and stuff. Thought I may try it with you." His genuine tone carried with it care and love, specifically pointed toward Jet. It was sound logic, but Jet wasn't entirely sure what to say to it. So, ultimately, he stayed quiet. "He actually gave me this really cool gauntlet back when I wasn't an old guy. Stores my claymore, as you saw, and actually let's me punch stuff really hard."

Jet wasn't even remotely amused by that lackluster explanation, and his bland expression showed it. Still, he did his best to hold his tongue and not resort to sarcasm. "Does it store your weapon with magic?" he inquired instead.

"Precisely. It also prevents unnecessary weight from being added to my arm so I'm not bogged down. It absorbs shock from impacts to prevent damage in that manner, and is virtually unbreakable."

Understanding this, Jet inclined his head. "I assume you granted Privilege for the creation of this."

He gave a nod in response. "Yep. This and the claymore. Granted it to Sothan - the previous God of the Forge - and Li helped in the process of making them." The hawk smiled brightly at nothing in particular. "Well… I used to have two of the gauntlets. Pretty sure that smug son of a bitch has it stored somewhere to mess with me."

"It is possible," Jet agreed quietly, basing his assumption off of what little he knew of the pair via stories from others such as Cere.

"Ah, I'll get it back eventually. Maybe. He probably has a few other things of mine that he just snatched from me. I think." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly with a chuckle. Jet merely shrugged in response. "Anyway… I actually have an interesting idea. How about we take turns asking questions of one another. Like, you can ask me something, I'll answer, and then I ask you one and we keep that process going." This actually succeeded in catching Jet's attention a little bit. He was a bit curious about some things, after all… "So, I'll start to try and get this going. What's your favorite type of blade?"

That was a question Jet had to give a bit of thought. "Lightweight swords," he shrugged, "in a general sense. I don't much favor any one type."

"Interesting. I tend to deviate towards heavier swords like my claymore. It's just one of those things that feels right. Works for me." Sein responded.

After a few seconds of thought, Jet asked, "...You two grew up together?" He was referring, of course, to Sein and Alana, though he was very hesitant to refer to them as "mom and dad" or something of the sort just yet.

Sein nodded softly. "Yeah. As a baby, I was orphaned in the middle of a war, and someone found me out on some battlefield alone. Brought me back to the palace, and I was raised there by Kath and Laralei. Just so happened that I was brought up with the lovely Alana," Sein glanced around as if looking for someone, then leaned a touch closer. "Don't tell her this, but I thought she was gonna bite my head off when we were kids. She was scary," he whispered, chuckling to himself.

In spite of himself, Jet found himself slightly smirking for just a second. With Kath as her father, after all, that was _perfectly_ believable. But thinking about that meant grappling with the idea that his idol was, in fact, also his family… so he steered his thoughts away from that for now. "From what I've heard, you were… a handful."

"All lies. All of it. Don't listen to any of them," Sein said immediately, as if panicked. "They're all crazy." The older hawk attempted to keep a straight face, but found himself snickering lightly. "The lot of them." Reminded very strongly of his own friends, Jet felt some amusement as well. Sein coughed, as if to clear his throat. "Anyway… uh, how old are you? I notice that you look…a bit younger than I would've expected." His eyes wandered as if unsure as to whether he'd even said that right.

The question was a little out of the blue, but Jet nevertheless didn't hesitate to answer this time. "Seventeen," he answered without thinking. Given that their kind was only considered an adult at twenty-one, this made him quite young still. Not that he had given that an ounce of thought in a very long time.

Sein blinked a few times. "Oh. Wow. I'm twenty-three. That's… wow. Interesting."

Pure blue eyes glanced at him. "What?"

"I… didn't expect it," the older hawk admitted. "It's just kinda… almost mind-blowing to me?"

"You're not explaining why."

"I don't exactly know for myself."

"That doesn't make sense."

"I know it doesn't, but that's how it is."

Having no further responses at this point, Jet fell silent. He supposed he did sort of understand where Sein was coming from, but even so… he would have preferred to hear it. Still, there was no point in voicing that small matter, so he didn't. Instead, he focused his efforts on thinking of a suitable question to ask for his turn. But thinking of a question to ask proved suddenly difficult. His earlier curiosity now proved elusive, swathed in the nervousness he had been feeling all along - and which was only worsened by the proximity. There was one little detail, one little realization that tenaciously took hold and refused to be pushed aside, however. And, without ever meaning to, he found himself voicing it. "...You're nothing like him."

A few blinks served as a momentary response while Sein took time to process this and what it could even mean. "I- what?" he asked, bewildered.

Inside, Jet sort of cursed himself. He hadn't meant to say anything at all. The problem was, he didn't know how to deflect the question without inviting harsher prodding. So, with extreme reluctance, he mumbled, "Ross."

Sein sat up a bit straighter with a notable frown slowly growing onto his face. "What about him?" _Who the hell is Ross?_

At this point, Jet began to try his usual tactic of avoidance. "Nothing."

"I don't wanna prod and hurt you somehow, but this is obviously something that's bugging you. You _can_ talk to me if you'd like."

After considerable silence, Jet slowly conceded a tiny thread of information. "Growing up… I was told… he was my father."

Sein's eyebrows lifted curiously, though concern flickered faintly through his eyes. Taking a moment to remember what he'd been told, he slowly let these emotions flow into his aura. "I guess he wasn't exactly… stellar at it."

Jet frowned to himself and admitted, "No."

"Eesh." Sein sighed softly and leaned his head back. "You grow up with your friends? Learn to be mature and all that way?"

"...Only after a certain point," Jet sighed. He ignored that last question as being irrelevant.

"I feel you on that. I eventually got to kinda set out on my own, not in the palace. Started to grow up alongside the friends I'd made. Li, Alana, Sona, and a fair number of others along the way. It was… weird. Not having anything but yourself and those people who try to stick by you."

Though that was something Jet deeply understood, he didn't have much to say on it. Instead, he deflected by standing up and tentatively offering, "Kath built a new home on New Babylon… if you wish to see it."

Sein's breath hitched for a moment. _He… what?_ "Are… you serious?"

"When Babylon exploded," Jet answered carefully, "common knowledge was that only those who escaped with Laralei survived. That was incorrect. Many more Babylonians than those with her escaped to a new world, where they reformed their society. Kath was forced to take up the mantle of ruler in Laralei's absence. Everything they - _he_ \- built remains there today."

"I…" He fell silent for a long moment, trying to control the flood of emotions welling up within him. "Yes- I mean, yeah. I'd like that." He smiled faintly, tears slowly forming in his eyes. Having no base of reference from which to make sense of this reaction, Jet simply nodded and teleported away.

 **~保護者~**

Word traveled fast.

News of the attack on Sonic and the others had reached Tails in a Babylonian marketplace through Wave. She had given him little time to collect himself or recover from the shock. He hadn't even gotten a chance to finish his shopping. The two had travelled to the palace medical ward almost immediately, wasting as little time as possible. There, they had found their fallen friends resting in some of the beds near the entrance to the ward, silently recovering from whatever had been done to them. Feeling dismayed, Tails sank into a seat beside the nearest bed (it happened to be Shadow's) and tried to put his myriad of thoughts into comprehensible words. Eventually, he settled on just asking, "Will… they be alright?"

"Yeah," Wave assured, voice soft. She lingered by the doorway, arms crossed and eyes downcast. "Jet checked them over. Their lives aren't in danger and, as you can see, they're not injured." Turning her head, she looked at Cream. The younger woman was seated between Sonic's bed and Espio's and looked quite distraught in her own quiet way. "Although… as Cream communicated to me, Armaris determined that they are each suffering a single negative effect from the attack."

"Right… Yeah, you told me." Tails sighed. Slowly, he shook his head, unable to hide his dismay. _How could this have happened?_

The trio drifted off into silence before Cream finally broke away from her own thoughts. "Where were you, Miss Wave?" she murmured in question. "I had thought that you and Mister Jet were still at the Vault with us."

Wave looked away. "We were, but… Jet sensed some trouble elsewhere after having a sparring match with his dad. It was serious enough to require his attention, and when he took off I went with him. His parents followed us as well, just in case." She frowned to herself. Her jaw was tight, teeth somewhat gritted. "You guys were within the barriers. You were _supposed_ to be safe. But, even so, we shouldn't have left you alone. I'm sorry for that."

Tails shook his head. "Don't be," he told her. "It's not your fault." There was a pause before he thoughtfully added, "And it's not their fault, either. These are dangerous times right now for _anyone_. We all know the risks. We accepted those long ago."

"That doesn't make it right," Wave answered. Silence again fell for a time, but eventually she ended it by saying, "It feels like they'll be waking up soon."

Cream, who had been monitoring their friends' minds this whole time as well, was quick to agree. "Yes, it does. They've recovered quickly." Despite the relief this revelation brought her friends, she still seemed upset.

Hearing this, Wave nodded toward Sonic and Steam. "Those two possess magic. As such, they'll naturally have a certain degree of resistance to other magics generally. Assuming of course that they don't have a specific weakness to any specific magic in particular. They'll probably be the first ones to wake up."

"Makes sense," Tails agreed. He didn't have much in the way of comments to make, for once.

Before he was able to continue, Sonic shifted. His expression scrunched up in pain and he almost instinctively began rubbing at his temples. " _Ugh_ , my head," he groaned, turning over onto his side.

He sat up and Tails quickly stood in response.. "Sonic! You're awake!" When Sonic winced, Tails lowered his voice apologetically. "Sorry. That was too loud. Sorry." Only once the wincing eased did Tails continue. "You okay?"

Though he didn't exactly _seem_ to be, Sonic said, "...Yeah. I'm not dead yet so, you know."

Wave managed a smirk. "And we're all grateful for that," she remarked. "I'll be back in a sec. I'll get some medicine for that headache." Turning, she walked out of the room.

"Do you feel any different, Mister Sonic?" Cream asked in obvious concern. "Those needles you all were attacked with were magical in nature. Armaris was worried that you may have mostly lost use of one of your powers."

That snapped Sonic to full attention. " _What_?" Hastily, he lifted his hand and called forth a small fireball into the palm. Satisfied that that power remained, he let it vanish and then sped from his bed to the other side of the room in a flash (though his headache made him instantly regret doing so). Wincing again, he muttered, "The usual stuff seems to be here…"

"What about your dad's magic?" Tails asked.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, it's fine, too. I can just sort of… feel it, I guess. That it's there, I mean."

Tails frowned. "If none of those powers were affected, do you think… that maybe it has more to do with your Chaos, maybe? Or the Light or Darkness you get from it?"

A sense of dread rose up in them, filling the air with tension. "...You… don't think that's possible, do you?" Sonic practically whispered.

"I hope not," Cream murmured, looking down. "For all our sakes."

True to her words, Wave returned not two minutes later with a small glass in hand. In it was an equally small amount of purple-ish liquid. "Here," she said, extending it out toward Sonic. "This is the medicine. It should take care of that headache pretty much immediately."

Sonic eyed the drink skeptically. "It looks like literal poison," he told her distastefully.

She huffed. "Do you _really_ think that we'd market poison as medicine?"

"...No."

"So drink it, then, smart-ass."

Sighing, Sonic took the cup and did as he was told. Much to his relief, it didn't taste like anything, good or bad. And, sure enough, his headache instantly began to ease. Finally managing a small smile, he said, "It's official, I love Babylonian medicine now."

"Good," Wave chuckled. Then, her smirk fading, she added, "Hey… when you're ready to, you might want to go see Jet and let him know you're okay. He was pretty worried."

Hearing this, Sonic sighed again, ears lowering slightly. "It was my own damn fault for getting caught… but, yeah. 'Course I'll go." Turning, he cast his gaze over Steam, Shadow, and Espio with worried eyes. "Anyway… you said Armaris guessed at what that needle did to me, Cream?"

The bunny nodded. "Yes. She examined all of you, I suppose you could say. I don't know exactly what she did."

"What did she say about them?" Sonic asked her.

Before she could answer him, Steam rolled over and groaned, muttering something under his breath as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. "The fuck…?"

"Morning, sleepy-head," Wave said with little of her usual humor in her tone.

"Ah, be quiet," he tiredly snapped back in a mildly amused tone. "Not like I was exactly asleep normally or whatever."

Cream gently cut in. "Mister Steam… do you feel alright?" She met Wave's gaze for a second before continuing. "Lady Armaris checked you all over after the initial attack and had some concerns about you potentially losing use of a power entirely."

"I… don't know. Give me a minute," he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes for a moment. "I can tell something's off, but I'm not sure what."

"Well that's problematic," Tails sighed. "We'd better figure out exactly which of your powers was affected sooner rather than later. The same goes for you, Sonic."

"No shit," Sonic grumbled, arms crossing. "We'll be in _deep_ trouble if we end up having to figure this mess out in combat or something."

"Where's the shadow kitty at?" Steam suddenly asked, glancing around as if expecting her to pop up from some random corner or behind someone. "She go off somewhere?"

"To report back to Cere, yeah," Wave answered.

He nodded slowly. "Alright, gotcha. Just wondering and making sure nothing else… happened. I-" Steam suddenly cut himself off with a groan and a hand to his face. "Fucker messed with my regeneration…"

Tails unexpectedly perked up, ears going straight. "Regeneration?" he queried. His interest was to be expected, given that he was previously the only one in the group with any notable regenerative capabilities.

"Yeah. A power I use and abuse daily. Very useful when you have an up close and personal fighting style."

"...I get it. That makes sense."

Sonic cut in before the conversation could continue. "Anyway," he said, "Cream, did Armaris examine the other two?"

Looking sad again, Cream nodded. "She did."

"And what did she say?" Sonic prompted when she didn't initially continue.

With a sigh, Cream revealed, "In the case of Shadow, she said that something neurological was affected. Miss Wave and I have detected it as well. But, for some reason, we have not been able to ascertain _specifically_ what is wrong."

"It… probably affected something that he relies on, to a degree. If the effect on me is any indication, at least," Steam proposed, shrugging softly.

"That's what we've been worried about," Wave responded. "It seemed too unlikely that the effect would be minor, all things considered."

The green hedgehog frowned faintly. "It's neurological, which means it was aimed at his implants or… perhaps some natural function?"

Tails suddenly buried his face in his hands and groaned. "If his implants were messed with… _especially_ if any of the special chips in his brain were… there might not be any fixing of the damage, ever. I've barely been able to repair them from very _minor_ damage in the past. Those implants and chips are physically in his brain, and I'm not a neurosurgeon. I can't do the kind of surgery that would be required."

"May have to wait to see, in that case. Can't really… figure out much about it if he isn't awake and all."

Sonic was frowning deeply now. "And what about Espio, Cream?"

That sad look deepened. "The effect was readily detectable in him," she murmured. "His Darkness began to fluctuate _wildly_ within moments of you all passing out. It seems to have settled for now, and there have been no flare-ups yet since then, but we're deeply concerned that it will resume doing so any time now."

"I'll do what I can to balance it out if that occurs, though I can't promise it'll be something that lasts long. Espio's speed is something I can't match, and with… part of my battle tactic gone, I'm gonna struggle more," Steam explained, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"This is going to be a problem for all of us," Wave sighed. " _No_ _one_ here can do much about it, overall."

As she spoke, Shadow finally opened his eyes and (as was usual for him) immediately sat up on full alert for danger. He wasn't used to sleeping or resting in general, after all, and it wasn't as though his last memories had been all peace and happiness. Sonic was by his side in a flash. "Easy, there," he said. "It's over. She's gone." Frowning at the sudden proximity, Shadow waved Sonic out of his personal space. The movement was a little shaky and uncertain, but Sonic brushed it off as a result of having just woken up with a bit of a rush of adrenaline and all that.

Steam raised an eyebrow at this, however, stepping a bit closer. "Can you stand up?" he asked Shadow, frowning in concern at the unusual movement from the black hedgehog.

In response, Shadow tossed him a small glare that almost seemed to say, _"Why the hell wouldn't I be able to?"_ He moved out from under the covers and went to stand. For some reason, he was unexpectedly unsteady for the first few seconds as he did this and braced himself with a hand on one of the small tables. Once he felt more steady, he let go. He and Sonic were both frowning the entire time while Tails and the others watched on in obvious concern.

"Motor skills, or something of the sort," Steam affirmed, sighing. _Fucking grand._

More than a little alarmed, Tails got to his feet and walked over to Shadow. "Here, let me do a scan to see if it's because of one of the implants or chips." Shadow silently relented, letting Tails do as he'd asked via his communicator. After a few seconds, he sighed heavily. "I… hate to be the bearer of bad news…"

"It's a chip," Shadow muttered, finally speaking up. He had done his own scan just now and assessed for himself what was damaged.

Tails nodded. "Yeah. And like I was saying earlier, I can't really… fix this. If we were to get someone who could safely do a surgery to get to the chip, then maybe…" He trailed off and shook his head.

"I… can't think of anyone capable enough besides maybe Amy or Analia," Steam answered honestly, sighing softly to himself. "I can go on a search or something, however…" His gaze flicked from Tails to Shadow. "I assume you especially would want it to be someone you guys _know_."

"Almost certainly," Wave agreed. "There are plenty of people capable both here and, to an extent, on Mobius, but this isn't about that. It's a matter of trust, you know?" _That is to say, it's a matter of finding someone Shadow will trust... which may be impossible._ Steam bit his lip as he thought, eyes growing a bit distant as he tried to remember anyone who _might_ be able to perform such a procedure.

True to form, Sonic interrupted. "Hey, sorry to cut in, but where the hell did he go?" he asked, pointing at Espio's now empty bed.

"He's out on the balcony," Cream answered nonchalantly. Some of her previous upset seemed to have eased all of a sudden.

Wave looked down. "We're going to have to keep an eye on him."

Her comment made Sonic frown, but he didn't disagree. "You're probably right, but… I wanna be upfront with him about it. I don't want to pretend to trust the guy while secretly watching every move he makes or whatever."

"Are _you_ wanting to do that?" Steam asked, raising an eyebrow lightly as he slowly shifted out of his thoughts.

"Actually, it might be better if she does it," Tails cut in, looking straight at Cream. "The two of them are closer than he lets on. He's more likely to listen to her. Right, Cream?"

She shrugged a little. "Perhaps."

"He will," Shadow asserted simply. He said nothing else on the matter.

Steam's gaze flicked to the left as a portal opened up, Armaris stepping through it and onto the floor near the group. "Sorry I'm late. Informed Cere of the situation so that the gods and goddesses are kept up to date on what's happening."

"That's good," Wave murmured. Sonic just nodded.

"What happened while I was gone? Seems like everyone's up at least." The cat glanced about the room, noting Espio's presence was missing. "Where's Espio?"

Tails was quick to fill her in on everything, finishing off by telling her, "And Cream says he's out on the balcony. He disappeared out there pretty much the second he woke up, I guess." He thought for a second, "Actually, come to think of it… You two know each other pretty well, right?"

Armaris gave a gentle nod. "Yeah. We met as kids and got… fairly close, I'd say. What's up?"

"I believe he is thinking that you might be able to help me talk to him," Cream said quietly.

"As to… the current situation, or…?"

"About the fact that we will need to monitor him. He will not likely take well to the idea."

She nodded slowly. "Ah… yeah. No, probably not. Though, I think he'll at least _understand_. I hope."

"The only way to find out is to talk to him," Sonic shrugged. As he spoke, Wave inexplicably vanished with a small golden flash of magic. "But, I mean, if you guys don't want to do it, you don't have to. I can."

"I'll do it. Hopefully I can relay it in a way that doesn't make this worse." She motioned for Cream to lead the way, straightening her posture. Taking the hint, Cream followed her out.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,508 words this time. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed and, as always, many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help. Posted (at about 1:20 p.m.) 09-05-19.**


	33. Choosing Sides

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this inquiry… especially for the quiet one.

 **~保護者~**

 _ **REVIEW REPLIES:**_

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Oh, no, don't fall into the trap of believing that! Things are definitely kicking up, just you wait and see. ;) There are definitely things getting ready to go down...**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Choosing Sides"**

 **~保護者~**

"You look like you're thinking, Sonic."

In the quiet that followed the earlier conversations, this fact had become readily apparent to any and all who bothered to look. Sonic sighed, arms crossed, and said, "You better not emulate Jet here and make some snide comment about that being a bad thing."

Though Tails smiled and was visibly tempted, he held back. "I won't, I won't," he assured. At about the same moment, Sonic noticed that Steam had pulled one of his weird disappearing acts and was nowhere to be found. "I was serious, though. What's on your mind?"

Sonic took a moment to gather his thoughts while he sat down on the edge of one of the many unused beds. When he felt ready, he answered his old friend. "It's just… it feels like we're disorganized yet again. You know, like it always was whenever I had to try to be in charge. I was never that great at… erm, _leading_. Guess that for the most part, none of us exactly are. Even Jet has his issues trying to be in charge of people."

"That's true," Tails acknowledged, gaze lowering. "But I have to disagree with you a bit. Things have been a _big_ mess lately, that much is obvious. To say that everything is disorganized, however… that isn't exactly right."

"I think I see where Mister Sonic is coming from," Cream, who was seated in her earlier place, unexpectedly added. "It seems that most everyone has their own agendas while also ultimately retaining the same end-goal. We all wish to see to it that these great evils are defeated, but along the way people have different matters they wish to attend to."

"Yeah, exactly," Sonic agreed with a small nod aimed at her. "I mean, Steam's here to help our timeline not fall to shit, but who knows just what exactly that entails. Shadow here," he jerked a thumb at the other hedgehog, "has an entire planet to worry about running and such. Cream and I have to train a ton before we can even be as useful as we need to be. Espio's in a mess of his own with that woman and her allies while also being dragged around by us to help with the larger issues at hand. Armaris is exclusively loyal to some goddess I've never really heard of before recently and there's no telling how or when she'll even be specifically willing or able to help us out much at any given moment because of that. And Wave and Jet… who the hell even knows what they're up to half the time."

Shadow, who was sitting on his bed again, decided to offer his input at this time. "He isn't wrong," he muttered, aiming his words at Tails via a quick shared glance. "Jet and Wave have done what they can to manage things from afar, but their guidance can only be offered so often when they have such massive threats demanding their undivided attention so much of the time."

Seeing the point, Tails inclined his head and ran his hands over his face, lifting his glasses up in the process. "...Yeah. I get it." Gears began turning in his mind as he fixed his glasses and shifted in his seat. "Right. So, what do we do? I suppose we should work that out now, while we can."

"There is little to do," Shadow stated simply. "Wars are messy, complicated affairs at the best of times. Knowing that changes little. However, being aware of the specific flaws Sonic pointed out may help us better prepare for enemy exploitation of them."

"It may be possible that our enemies might want to make use of those flaws by creating a conflict of interests," Cream said quietly. "For example, what if we are off… say, defending this world from a violent attack when Mobius suddenly becomes threatened as well? It would force a divide in both our group and the Babylonian military as both parties would then be forced to send help to Mobius. That would strain us all and, ultimately, weaken our ability to fight on both fronts."

"Shit, she's right," Sonic replied, eyes widening. "What the hell would we do if something like that _did_ happen?"

"God, I don't even know," Tails mumbled. "But, I mean… Surely Wave, Jet, and the Queen have plans in place for that sort of thing. There's no _way_ they wouldn't."

"The question is not whether or not those plans _exist_ ," Shadow told him, "but whether or not they will be _enough_."

"If something like that happened," Tails suddenly said, "we'll have to be ready, too. That means we'll have to decide who would go and who would stay. Shadow-"

The dark hedgehog crossed his arms tensely. "You already know what my answer will be."

"I was just looking to confirm," Tails assured. His gaze shifted to Sonic. "What about you?"

Blue ears lowered, Sonic felt a wave of dismay spread through his body. "Fuck, do not _ask_ me to make that kind of choice. _Both_ of these worlds are home to me. I can't just _pick_ one."

Tails inclined his head. "I understand that. Believe me, I do. This isn't a choice I want to force you to make, but… it _does_ need to be made."

Perhaps sensing that Sonic needed a moment to think, Cream spoke. "Espio-san will most certainly defend Mobius to his dying breath," she murmured, "just like Mister Shadow. If it comes to that point… I will want to be there, too."

Sonic, eyes closing tightly, swore again just as forcefully and yet more quietly than before. Then, voice breaking a little, he all-but whispered, "I… I'll go. I'll just… have to." _Babylon may be home to some of the most important people in my life, and it may be home to me as well in many ways, but… Mobius is truly home, no matter how messed up and painful that home often is. I can't just leave it to die… I could never do that. Not after all the wonderful memories we made there and how goddamn hard we always fought to keep that world safe…_

"And of course I would want to fight for our home, too," Tails sighed. "Out of the people in our group, that would leave just Jet, his parents, and Wave here to fight for Babylon while the rest of us left. ...Depending on where Armaris and Steam would choose to go, if they were to even get involved, of course."

"That means most of us would be leaving here," Sonic murmured. "That… wouldn't necessarily be good."

"On the flip-side, though, it wouldn't _automatically_ be bad," Tails said slowly. "After all, there'd be three Immortals on Babylon. Plus the Babylonians have a vastly larger and more powerful military. That gives them an immediate advantage over Mobius in terms of defense."

"Then it also stands to reason that from the beginning they will be hit harder than Mobius," Shadow told them. "In theory, their forces would be able to hold out against such an assault, but there is no way to be certain without knowing _precisely_ what said assault would be."

"Which we would not," Cream pointed out very softly. "Not unless we were very, very lucky."

Sonic started to bite into his lower lip with one of his fangs, but stopped the second he noticed what he was doing. "So, in other words… Both worlds could potentially be screwed no matter what we do."

Not usually one to sugarcoat matters as serious as this, Tails responded frankly. "It depends on a lot of factors, such as who attacks us and when, where we all are when the attack begins, and so on, but… yeah. Basically, you're correct. And all the planning we might ever do will probably wind up being pointless purely _because_ we have no way of knowing these things."

This was utterly _awful_ to hear. It wasn't as though this was some small "nothing" problem that they were worrying about, after all. This was a very real and very _dire_ scenario that could easily happen _at any moment_. And, unfortunately… this probably wasn't even a problem that three Immortals together could fix. Not so far as Sonic knew, anyway. Still, worrying themselves sick right now wasn't going to help anything in the long-run. He knew that much from years and years of experience. Taking a breath, he tried to steady himself. "...If nothing else, we should monitor both worlds as _much_ as possible."

"Of course," Tails readily agreed. He looked over at Shadow. "On that note, between the two of us, do you think we can accomplish full-time surveillance of Mobius?"

Shadow offered a one-shouldered shrug. "In theory."

Bemused, Sonic and Cream traded a look. Cream, trying to be tactful, started to ask, "How would you do this? I had thought his…" She trailed off, uncertain how to proceed politely when that crimson gaze shifted unhappily to her.

"You're not wrong," Tails told her, standing as he spoke. He picked up his scanner off of the small bedside table he had left it on after his earlier scan of Shadow. Without asking permission this time, he initiated another scan and began typing rapidly on his screen. "Your software's still a hot mess after all those stupid experiments Gerald and Ivo both ran on you, but I think we've fixed enough at this point that you should be able to pretty easily synch with all the systems you have on Mobius. Have you tried doing that before?"

"Yes."

"And it's worked?"

"Yes."

"Good. We should be able to get you connected even from here, if all goes well. Linking you in." Shadow blinked several times, trying to adjust his vision as fuzzy lines and strange colors briefly overtook it. He heard some distinct crackling and pops before Tails's voice faded back into focus. "Sorry, that probably wasn't the smoothest of transitions. It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"No," Shadow answered simply, not bothering to mention his continuing discomfort. With his vision clearing, he gradually shifted it from this setting to the computer he was now mentally linked to. Dipping into one of the programs he'd installed on it years ago, he remotely accessed and turned on many various cameras and other far more complicated security systems that this computer was in charge of all over the planet - and outside of it. As his awareness broadened, he said, "The immediate territory around Mobius is clear. Things are quiet for now."

Sonic stood and walked over, eyes a bit wide. "That's amazing. How'd you do that?"

For the first time in a while, Tails was able to smile a little. "His implants. It sounds awful to say, but in some ways he's more machine than organic. It… has its advantages. For one thing, he can use his mind to access, control, and otherwise use all sorts of things. Computers, high-tech weapons, security systems, robots… you name it. He can even do it on other things, like electronically locked doors, or an electric scooter, or an escalator, or… heck, maybe even a giant mech if he ever feels like giving _that_ a shot."

Eyes roving over his brother's face, Sonic gave himself a second to process this. Shadow's mind very much seemed to be elsewhere (it probably literally was, at the moment), so he opted not to bother him for now. Instead, the slightly older hedgehog chose to pursue a new line of questioning. "So… this is new. Mind telling me what _else_ is?"

"In relation to abilities, I take it?" Tails inquired.

"And powers," Sonic thought to add. "What all can you guys do now that's different from what Cream and I used to know?"

"Well, with the exception of Jet and Wave… we don't have as much to report as you might expect."

Sonic looked over at him in surprise. "Really?"

Tails slowed his typing, then ceased it altogether and set his scanner aside. Things were apparently looking good, or at least okay, judging by how calm he remained. "Yeah, believe it or not. For one thing, most of us haven't had any real _need_ for trying to further develop our powers. Take me, for instance. I've lived a really quiet life, you know? No real need to further my offensive abilities. Then there's Espio, who's definitely picked up a thing or two over the years but mostly just perfected what he already had. But then you look at people like Wave, who's gotten a bunch of new abilities compared to us." He tilted his head, thought that over, then continued, "Well, maybe not quite as many as me saying 'a bunch' would imply."

"We were discussing Mister Shadow already," Cream said slowly, glancing at the hedgehog in question. "What all has changed in regards to his abilities?"

"He's definitely improved his Darkfire and other Darkness-related abilities the few times he's been able to access them," Tails reported, "and as you both know, he's now a highly skilled field medic. But, mostly, his it's his abilities through his implants and such that have changed. For example, as we just demonstrated, he can link with things in a way he just couldn't before. Plus his optical scanners are fully operational now, though they still aren't fully synced with his thoughts and he can't always instantly scan things when he wants to. But eventually the scanners should read his intentions and respond appropriately." He paused, then shrugged at them. "It's mostly just things like that."

Steam appeared in the room once more all of a sudden, glancing around to see what was happening. "What's happening?"

"We're discussing powers and abilities," Tails helpfully explained, not missing a beat. "On that note, have anything to share? We're, ah, attempting to be able to coordinate a bit more than we have been lately."

A few blinks came from the hedgehog, a touch unsure as to what should be shared before he began speaking. "I'll list it out for simplicity. Fire, some kind of magic, teleportation, speed, strength, and regeneration. I have access to Light and Darkness due to being the Neutral Balancer." He stopped for a moment before suddenly adding, "Oh, and I have Aura."

For once, it was Sonic who had already caught on to this little detail. "I'd wondered about that," he admitted. "I mean, you're _green_. Tokarians just aren't. But, you know, sometimes Babylonians are."

"Yeah… My grandfather was a Babylonian."

Sonic just nodded, so Tails pressed on. "How about you, Sonic?" he asked with a sly grin and a wink. "Get anything new while you were gone?"

Emerald eyes rolled. "' _Gone_ '. Right. Sure. And no, thanks for asking." Cream giggled softly.

"I'll go ahead and vouch for Armaris' abilities, at least as far as I can assure is there based on my timeline," Steam cut in easily, crossing his arms. "She's a being of Darkness, _very_ skilled with it. She likely has wind, fear, teleportation, hair manipulation, clothing manipulation, Darkness-based magic, a separate magic that she inherited from her father, enhanced speed and strength, and some other more passive ones that will be more relevant another time," he explained vaguely.

Cream spoke up faster than Tails, posing the very same question he had intended to. "What is 'fear'?" she asked. "I have never heard of such a power."

He took a moment to think before giving an answer. "It's a power that allows the user to cause others to see fear-inducing illusions or images of their greatest fears and/or worst memories. It's effectiveness is a little… unpredictable."

Tails caught on to the implications. "Because, I imagine, it won't always actually cause _fear_ in some people, correct? Some would be more inclined to feel anger or aggression."

"Yeah." Steam coughed, as if asking Tails to cut it out with the minor comments before continuing. "Or, if they're legitimately incapable of feeling fear."

Sonic switched gears a little. "What about Wave? I know she has that magic, but what else?"

"That's kind of it, really," Tails shrugged. "But it gives her more than that implies. With that magic alone, she can open and close portals, animate inanimate objects, cast specific spells native to the Lost Hex Realm, clone herself, paralyze enemies, and much more."

"Impressive," Sonic found himself saying.

"Very," Cream was quick to agree. "No wonder she is so strong." She tilted her head inquisitively. "What about you?"

"Oh, there's not much to report on my end," Tails smiled. "Through mutations, I've definitely gotten some new stuff, but it's mostly limited to minor abilities. For example, technopathy. It's part of why and how I can build things so quickly and easily most of the time. Though, I'm very much still learning how to use that one."

"Mostly?" she echoed.

"Well… I did pick up a couple other weird ones. Like, I found out that if I'm careful, I can actually mix my powers now and then. For example, radiation and electricity." He paused, smiled sheepishly, then added, "Erm… that was discovered _purely_ by accident. And, before you ask, yes. It was catastrophic."

"What else is there?" Sonic prompted, curious.

"Apparently, I can transport myself through wires, so long as there's electricity running through them," Tails added thoughtfully. "No idea why, or even how to do it deliberately. I just know I can, and I got myself stuck the last time it happened. Not really sure how I managed to get myself out of that mess. Then there's the microscopic vision thing I've explained before, hence the glasses. Plus I've managed to emit massive vibrations and shockwaves before… also on accident. Erm, via the radiation. Which was bad."

"Seems like the only real downside to these mutations," Sonic mused, "and your radiation as a whole is that you can't really control how you mutate or when and shit, huh?"

"Right," Tails nodded. "I've been trying to work on adapting to and utilizing the powers that've popped up, though, so I guess there's that."

"What about Jet, then?" Sonic asked, steering the conversation away from Tails finally.

"Oh, trust me, we do _not_ have time to delve into that," Tails hastily replied. "We'd never finish talking about it."

Somehow… somehow, that wasn't actually surprising. At all. "Oh. Okay." Sonic thought for a second before finally saying, "Well, what about Espio? I think he's the only one left we haven't discussed."

"Like I said," Tails said, "he's mostly spent his time further perfecting what he could already do. From what I know, at least. We haven't exactly seen him much throughout the years, you know? But he's picked up a few things here and there, though I don't know how."

"Such as what?" Cream asked.

"Phasing, for one thing," Tails told them. "Plus he can create and manipulate threads made out of this odd purple or reddish (not sure which it is) energy, usually for the purpose of further manipulating his weapons during combat. Oh, and… um, I've seen him use something a bit freakier in nature, but…" He hesitated, trailed off, then rallied with, "But we'll get into that another time if it ever becomes relevant. There are a few more relevant things, anyway. For one thing, I don't know if you guys ever knew, but he's an empath. That means he can sense other people's emotions and understand them even on a subconscious level. Going along with that, he's developed an uncanny ability to detect lies without even trying most of the time."

"That sounds about right," Sonic said slowly. "I did used to notice in the past that he kinda guessed at people's feelings pretty easily…"

"Mm-hm." Tails stopped for a second, then exclaimed suddenly, "Oh! And there is one more thing. Remember his camouflaging? ...Right, of course you do. Anyway, it turns out that that ability kinda evolved over the years."

"Evolved?" Sonic echoed, perplexed. "How?"

"Getting to that. See, there's this thing called 'polymorphing'. This is the ability to transform and reshape one's body at will, sometimes partially but usually completely. The user can potentially reshape themselves down to the molecular level, even. Sometimes they can impersonate others, enhance their body for combat, and so on, all depending on their specific polymorphic capabilities. Users with particularly flexible abilities can manipulate their form at will, mix and match abilities and traits, form limbs into weapons, and more."

When neither Cream nor Sonic offered any commentary, Tails merely continued. "This differs from normal shapeshifting," he explained, "in how detailed and specific the abilities are, how many abilities one person with this power can have and access, and so on. As I said, it seems these developed in Espio as a sort of off-shoot of his camouflage-related powers, including but not limited to basic camouflage itself and invisibility. Some of his polymorphic abilities, however… kinda took a more dramatic turn than others when they evolved and, as a result, can't _exactly_ be used for camouflage in the traditional sense. They're still great for disguise, though!"

Utterly bemused, Sonic prodded, "...Care to elaborate?"

"Tell you what," Tails said. "I'll give a few specific examples. He let me do a scan on him once, so I know what specific transformations he's unlocked (so to speak) and, thus, has used at least once before. But, I can't list everything since it might take too long."

"Okay," Sonic agreed.

Free to speak again, Tails resumed doing just that. "One ability I've noted him using before is what's known as 'adaptive appearance'. Essentially, these are non-permanent transformations based on adaptions the user has. In his case, he has special adaptions to (and thus resistance against) _extremely_ harsh and cold weather, and to natural energies such as Life Magic, both because of where he grew up. So, he's able to polymorph based on those things. Like, for example, if you had this ability, Sonic, you'd be able to turn yourself into fire because you're resistant to it. Cream would be the same way with psychic energy."

"Wow," Cream murmured, eyes a bit wide.

Tails nodded. "Yeah. He's also got access to a much more morbid one that's quite appropriately referred to as the 'Post-Mortem Form'. This actually encompasses a variety of forms. Essentially, the user of this particular polymorphic ability can transform into anyone or anything they have ever killed, in the process gaining access to all of their unique knowledge, powers, and memories as well. Of course, they also take on the voice and such as well. Only downside is that, aside from retaining the ability to shift back, the user seems to lose access to their own powers while essentially inhabiting another's body."

Sonic swallowed hard. _Morbid is right… that's fucking creepy._ Sure, it probably had its uses here and there, but even so…

"The last one I'll mention right now is probably the one you'll see him use most frequently," Tails continued. "But it's not really _one_ polymorph. It's sort of a collection of them, really. Basically, he can polymorph into all sorts of natural things in order to hide himself. For example, if in water for whatever reason, he could make _himself_ water as well so as to remain undetected. If in the sky, he could turn into pure air. That sort of thing. But, mind you, I don't know what specific polymorphs of this kind he _can_ or necessarily _will_ use. This is just the type of polymorph he _would_ use."

"How did Espio-san even gain such abilities?" Cream queried.

"I think it was kind of inevitable, really," Tails answered her. "See, camouflaging itself is a subcategory of polymorphism, as are the regeneration ability that lizards tend to be gifted with and the special sort of healing factor he's always seemed to have. More on that another time, by the way, if it ever comes up again. Anyway, point being, he's already had abilities that fall under the broad category of 'polymorphism', and he has for a long time. Clearly his abilities have, from the beginning, been inclined to develop in that area further."

"That… makes sense. I think." Sonic crossed his arms. _Sort of, anyway._ The three of them fell silent for a long moment, but he was quick to cut into it. "You have anything to add, Cream? You've been real quiet throughout most of this."

She smiled at him. "No, I am alright. I prefer to listen, honestly. That alone tends to answer my questions."

"Alright." Sonic was about to say something else, but stopped short when Wave suddenly walked back into the room.

"Hey, you lot. Jet's back." She jerked her head to motion them all out of the room. "Come on. We're going to meet with the queen."

 **~保護者~**

 **4,289 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed and, as always, many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 10:55 a.m.) 09-06-19.**


	34. Tragedies

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this calm before the storm… especially for the ones who missed so much.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yep, we finally get to meet her! And she's not quite what Sonic was expecting, I bet. XD Also, yeah... poor Sonic. Lol.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Tragedies"**

 **~保護者~**

Following Wave's lead, Sonic, Steam, Tails, and Cream hurried down familiar hallways toward what had once been Jet's office. Now it was the office of a new queen, one that Sonic knew nothing about. All he could reasonably infer (aside from the fact that she was descended from Jet's daughter, Hannah) was that she would likely be powerful. He knew nothing else. In a way, that made him a touch more nervous than it probably should have.

Rounding a corner, the group came upon Alana and Sein just as they appeared in the corridor. At this time, Jet had only just appeared on the planet with Sein… and yet, in a way, he had been here for quite some time. He was already in the office, in fact. Wave noted this and said to the recently-revived couple, "Jet's in there." She pointed at the door in question. "We're about to meet with the queen real quick, if you'd like to join us."

Alana left off looking around long enough to shift her gaze to the door and nod. "Alright."

Wave walked up to the door and, without knocking, opened it up to let them all in. Right as she did, the queen (who couldn't initially be seen from the doorway) said, "Surely that will not be the case. Our defenses have held for centuries. They are unlikely to fall now."

Jet responded sternly at right about the same time that the door opened. "An instant is time enough for tragedy," he reminded her. "The question has never been if the defenses will hold. They will _not_ withstand an assault of that nature. Tragedy _will_ come, whether or not you decide to prepare for it. The real question, miss, is whether or not you feel you are ready to _deal_ with that. Once I am gone, it will be up to you to be strong for our people. You and you alone. And they will need you to be active, _not_ remain idle as you have been."

 _Gone?_ That word echoed in Sonic's mind sharper than it should have. The word could be innocent enough. Perhaps Jet just meant when he was no longer on the planet. But something about the way he said it… It unnerved Sonic deeply.

"So, hold on. Can you guys give some background information as to what this is all about?" Sein asked, crossing his arms as he walked in beside Alana.

By this time, the group had fully entered the room. Sonic managed to lay eyes on the apparently _very_ young queen as soon as they did so, and said eyes widened. _She's… practically a kid._ In Babylonian years, she wasn't that much younger than Jet. She couldn't have been older than fifteen, in fact. And yet, her aura _exuded_ power and intelligence… both readily hampered by the usual stubbornness and irritability of teenagers. Her crossed arms and deep frown further completed the look.

Wave walked over to Jet and murmured, "What's going on?"

The queen answered. "Business as usual," she huffed, "in a manner of speaking. The planet is at stake as always and he doesn't think we're prepared for it."

Sein sighed softly. "I don't think he'd say that without some sort of backing to it. It sounds unreasonable to try and not plan ahead of time for a potential attack, and risky."

Visibly trying to stifle his own temper, Jet rubbed at his temples. As proof that he wasn't entirely succeeding, he unintentionally began speaking _much_ more like he used to in the distant past when he'd been more open with people. It almost made Sonic wonder just how long Jet had been arguing with her, for him to be losing his cool _this_ completely. "Look," he said tersely, "the God of Demons is an evil so vast that he openly _despises_ other forces of evil. That isn't the sort of shit you want to mess mess with. And besides that, he gets stronger when he's pissed. Always has. And you lot have done a _fantastic_ job of inciting his wrath. So unless you want to suffer and _die_ , I suggest you stop wasting time and actually _listen_ for once. You aren't ready, but _he_ is."

"Our defenses have held against him time and again," the queen retorted sharply. "What makes this time _any_ different from the rest?"

Steam groaned and rolled his eyes. "I've been face-to-face with him recently enough, and it seems like there were some of _your_ people in his territory. He's not the type to just bring people into his territory all that often, so chances are they _pissed_ him off by going there, were _slaughtered_ , and got him more pissed off. It's not unlikely that he'd show up and really try to cause hell on your planet. If your defenses held, then that means he wasn't _seriously_ trying to kill you. But now he _might_ be."

Tails suddenly piped up, eyes wide. "Why were there Babylonians _there_?" he asked, dismayed.

"He's been after these stupid shards," the queen muttered. Now she seemed defensive… but also regretful. "Some of my patrols started vanishing in a specific region of space, so I sent out further troops to investigate. They reported back that they had found one of those shards near the wreckage of one of our ships. They believed they could bring it back, and I allowed them to try. There were no threats present at the time, but they found some sort of portal and went through it. Never heard from them again."

Muscles tensed on the green hedgehog's body in a minor show of agitation. "The God of Demons wouldn't go after some 'stupid shards' if they weren't important for something. What you did was get in his _way_ , and now he's _definitely_ pissed off about it."

"Those aren't ordinary shards," Tails helpfully explained, though the worry never left his tone. "They're pieces of some kind of a portal, we think, and he needs _every_ scattered piece in order to repair it. He's _obliterated_ worlds even larger than this one in his quest. Granted, few were ever defended like this one is, but…" He trailed off, closed his eyes, then asked quietly, "How long has it been since his last attack here?"

The queen frowned a touch deeper. "A couple centuries. Perhaps less."

"I still find it _completely_ unreasonable to not fortify defenses and try to plan for an upcoming attack," Sein said, sighing. "You're not against a normal foe."

"I admit that this entire problem is partially our fault," Wave murmured, sharing a glance with Jet. "Because you were so young when you were thrust into this mess, we've tried to shield you from it. That's something we can no longer do. We can't promise anymore that we'll be able to keep the fight away from here and that everyone will be safe. It's just not feasible at this stage. There's _far_ too much going on these days. But you have to understand that this… this is bigger now than it _ever_ was. Without defense, our people are _doomed_. We need your help to try to _prevent_ that, Saraya."

Taking no time to think this over much, Saraya shot back with, "I don't think you understand my position here. There's nothing left to _use_ , nothing left that we can fortify our defenses _with_."

That didn't sound right. None of that sounded right. Alana felt concern bloom within her. "Surely Father would have left you all with _something_ …"

Saraya cast her a puzzled glance but just said, "We have nothing. We haven't since about a century after the last time you," she glanced at Jet, "last visited. It simply hasn't mattered until now. What we've been left with has been enough."

Jet felt his temper flare again, but this time it took the form of cold calmness. "Pull the schematics for the barriers. Now."

Knowing that _that_ tone meant she could be in serious trouble here, Saraya did as she was told. She pulled up a spherical hologram and tossed it to him. He immediately expanded them and began looking it over, something Alana quickly joined him in doing. "There are many weaknesses," she murmured. "And there are openings as well. Here, here, and here. Why have these not been repaired?"

"The knowledge of how mostly died with Kath," Wave was the first to say. "Jet and I can do it too, though, provided we're _informed_."

The jab made Saraya scowl. "Like I _said_ , it hasn't been relevant until now."

"Relevance is subjective," Steam huffed. "It still should have been handled _long_ before this, especially if the last attack really was _centuries_ ago."

Jet further expanded the hologram. There were glaring errors in what little bits of repair work that had been done here and there, but most areas hadn't been touched at all. Eventually, he spoke again. "We could have dispersed eons ago," he murmured changing the subject abruptly, "back when the Night first came to claim us. We did not. We let ourselves become cornered. Though we won that war, we have remained in that same corner throughout the years. We still remain in it to this day. There is no escaping it, not now. Our best offense is to provide our best _defense_. If we cannot, we will die. There is no alternative." _Something needs to be done._

Turning to face his old friend, Sonic asked, "Jet?"

The hawk shook his head, closing the hologram as he did so. "It is the nature of _all_ of us to survive, whether we like it or not. These were _our_ worlds, our solar systems. We were all here first. We were here when the Night came and we will be here to herald the _dawn_ , if we can defend ourselves adequately when the time comes."

Sein straightened noticeably. "And defend we will. I'll be _damned_ if any of us would let our homes be attacked and not go down fighting. I, for one, refuse to let this god take down a _second_ place that I can call home after I already lost my first. And none of you strike me as the type to just give up when shit gets hard," he said boldly, his gaze flicking across to everyone in the room. "Regardless of abilities in battle or what you think of yourself."

Looks were traded, and no one said a single word to deny what he had said. Instead, Cream slowly asked, "So what should we do, then?"

"Repair the barriers, first and foremost," Wave stated without hesitation. "And we need to establish stronger barriers on Mobius as well. The ones you guys set up before work fine for defending against basic fodder-level demons, but they won't stand a chance against anything stronger."

"We should also make sure we get everyone's weapons together," Tails added. "...Plus I'll need a chance to work with Shadow to make sure he can help us in _some_ way."

Sonic ground his teeth together. "How much of a time crunch are we looking at here?"

"There's no telling," Wave shrugged. "Jet's off monitoring the situation right now. He'll let us know when time begins to really run out."

Now Sonic was _really_ confused. Because Jet was standing in the room with them, talking quietly with Saraya again. "He… I- What?" Tails and Cream traded bewildered looks.

Something seemed to click in Wave's mind right then. "Oh, right… You guys don't know. Sorry." Before he could even ask, she proceeded to explain, "Immortals, once they reach a certain 'level' (so to speak), can clone themselves at will. Though it's not as easy as it sounds. They're basically existing in more than one place simultaneously, sharing thoughts, memories, and so on. So, he's here, but he's also not." She paused, then thought to add, "The clone is the one that's _not_ here right now, if that makes you feel any better."

Sonic took a breath. "So we know what needs to be done in general, but what do _we_ do? As in, the rest of us. Not you and Jet."

"Well, aside from Tails's little project and the usual training, there isn't much for you lot _to_ do," Wave answered. "Not yet, anyway. There will be soon - very soon, in fact - but not now. We can mostly manage at the moment. But when the time comes you _will_ be informed. I promise you all that. However, I don't want you to worry yourselves sick. This _will_ be serious, I can't deny that. But this isn't going to be 'the big one' or anything like that. The God of Demons has way too much else on his plate right now to bother _that_ much with us." She looked between the lot of them, then said, "And like I was saying, Jet and I will deal with it for now. Sonic, I want you and that brother of yours to get some rest. I'd say the same about Espio, but… well, you know. Tails, Cream, I'd like for you two to try and relax as well. It's not as necessary for you to sleep, though."

In response, Sonic tossed a look toward Jet. "...You sure?" he asked. "The way he's behaving… you might end up needing a hand."

Wave knew what he meant. It may not have been as obvious to anyone else, but she and Sonic knew Jet very well. They knew he'd been anxious since Sein and Alana had so suddenly come onto the scene. They knew that his sudden display of temper and lack of patience in dealing with Saraya just now was a sign of stress, stress that had only been heightened by Tein's recent death. They also knew that, because of his autism and the fact that he'd never really received much therapy in his life, he struggled to cope well with such things. Most oftentimes he would resort to isolating himself, picking fights with big baddies so that he had an excuse to brawl, or that sort of thing. Those already weren't good (in particular that last option), but what would arguably be worse was if his stress levels wound up escalating his emotions to the point where he _couldn't_ cope. And Sonic, rightfully, was worried that Jet might be headed there. His judgement on the matter was sound. Jet, after all, had largely mastered keeping up an act of impassivity on all fronts. For his emotions to be spilling out so visibly meant that they were already strong. _This could get worse, even if we take steps now to try to prevent it._

She sighed a little. "I've been trying to work on de-escalation already," she informed him quietly. "Things haven't improved much but, if nothing else, they haven't gotten any worse so far. If things get too bad, I'll come and get you."

Though he possibly wanted to argue, Sonic ultimately refrained. "Yeah. Okay."

In an effort to conceal her own concern, Wave forced a smile. She gestured to the door just as Jet took off once again. "Go on, then. Off to bed with you."

He huffed, but nevertheless followed her instructions and turned to leave with Cream at his heels. Tails offered a small gesture of farewell before he, too, departed. "Bye, Wave. See you in a little bit."

"See ya, Shorty." The fox smiled and exited the room, shutting the door behind him. With them gone, Wave turned to Sein and Alana. There was no doubt in her mind that they had paid attention to everything that had just been said. Alana was wearing a small frown that only barely managed to convey her worry - worry that Wave _knew_ was there because Jet often wore that very same expression. _Definitely could have tried harder not let her overhear…_ she seems worried enough over him as it is. Shooting a glance slightly to the left, she took in Sein's expression to gauge his emotions as well. The male hawk's face bore a general thoughtfulness to it, and with such he seemed a bit out of it. Seeing this, Wave quietly suggested a distraction. "How about you two go and explore for a bit? It might take your mind off things, at least temporarily."

Given that she suspected he needed to be distracted, Alana accepted this offer readily. "We will, if your queen does not mind."

"She won't," Wave assured. She looked over at said queen. "Right?"

Saraya waved her hand dismissively. "I really don't care what you do. Just don't break shit."

"Of course," Alana murmured. She tugged gently on Sein's arm. "Come. Let us take a walk."

A few blinks served as the initial response before he glanced over and gave a nod. "Alright."

Before they left, Wave quickly interjected, "On this floor, down at the end of the hall, there's a pair of double doors. It's an ancient observatory that we've been maintaining over the years. It…" She looked down and away. "It was Kath's private space."

Sein gently pulled off in that direction, interest piqued greatly at the mention of Kath. Giving Wave an appreciative nod, Alana hurried after him. She caught up to him in mere moments, just in time to see him approaching the two guards stationed on either side of the doors to the room they had been directed to. When Sein approached, the two guards attempted to stop him only for the hawk to gently push them both aside and continue on his way.

Needless to say, the guards were not at all amused by his actions. Sighing, Alana walked up up to them and exchanged a few quiet words. Things were settled in short order, and she proceeded inside after Sein. Once inside, her steps faltered, for the very first thing she saw was a very old framed photograph resting atop a table… of a fairly young Kath, Laralei, and Azerel, with both hawks offering rare small smiles to the camera. Sein hadn't noticed until Alana stopped, turning to see what had grabbed her attention only for his eyes to fall on the photo. The faintest of smiles broke onto his face before he coughed to grab his wife's attention. "That's another of those one in a million chances Cere mentioned a long time ago."

Blinking back some mistiness in her eyes, Alana nodded. "Yes… I suppose it is." Walking over to the table, she glanced around the room a bit more. She spotted various other tables, many books and scientific instruments, all manner or papers and writing utensils… Really, it was all a bit cluttered and chaotic. It was familiar, all of it, this 'organized chaos' as her mother had so often called it. "It appears that Father used this room as an office space as well…"

"So I can see. Stuff strewn about everywhere." Sein picked up a random device off a table and turned it to inspect it. "Damn. Pretty old too. Older than me, maybe."

Alana shot him an amused glance. "...Indeed." She looked over some other various tools and such and added, "Some of these devices are clearly ancient for this timeline, and yet… they are far more advanced than anything that existed in our timeline." She fell silent, mulling over how truly long it must have been since her parents had died here.

"Yeah, no shit. I can't even tell what this thing is." He spun it gently in his hand, prompting a rapid set of beeps that panicked him and caused him to set it down quickly. "Dunno if that's a bomb, but I want no part of it."

A grey eyebrow arched. "Do you truly believe that Father would keep a bomb near all of his papers and books?"

A shrug served as the most immediate response, Sein edging away from the table slowly. "Maybe. He's just odd enough to."

"You are the only _odd_ one," Alana huffed. She walked over to the device and examined it, then switched it off. "You only turned it on. Relax." When he didn't immediately reply, she turned her attention to looking over the rest of the items on the table. Within seconds she had located a holographic projector not unlike the kind they had been familiar with as children. Slowly, hesitantly, she picked it up. This was a device that could store many files, similar to Mobian video cameras and the like. The possibilities excited her, but also made her nervous. "Do… you think he left anything on this?"

Sein walked over and inspected it quietly for a moment before simply turning it on with no hesitation. "Only one way to find out, eh?" Immediately, the last file to be recorded started playing.

 _Right from the beginning, it was clear that a child had a hold of the device and was running around with it. After much shaking and panting, the tiny bird slammed into the double doors, then jumped up and yanked on the handles to make the doors open. Immediately, Kath (who was significantly older than the Kath they had known) stopped what he was doing and looked over. "Suri, what are you doing?"_

 _The child shouted happily in reply, "I found your thingy! It makes videos!" She ran fully into the room and shoved the camera into a once-sleeping Azerel's face. "Say hi, puppy!"_

 _Sounding vaguely amused in his own way despite his usual cold exterior, Kath huffed. "He is no puppy." The video ended after that._

Sein blinked a few times at the video before glancing to Alana, amusement lighting his eyes gently. Alana managed a small smile. "He seemed… happy," she murmured.

"Definitely. I'd know that tone of voice anywhere. It was a rare thing with me around."

"Not as rare as you believe, actually." She back looked to the device before handing it to Sein. "Here. Pick another." Sein idly searched through the device before settling on one that looked like it would be interesting.

 _This recording was another short one that Kath had not recorded himself. In fact, he was part of the focus in the recording, as was Jet. The pair were sparring - perhaps, more accurately, brawling \- while someone else stood off in the distance and captured footage of the whole thing. There were flashes of aura, heavenly blue and vivid yellow, each ending in brilliant explosions. Sword slashes were traded, many impressive acrobatic feats were displayed... It was quite the display, truly, and over much too soon._

Once the feed ended, Alana happened to glanced around and let her eyes skim over the various tables, only for her gaze to land on something… newer? Giving a Sein's arm a small tug and gestured for him to put the device back on the table. She then walked over to the odd little book she had spotted. She picked it up and, with a confused frown, read the simplistic title aloud. "'Excerpts'..." She checked the book over again. "This looks vastly younger in age than everything else in here."

Sein set the device down and followed after Alana quietly, tilting his head curiously at the book. "Well, open it. Let's see what it's talking about."

Taking heed to his words, Alana opened the book and read aloud the first short passage.

 _The war for Mobius saddened the Babylonian king - now the new Guardian - deeply, though no living Mobian understood why._

 _"Would you have me tell them?" his ever-faithful scribe inquired softly as he mourned in secret over all those lost on this day._

 _"No," Jet murmured, rising to his feet from the blood-tainted grass. "My sorrow is my own. Others need not know of it."_

"Oh, so… this is about Jet, then?" Sein asked aloud, raising his eyebrows in faint interest.

Equally as surprised as Sein no doubt was, Alana murmured, "And he was king… how unusual." It wasn't that she wasn't proud; far from it. It was just odd, given how matriarchal their society had always been. She glanced at Sein. "Should we continue reading this?"

Sein shrugged, motioning for her to go ahead. "Sure. We're already doing it." Returning his shrug, she read the next passage.

 _Even those with hearts of gold grow bitter at times, for even those of purest Light may experience taint. When asked today why his fights, why continues to struggle even when he aches so deeply, the cold king responded, "I don't do it because I want to protect anyone." His head lifted toward the sky as the sun set before him. "Why I continue to fight even in the face of my own unspeakable sufferings is no one's concern save for my own." And it was on this day that we were enlightened of his real feelings, the power of the truth he left unsaid._

"Does that not sound impeccably like Kath? Especially that first line and the vague 'I don't share my motives with people' thing he had going there?" Sein asked.

"Father was always… secretive," Alana murmured, "in much the same manner as Jet is being described here. It is fitting." Sein simply gave a nod in response, sighing softly. Trying to distract herself from now painful memories, Alana resumed reading until Sein interrupted her with a response.

 _"Tell me what it means to be a Guardian."_

 _"I cannot explain to you that which has no set definition."_

 _"Try."_

 _"I make no promises I cannot keep."_

 _"For me."_

 _"... ...In part… it means defending those you love."_

 _"So why am I defended, Guardian?"_

 _"...Friendship is said to be merely another form of love."_

 _When she smiles, there is a tiny miracle… and he almost smiles back. Almost._

(-)

 _"Defeat is inevitable…" she told told the Guardian grimly, "... for someone. Make sure it isn't you."_

 _He gave a mere scoff and vanished into the fray._

"Ya know, that sounds vaguely familiar…" Sein pondered, placing a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Almost like I've heard it before."

A grey eyebrow arched delicately. "That would be… because you have."

"Impossible."

"You are _Immortal_ , Sein. You should understand by now that few things can be defined as 'impossible'."

Sein coughed softly, glancing at her. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over how _impossible_ it is for me to have heard such a thing before."

Anyone else would have laughed, but Alana settled on a milder half-smirk, smacked his arm lightly, and resumed reading.

 _When he starts to succumb to the darkness of his own emotions, she tells him to remember what he fights for. Sometimes he tells her, "I fight... for nothing."_

Sein grimaced faintly at this, crossing his arms with a perturbed expression. Alana frowned but continued reading without a word about it.

 _Today he visited Mobius, a distant and beautiful world we have not laid eyes upon since the end of their private apocalypse. He sits before a cluster of graves on his knees, head bowed in respect and eyes closed with the lingering echoes of grief… but I know his attention is focused almost solely on one. It is hard for anyone to forget one who was once so close to us… one who gave us so much worthy of remembering._

 _He says this is the last time he will visit._

(-)

 _Harmony is peace. Peace is unity. Unity is harmony. This is but one of the Guardian's most basic teachings, and too few care enough to take the lesson to heart. Each time our unity breaks on the front and beyond, the Night gains power over us all. Our Guardian is already crippled. The Babylonian kingdom and all its territories and even its solar system lay in near ruin. His fabled blade is missing. If we lose the strength of our armies as well, we will have lost nearly all that we have left._

(-)

 _There are days when he sees only Darkness before him. There are other days where it is all he can see behind him as well. On yet other days… it is all he ever sees all around him. In the past, in the present, stifling the air to either side of him, around his throat and suffocating him, in his mind where it threatens with madness and suffering… in his heart…_

"Do you… feel that?" Sein asked gently, his eyes glued intently to the words they read.

Taking in a slow breath, Alana answered, "The author was… disturbed. I can still feel traces of their aura on this page."

He took a moment to straighten his posture, breathing softly. "Lots more… Fear, too."

"Deeper into the book, yes," Alana agreed quietly. "It was… intense."

"Let's keep going."

Nodding, she continued.

 _The Hero of Mobius was the first person to see through the Guardian's bitter defensive mechanism and the raw pain it veiled. He was never destined to be the last… for she sees it, too._

(-)

 _He describes [illegible] as, "Evil so great, it despises other evil." His words, for once, fail to do the truth justice._

(-)

 _She reminds him that none are truly dead, even once they are forgotten. He reminds her that they aren't here, and likely never will be again._

Sein grimaced and glanced away for a moment. "Didn't… nevermind. Let's keep going."

Alana cast him a saddened look, but was quick to bury it and comply with his request.

 _Life is a long and miserable road when you know you walk alone… and he has been firm in the certainty of his perceived loneliness for many [illegible]._

(-)

 _Where we face mere death, he faces… annihilation. The complete destruction of everything he was, is, and ever will be. To be faced with something more and worse than death… some wonder why he risks it._

(-)

 _His eyes once sparkled when he genuinely smiled, the Mother Tree says. That has all changed. She says it is as if he cares no longer._

(-)

 _The Night, he says, whispers in the ears of mortals, telling us things we are never destined to remember - and thus never do. In the eyes of the Night, he claims, we are too small to hold the vastness of this entity... or the terror._

 _I ask what he thinks. He will not answer._

"So this thing is still… around. Bastard." Sein muttered, aura flaring in agitation.

Alana thought back to a time long before, after the death of their planet and their arrival with Laralei on the little planet of Mobius. "Do you remember that man… the one who fought with Mother?"

Perplexed for a moment, Sein fixated her with a confused expression. "That hedgehog?"

"The one who was friends with that woman of Light, yes," she nodded. "Did he not once mention that the Night had been active on Mobius before?" And, more importantly… had the beast returned there, forcing Jet to fight it? How else would he have encountered such an evil?

"He did… but I don't… know if it would have… stayed? Actually, if it had still been there, wouldn't the place be annihilated by now? Something must've happened to get it off Mobius."

"I do not know," Alana sighed. She then shook her head. "But I suppose it does not matter now." With that, she resumed reading.

 _He says he holds to the belief that there is something beautiful out there. Something that we just have to reach out for. On some days, this statement seems truer than it does on others._

 _Tonight, seeing him sit beneath the sky with the light of each and every star reflecting off of his eyes, I can see all his wonder, all his suppressed hope, all his dreams… and somehow, I can believe him when he claims to see beauty where so often he finds none._

(-)

 _"Once, we had peace._

 _This story is not about that._

 _Then there was Darkness, destruction, despair, death._

 _This tale is not about those things, either._

 _This story comes from a time far after then._

 _It is a story about what was here afterward..._

 _And what came next."_

 _-snippet from the stories of our king, Guardian-6_

(-)

 _The Guardian, as of late, has come to worry us all. A gruesome bloom of passion and intrigue has risen within him, a curious and most troubling obsession with death… It has been persisting for [illegible] years, but only now are we truly beginning to see it. At times, it appears to consume him, this bid to make sense of mortality. And, in doing so, understand Immortality._

 _For even Immortals do die… albeit in an infinitely different [illegible]._

Sein tapped his fingers against his arm, narrowing his eyes. "That doesn't sound… _entirely_ natural, yet at the same time…"

Pursing her lips together, Alana frowned at the page. "I agree," she said.

"My problem is that it also _does_. Something about it _does_ sound natural. That's the thing that bugs me most."

She nodded her head in tense agreement. "Perhaps more was written about this." She resumed reading before he could answer.

 _Kingdoms shatter in his wake. Darkness crumbles with each step he takes. With each stride, he forces evil to retreat. Such has been the truth of his existence for many eons. And yet he does not remain unchanged. No longer is he stolid and [illegible]. Something has happened to him, something he deigns to explain to none. His obsession with death only grows._

(-)

 _He speaks of Zyr… the Black Gate… of Zenith and Malevolence… of Eona, Eras, and the Light… and of something that transcends them all. Something that is of both Light and Darkness and yet is not, something that is more than Chaos. Something stirs deep within existence, he claims… something we have reason to fear. Something from which even the Night begins to flee._

 _It is from his lips that we hear this claim of what is slowly coming to be, a new energy in a new realm with new will and new sentience of sorts… Our Guardian knows not what it is, admits so openly, and yet is fascinated with it to the point of growing obsession._

 _It is often said that dark energies seek to corrupt from the moment they come to be. If that is so, then perhaps that is the explanation we have been seeking, the answer to our endless questioning of what has happened to our Guardian. We can only pray that he somehow recovers and finds himself again, before it is too late for him to be saved._

"So… this is the Void. It finally came to be, then." Sein sighed, pulling his arms closer together.

They had known for many eons that this energy was coming, and that it would be vile. But to think that it had attached itself to their _son_ … Alana took in a slightly shaky breath. _This is… This is not right._

Sein took a moment, frowning. "We can't… do much of anything about it. I highly doubt that, at least. Best we can do is try to help him in handling it."

"If it is even still present," Alana responded carefully. "He has shown no sign of it since our return."

"Why would an energy attach to someone only to detach, much less an Immortal?"

"I do not know."

"For now… let's just keep reading. We won't be able to figure out much more at the moment." She simply nodded and kept going.

 _"If existence is death and to die is to have existed… then tell me… why do we live...?"_

 _-Guardian-6_

(-)

 _An excerpt penned by the Guardian-6, transcribed to this page for the sake of memory._

 _"Truth is lost in the vastness of this sea of lies. It watches as it destroys us, hungry for our pain. In Dark waters its fangs are bared, ready to devour, seeking to consume all Truth and all Lie and, in essence, everything._

 _Truth and Lie._

 _Where does one and the other begin?_

 _Understanding is… dangerous._

 _No one speaks of it. No one tells the tales of the day the shepherd's staff became the shepherd's sword, the shepherd's gun, the physical manifestation of the shepherd's will to live. It is never discussed anymore why we bear the marks we wear so proudly, these honored gifts once given solely to those who stood as pillars of Hope and Light against the devastation of the Night. As our many ages of prosperity and Truth came screeching to a halt, we stood defiant against the coming end. We were the first line of defense… and in many ways the last. But no one speaks of those things. No one speaks of the Truth… or of the Lies the Night brought._

 _What I wish to convey is… understanding. Benign comprehension. Logic without judgement._

 _The stories people tell these days… They sing tales of Light and of Darkness. But something, something out there has transcended such unimaginative limitations and rules. It's far easier to believe in the madness of normality than it is in this, but… I cannot deny the things I sense, the whispers I continue to hear day after day, night after night. Truth is something I have long sought to reclaim, ever since the Night swallowed us whole, but something always hinders me._

 _Secrets._

 _Creation is, in many ways, built upon secrets and the encryptions that keep those secrets safe._

 _They say truth is where we seek it, but what are we meant to do when all we seek is hidden by secrets we alone cannot uncover?_

 _The whispers once took enough form to resemble a genuine voice, a voice which seemed to say, 'Burn the world. Burn all words. Burn them all away until they cease to be.' It is a Lie, one I have been presented with before. The Lie of power in exchange for Death… I will not fall into such treachery. It asks then, it always asks, 'What is your answer, then, when the only True answer is extinction?'_

 _'From the space between realms is where I come,' it tells me. 'Fragments of stars and realities burn in my footsteps and shine in my path. In my hands I hold the Truth of Life and Death, the Truth to all that you seek.'_

 _This power, whatever it may grow to be, is but a spark now, it is true. But I often have to remind myself that sparks are just as capable of giving Life as they are of utterly taking it. In response, it tries to convince me that sometimes the only answer to it all is to burn everything away… to start anew. I suppose it is fitting, then, that we have weaponized the once-unknown. If this force continues as it is now, I will have to burn it away until there is nothing left, lest it do the same to us all. Until that day, the Lies are destined to continue. The Secrets will forever remain in my way. The Truth I seek will lie buried someplace where I cannot reach it._

 _Few speak of the Night that once tortured us. They refuse to remember, to understand that there are yet more shadows, always more shadows, rising from the Darkness and hungering for all our hope and all our Light._

 _My own Light flickers, at times. It grows weak._

 _I seek to understand, to know without bias and without opinion. To simply know and be, and this forces me to study. To learn. I study this essence, whatever it may be, and I know it does the same. It will learn little from me… and I little from it. We are trapped, in a way, each seeking what we cannot attain, each striving for what may be impossible so long as we remain as we are. But that does not mean that there is no… connection. I have learned some things from it, things I never had any desire to know._

 _From this essence, I know pain._

 _It is nothing like I had ever believed it to be before._

 _It is ice, and it is fire. It is the Light of a thousand burning suns and the Darkness of a million dying worlds. It is everything and nothing, yet still something. It is Truth and Lie and Secret all at once, and yet none at all. It is unfathomable agony, yet it is unattainable bliss. It is nothing… and everything._

 _I feel I drive myself to the edge of madness, rambling hopelessly while trying to explain what cannot be put into words, to explain what I simply know._

 _In reality, its simplicity is staggering. The simplicity, that is, of Truth and Lie._

 _New voices often reach out and seek to challenge the new energy and its will, saying to me, 'Before you lie two paths. There is the worship of Death, the world-killing way where you live as Death and Devastation. There is the Sky, our Light, in which we build new life against the onset of ruin, striving toward a gentler future. You have walked with us this far. Do not abandon us.'_

 _This new essence, these voices, they whisper unto me, 'Let us speak of the terrible beauty of becoming ourselves. We are the gaze and glory of Light and Darkness together, the cunning and knowledge, the triumph and brawn… we are everything they are and can be, and yet we are beyond them utterly. Love and the desire to kill... the Truth you seek says that they are one and the same. You may not believe these words yet, but the rest of what we have told you over all these years… why do you ignore them so?_

 _You deny Truth until it becomes Lie.'_

 _And there it was. The moment of understanding. The time when I finally knew where one ended and the other began. But understanding always seems to breed new questions, and now I am forced to ponder the morality of this all… and, above all, whose Truths to believe. In years long past, the answer may have seemed so obvious as to be a pillar of Light in the center of Zyr, but now… Now I know not what I believe, let alone what I should believe._

 _I am lost… and this time I do not think I will be able to find my way alone."_

 _-Guardian-6_

There was so much here. Too much to unpack in one sitting, surely. The pair traded a glance, silently agreeing to try and go back over this later, and resumed reading. They came to the same conclusion about the one following this as well.

 _More words penned by the hand of the Guardian-6, once more recorded for the sake of memory… and concerned documentation._

 _"I promised to myself once, 'I will learn all the secrets of our destiny, and in doing so reclaim the Truths we once treasured.' But these days… these days I am forced to wonder if I am growing into a nihilist. It all, in many ways, seems so pointless. My actions lack the meaning they once held to even me._

 _These days, I don't do much except break things. Evil things, granted, but regardless. I break creatures, people, kingdoms, worlds, realms… when the need arises, I make them cease to be. But to die is to have existed, and they will forever remain in some way or another. Sometimes, it feels as though no true lasting good comes from my actions… even if they do save the lives of those I am supposed to yet care about._

 _The voices whisper, 'The only way to make something good, something undefeatable, is to make something that cannot be broken. The only way to achieve this is to break everything.'_

 _They say that existence itself runs on Death. It may be yet another Lie but, in a way… it almost feels more beautiful to know."_

(-)

 _Yet another excerpt… this one smaller than the first but no less concerning._

 _"They have begun a new message. They often repeat their old phrases, but now and then they say something new, something that catches the attention and forces the mind to ponder._

 _Now they say, 'You made them strong. Follow my trail and you will lead them into Eternity. You love them, and love is war. Love is of Death as Death is Love. Love is Life, and Death is Life. Life is Love and Death. If truly you feel these things, then follow me._

 _I am the breaker of wills, yet I have not broken you. Your existence, as all are destined to be, is and always will be war, too. I will give you nothing to aid you… Nothing but my Truths and this mark that all deserve to bear._

 _What is at war is healthy. What is at peace is forever ill. As you learn more Secrets, your power grows, and as your power grows you learn more secrets. One such Secret is that the only meaningful relationship there can be is the attempt to destroy. The only true right is existence while the only true wrong is nonexistence._

 _You wonder often what will become of you when you truly die. It suits you to consider such matters. You may not yet see it, but in all you have done in your life you have become a great ally of Death. Continue on your current path, slaughtering all who believe and act opposite of you, and you may yet become synonymous with Death itself._

 _You yourself have died many times, but these deaths were only temporary. Your echoes, the echoes of your past Deaths, haunt you, and rightfully so. For each Death is a failure, and failure deserves only punishment and more Death. These are my rules, and yet you turn your head to me. You listen, fascinated, to each word I deign to speak. When you call upon my power, should you ever choose to, you gamble with your own soul. It is why you hesitate and never reach back to me, why you still remain as weak as you are._

 _Your mind alone is an unfathomable weapon. When you think, worlds break. The slightest inflection of will may shatter realities by the dozen. Secrets, though none mine, peel apart for you like the skins on a fruit. But you are a rare thing, for there have always been too few of your kind. Your kind lost their way immediately after the departure of the Faein. You were weakened, lost, wielding powers you knew so little about. Yet, in doing all that you have done, you have surpassed all that came between you and those first four. But you can be so much more than this._

 _Walk with me._

 _Transcend.'"_

"So he… hasn't _accepted_ the Void…" Sein murmured, frowning. "Though, it's trying to convince him to."

"It was doing everything in its power to entice him," Alana answered softly, "to sway his beliefs and cause him to believe its lies. And it may well have done far more than what was written here. There is no telling what else it has told him… what else he may have begun to believe."

"I assume that it hasn't gotten through to him yet. At least not fully."

"But there is no way to be sure, Sein."

"I'm gonna trust my gut, but either way, we have to be cautious of it. I'm damn sure it won't take too kindly to us butting in on it's plans," Sein said. Alana nodded once."Wanna keep hunting down more information? Maybe there's some more that he, or someone else, wrote that could give some more insight."

It was a sound plan, so Alana relented. Sighing, she closed the book and set it down. "Alright."

 **~保護者~**

"Are you certain an attack now is wise?"

Cracking his eyes open, the god of demons stared distantly at the floor. He was sat upon a stone throne of sorts, one where he often rested when the urge struck him. Now was not the time for that. Instead, he sat on the edge of his weathered seat, hands clasped in front of his mouth and elbows on his knees while he thought. "Why ask for answers when you already have them?" he retorted quietly.

Perhaps surprised by the lack of anger of said questioning, the general standing beside him was momentarily rendered silent. When he spoke next, he had apparently decided it would be wise to phrase his words more carefully this time. "I understand that those people encroached, sir, and that that alone is worthy of punishment. But surely there is more to this."

The god let out a soft hum of acknowledgement and said, "That world has also temporarily become a rallying point for the boy and his friends."

Frowning, the general ventured, "You wish to confront him?"

"No. Not personally. I have elsewhere to be." There was a moment of silence before the god decided to continue. "There are more important matters to attend to on that world currently, at any rate."

"The Immortal?"

"No… not him. The other two."

The general's eyebrows shot up. "Other two? Were they not just born?"

Normally that would have been the case, but not this time. This time, some rules had been skirted around… and that required a bit of investigation. "The pair that died were replaced by Immortals from a separate reality," he murmured. "Such a thing would not have been done if they were not important in some manner."

Now the general was beginning to understand. "Should we test them?" he asked. "Many warriors would be eager to test their mettle against such foes."

The god waved a hand dismissively. "Let them. I do not care if they die." He paused, then added, "Do not send the most powerful. They are needed elsewhere."

"Understood. I'll send the third tiers. They should be sufficient for such a test."

For a long moment, the god thought. In regards to demons, there were six broad levels of power with vast room for fluctuation to be found in each. The highest of these tiers (the sixth) was his, occupied solely by the actively ruling god or goddess. The lowest tier was, naturally, the first was reserved for the fodder and various hatchlings and other demonic young. The fourth and fifth tiers would be leaving with him shortly, leaving just the third tiers and below to carry out the attack on New Babylon. As his general had said… they would suffice, this time. "Fine."

"Shall I allow the fodder to follow them in?"

"Let them do as they please. If they die, then so be it." The pair fell silent for several long minutes before the god spoke again. "Alynn and her sisters will attempt to follow you into the battle."

The general's eyebrows again raised. The god seldom acknowledged his own daughters, leaving them to their own devices most of the time unless he saw fit to train them now and then. Such was the nature of demonic parenthood, sometimes. "Your orders, sir?"

Again, he was dismissive. "Let them. They are more than old enough for a hunt."

Knowing that the triplets were powerful despite how very young they were, the general didn't think this was necessary… but still, he asked. "Do you require them to be guarded?"

His inquiry required a moment of consideration, but _just_ a moment. "No. If they believe they are prepared to handle sneaking onto a battlefield, then they must either prove themselves or suffer the consequences."

It was a dangerous thing to do, truly, but the general nevertheless questioned, "Even though they are yours?"

In response, the god let out a small growl. "Blood is irrelevant in this matter. They deserve no special treatment. Favor must be earned. It is not given freely."

Still, the general pressed the matter. Demonic or not, the god _was_ a parent. Even demonic parents closely guarded their young, often to an extreme extent. While it was true that demons had virtually no capacity for love and the like, it was also true that the god had _fiercely_ protected the triplets until they had been capable of being out on their own. Virtually none had gone _anywhere_ near the three and survived. And Alynn and her sisters were still very young. Surely he wasn't ready to leave them completely alone in this scenario, was he? It didn't sound right. "And should their lives be too severely threatened?"

At this, the god executed a short snarl and stood, beginning to stalk out of the room. "Then I will deal with it _myself_."

 **~保護者~**

 **8,922 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help! New chapter will be up tomorrow! Posted (at about 10:00 a.m.) 10-10-19.**


	35. Deadly Bond

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these insightful exchanges… especially for the dangerous one.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Deadly Bond"**

 **~保護者~**

When Sonic followed Tails and Cream back into the medical ward, he was surprised to see Shadow already laying down asleep on his bed. Said surprise must have been plainly visible on his face, for Tails was quick to remind, "He doesn't sleep much. It catches up with him sometimes. Plus, connecting with tech like he was doing can be mentally exhausting for him now and then, since he doesn't do it much."

Sonic nodded slowly and started to walk toward his own bed, but paused. After a long moment of silence, he turned back to his friends and asked, "I don't suppose either of you know if Armaris and Espio are still outside." He looked in particular at Cream, if only because he was well aware of her remarkable ability to nearly always ferret Espio out no matter where he hid.

Taking the hint, the bunny looked over at the double doors leading out onto the balcony. "Espio-san was out there, but I believe he has left. You want to talk to him?"

"Yeah," Sonic admitted. "About a few things, actually."

A nod. "You might check outside still, then. I do not think he will have come in."

That made sense. He had always preferred being outside… and away from other people. He was just antisocial like that. "Yeah, I guessed as much. Any more specific hints for me?"

She smiled. "Not this time. I apologize."

"Eh, it's fine," Sonic shrugged, turning to walk toward the doors Cream had indicated before. It would be an easy way outside. Sure, he remembered his way around the palace and knew where the proper exits were, but… well, he was too lazy to bother.

"Try not to take too long, okay?" Tails implored. "Wave is right, and you really should get some rest."

"I will, I promise," Sonic assured, turning back around once more. "I just want to talk to him real fast. Jet, too, if he'll let me." Like Wave had said earlier, Jet had probably been worried and upset. Plus Sonic knew his friend was stressed out just in general. Having a quick, friendly chat might help… assuming he could even track the hawk down. _At least one can hope._

"I understand," Tails said. "Just, like I said, don't take too long."

With one final nod, Sonic headed to the doors, opened them, and stepped outside. He wasn't sure if Armaris was still here and merely hiding in some shadows or something again, but he didn't take the time to ask. Instead, he simply jumped down to the ground far, far below. Hitting the ground from such a height didn't bother him terribly much, though he supposed that the couple of wolves he apparently startled were a little less than appreciative. They glared and even growled, but dropped the matter well before he could grow worried about potential attack.

While the pair of them huffily laid back down to resume their nap, Sonic skirted around them and began to examine his surroundings. Naturally, things had changed quite drastically since he had last been on this world. The gardens, for one thing, had a variety of new plants and decorations that he didn't recognize. These surrounded him on all sides, creating a definite feeling of isolation in some ways. However, he knew it wasn't good enough. _Espio probably will have gone farther away from the building. ...And he'll have searched for some trees, I bet._ Turning in slow circles, Sonic frowned to himself. _Let's see… where are some good clusters of trees?_

Eventually, he spotted one some distance away. It looked lonely enough and, though it was still fairly close to the building, it looked quiet. Peaceful. _Might be the ideal place to be, if you're used to that kind of environment at home._ With that in mind, he dashed over. Sure enough, as he came to a stop and looked up, he spotted his old friend sitting in a tree up above. With arms crossed (as much as possible with one arm being paralyzed) and left leg idly dangling, Espio was the picture of repose. That is, save for his small frown. It evaporated the second Sonic appeared and he looked down at the hedgehog with a now blank expression.

Sonic offered a small wave. "Hey. Mind if I join you?" No answer came, and Espio looked away. The lack of refusal was agreement enough, so Sonic jumped onto a branch of his own above and to the right of the chameleon. He took a moment or two to settle back and get comfortable. Once he was satisfied, he returned his attention to Espio. "Did Armaris get a chance to talk to you?"

Espio looked decidedly unhappy for a half-second or so. However, the look was there and gone well before Sonic could confirm it had ever existed at all. "Yes."

 _He doesn't like this. That's about what I expected. Still, though…_ Sonic inwardly sighed. Expectation doesn't make anything easier, here. "Look… I'm sorry about this. I-"

Espio surprised him by cutting him off. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Momentarily thrown off-track, Sonic stared stupidly a few seconds. When something in his brain finally clicked and he remembered where he was going with his train of thought, he countered, "Well, no… Not exactly. I just know that this sucks, is all. I mean, I can't speak from personal experience or anything, but even still. It's just… It's an awful situation, and as someone who cares I feel sorry that you're in it. That's all."

A vague sort of "hm" sound served as Espio's response to that and, for a short moment or two, nothing more was said. When the silence was broken, it wasn't actually Sonic's doing - despite the fact that he had been gearing up to speak again at the same time that Espio actually did. "Was that why you came out here?"

It was a simple question. There was no harm in answering it. "Partly," Sonic admitted readily. "We hadn't heard anything since Armaris had gone out to speak with you, so I wasn't sure if she had even found you or if you had managed to disappear on her. Plus, I wanted to make sure you were okay." He thought for a second, then added, "Not just from the talk. I wanted to see if you were okay physically, too. You know, after the attack earlier and all that."

"I'm fine." This assurance was delivered with such calm and uncaring that Sonic was able to take it as the truth without hesitation. However, just because he was fine in _that_ regard following the assault didn't mean he was _completely_ fine.

Sonic cleared his throat. "Good. And, uh, on that note…" He hesitated, trailing off, and Espio left off gazing into the distance long enough to fix Sonic with a decidedly guarded expression. For once, he didn't seem to realize that he was so easily readable, and Sonic opted not to point it out just yet. Anything that could help him gauge the ninja's responses here was welcome. "...You… probably know where this is going, I take it, but… fuck it, I'll just ask anyway." He let out a gusty breath. "You're fine physically, and that's great. But what about otherwise? I know you… well, care about that woman. A lot, in fact. Getting attacked by her can't be easy."

In response, Espio frowned and looked away again. "I don't care about that."

Somehow, Sonic couldn't find any reason to not believe that. And, actually, he sort of understood. Chemistry was a powerful force, and with Espio and that woman having met the way they apparently had… Well, it just made _sense_ that they would continue to clash and not be at all bothered by it. _Plus they're both chameleons,_ he reminded himself. _Their kind aren't exactly strangers to violence, even at extremely young ages. Espio included. He was, what… two when he was given his first knife? Can't remember. He might've told me he was three. Pretty sure it was two, though._ Shaking free of his thoughts, he refocused on the conversation at hand. "Right. I should have expected as much. That was kind of a stupid question." Espio didn't deny it, so Sonic huffed under his breath. "This one's not, though. I know how fast you are, so why weren't you able to counter her when she stabbed you with that needle? Or at least dodge?"

Thankfully, Espio saw fit to explain himself for once instead of just ignoring the question. His frown remained firmly in place. "We are virtually equals," he stated. "The slight differences in ability that we possess are too miniscule to be meaningful."

Immediately, Sonic caught on. "Meaning that when one of you is distracted or something, the other can pretty easily outmuscle or whatever else the other one if time is used wisely."

Even though this required admitting that he was, for once, completely caught by surprise, Espio nevertheless nodded. Sonic's explanation wasn't the best, no, but he had essentially grasped the facts of the situation. "Yes."

Feeling thoughtful, Sonic reached up and idly tugged at one of his ears. "Okay… so that explains that, then. But now I have a new question."

Almost, Espio seemed ready to sigh. He'd never been a social person (quite the opposite, in fact), and extended conversation was far from something he typically enjoyed. However, Sonic was banking on one crucial fact: sometimes, _sometimes_ Espio would decide to willingly put up with such a thing if he was in the company of a close friend. Assuming he still saw Sonic as such, maybe… _just_ maybe, he would allow this to continue. "...Fine," he eventually answered, though he didn't appear to be thrilled about it.

Inwardly, Sonic allowed himself just a second of celebration over the fact that their old bond had clearly managed to survive to a good extent despite everything. Then he forced himself to focus and spoke. "Last time she attacked, back when we were still on Mobius, you mentioned that just because she was _capable_ of causing serious damage didn't necessarily mean that she _would_. Something about capability versus intention, right?" A vague nod. "Am I correct in assuming that you can usually tell her intentions when you encounter her? Or are you just kinda going off gut feelings or something like… say, someone like me would."

Espio shook his head at him. "When you regularly encounter people, provided you pay attention, you can learn to read them nearly as well as yourself… if they allow you to. At times, you can acquire the ability to read said people regardless of what defenses they put up. So, no, it is not a 'feeling', nor is it simply being able to just 'tell'."

 _A deliberate act, then. One that goes both ways, I'd wager._ His guess was purely based off of his experiences with Jet, but he suspected he wasn't wrong. "So she reads you, too, huh?" No answer, but Sonic wasn't exactly expecting to receive one that time. He steered the conversation onto somewhat safer ground. "Were you able to read her this time? I know you blacked out pretty fast after the attack, but still."

"This was a display of normal behavior, on her part," was the dry response, "though she does not typically possess _magic needles_ to aid her."

The distaste in his voice told Sonic that Espio was suddenly annoyed. Sonic wasn't sure if it was because of the Darkness, however, or some other reason entirely. _I don't sense any fluctuations in his Darkness at the moment… so it must be a genuine, unrelated response._ "Mind explaining?" he asked. "You've gotta remember, I don't know her. ...Well, none of us do, really."

After a few seconds of pause, the ninja relented. "She enjoys toying with people. Playing games, if you will. If it happens to be advantageous to her in a given situation, then that is all the more incentive to do it."

Sonic understood. "So she was toying with us earlier, both because she wanted to and because it would benefit her. What's the benefit, then? Just slowing us down?"

At this, Espio offered a slight one-shouldered shrug. "Perhaps."

 _Lovely. Just lovely._ Sonic ran his hands over his face. "Even if that was the only reason behind it, it still makes the situation suck for us. A lot." When Espio failed to comment, the hedgehog continued, "Guess there's nothing we can do about it, though, aside from dealing with the consequences." That seemed to remind Espio of his earlier conversation with Armaris. Immediately, his annoyance grew. This time, however, he apparently noticed and swiftly hid it under a veil of impassivity. _Not a good sign._ Still… Sonic had to press on. There was more he needed to know. So, treading very carefully, he dared to ask, "Look, I know you hate being questioned and you probably don't want to talk about this at all, much less with me of all people, but… would you be willing to do it, anyway? I hate prying about it, but this situation with her has gotten really serious, and I… I can't do shit to help when I'm so in the dark. None of us can. Learning even just a _bit_ more about things between you two can help lift some of the fog, you know?"

His request required significant consideration. It was a very private matter concerning a very private person, after all. It was also a very emotionally charged matter, one with a _lot_ of potential consequences. So, to Sonic, it made sense that Espio took his time to come back with an answer. Said answer wasn't expected to be positive. In fact, Sonic expected a decidedly _negative_ reaction to this. Instead, however, Espio kept himself carefully neutral as he thought things over, no doubt drawing upon his training as a shinobi to separate his mind and heart for the moment. Eventually, seeing the logic he had been presented with, the chameleon relented… albeit begrudgingly. "...Fine."

His annoyance had likely deepened into full-on irritation at this point, but it was difficult to tell. Sonic decided not to press his luck by drawing the matter out any longer, choosing instead to just jump straight into it. "Right. So… let's start simple, I guess? Like… how long have you even known her?"

"Too long," Espio muttered. It almost seemed a knee-jerk response, one he quickly followed up with, "At least half a dozen centuries. Perhaps longer."

The frankness of this response was to be expected. It had been a simple question, after all, and simple questions merited simple answers. _Okay. This is a good start. He's talking, at least. Kinda expected him to start refusing to do that by now._ Sonic tugged at his ear again. "You weren't kiddin', huh?" he mused. "That really is a long time. ...Sheesh." He grew quiet for a long moment before tentatively asking, "And how long have you… cared for her?"

Though Sonic suspected that Espio was decidedly unhappy with the current path their dialogue was taking, he nevertheless mumbled an answer. He never mumbled. Not normally. But, then, none of this was exactly _normal_ , was it? "I don't know."

 _Fair enough, but he's gotta have some insight into this, right?_ "Okay, so how long have you known, then?"

"I said I don't know."

 _Great. He's starting to be stubborn._ Inwardly, Sonic sighed. _Maybe I'm pushing too hard… But I can't just let him sit on all of this, bottling it all up. For one thing, that'll be bad in regards to controlling his Darkness. For another, if I get him talking about her enough, maybe he'll say something that'll help me understand his connection with her. Maybe it'll even help me clue in to what she might want out of this… not to mention what he wants._ He released his poor ear and dropped his hand into his lap. "You and I both know that's not true," he started slowly. "I know you, and I know you would have noticed the change at some point. In fact, I'd wager that you would have noticed it straight away, since it's such a big change from numbness, impassivity, whatever you wanna call it."

Again, Espio frowned. However, Sonic noticed something telling, and that was that Espio didn't deny Sonic's statement. He wasn't a person who liked to lie. He had done it not ten seconds before, yes, but he pretty obviously wasn't keen on keeping it up. So, he opted for silence instead. He was inwardly retreating, much as Jet often did, in an attempt to avoid this without outright physically leaving. At this point, it was pretty clear to Sonic that pushing was the only way to get anything concrete out of his reticent friend. "This is just a guess on my part, but I'm willing to bet that you probably noticed during a fight. Seems like that's how you guys usually interact. Is that right?" Both were true, Sonic suspected, he just needed the confirmation.

In response, Espio looked away further. He appeared determined to hold his tongue, but eventually relented when Sonic asked again a couple more times (each time simply rewording his inquiry so that he didn't make himself sound like a broken record). Again, he wound up mumbling, giving Sonic a real clue into how Espio was feeling about all of this being brought up. "...Yes."

 _Awesome. Making progress._ Digging a little deeper, Sonic asked, "How long ago was that?" It might have seemed a pointless question, but there was a purpose behind what he was trying to learn. _If it was recent, this might just be a passion sort of thing. If it was a long time ago and those feelings are still here… then things must be really serious. At least on his end._

When Espio failed to respond in decent time, Sonic reached over and nudged Espio in his good shoulder with a foot. This time, Espio openly sighed before admitting quietly, "Perhaps… six or seven years after we met. No longer."

His answer threw Sonic totally for a loop. He hadn't been expecting that at all. Sure, he had braced himself for the possibility of these feelings having existed for maybe one or two centuries, but six or so? That was just… utterly astounding. _That kind of attachment is not idle. It just isn't. That's the kind of love that can lead people to do what Mom and Dad did, with that whole life-partnership thing._ Thinking back, Sonic tried to recall anything he knew about chameleon culture surrounding love. He knew that some species, such as echidnas and certain types of Babylonians, often would pick just one love interest for the entirety of their lives. Were chameleons the same? "Do… you know how she feels?" he found himself asking.

That earlier frown returned in an instant. "I only know what she claims." More mumbling. He really was upset, wasn't he? Or maybe he was just tired, emotionally speaking. Perhaps the truth was that he was both.

"Okay… so what does she _claim_?" This time, Espio's silence was truly telling. Sonic straightened. "Wait… you mean she's said she feels the same?"

Espio's gaze seemed distant now, like his mind was in some other place at the moment instead of fully here. "She seldom speaks the truth about anything."

Sonic vigorously shook his head. "To hell with that, it's not important. You said you can read her, right? Have you ever been able to tell for _certain_ whether or not she genuinely _was_ being truthful?"

For a split second, it was there. A flicker of Espio's aura, normally kept deeply under wraps to help him avoid detecting, flared. Sonic sensed it when it happened, felt through said senses the pang of conflicting emotions that had suddenly surged from within. It was all a tangled mess (such was the nature of romance, sometimes), but Sonic gleaned enough to understand that Espio was truly torn. A part of him wanted, really wanted to believe whatever that woman had apparently said or done to give the impression that she returned his feelings. But another part of him… knew better than to hope for such a thing. It was almost certainly a lie, after all, and even if it wasn't… she possessed an _extremely_ dark heart. Trusting her was dangerous beyond measure.

His voice growing quieter, Sonic more gently asked, "Espio… what is it that _you_ want out of this?"

Espio uncharacteristically hesitated. "...I don't… know." This time, his words were to be believed.

Now Sonic didn't know what to do. It was abundantly clear that this was no simple, basic attraction that would fizzle out after a while. These were deep, powerful emotions that had been taking root and blossoming over the course of many years, many interactions. This was the sort of love that was normally to be cherished, but in this case genuinely threatened Espio and everyone around him. He knew that, understood that, and so had kept this part of his life entirely away from everyone else until now. It was why so little was even known about the situation by the likes of Tails, Shadow, and even Wave.

This careful separation, however, could no longer be maintained. That much was obvious. That woman deliberately forcing Espio into an _incredibly_ difficult position, forcing him to both deal with her and with all the other issues at hand in relation to what Sonic and the others were trying to accomplish. But, more than that, she seemed to be _actively_ manipulating things so as to make it harder for him to keep a handle on his own emotions, as well as to create issues regarding trust between himself and those allied with him. She had even been the sole force behind his once-dormant Darkness awakening. The question was… why? Was she trying to sway him to her side? Surely it couldn't have been that simple. _There has to be more to it. But… what, exactly?_ Pursing his lips together, Sonic looked Espio over, noting how deeply the ninja had already lost himself in thoughts of his own. _What is she trying to do to you…? And… how are we meant to save you from it?_

Now filled with an odd sense of dread, he quietly called, "Espio." In response to hearing his name, Espio reflexively straightened before turning his head to face Sonic. "I know you already know this… but I still need to say it. This situation, this fight you're having with her… Tails and the rest of us, we're here to help you as much as we possibly can. We can only do that when you _let_ us. I really, really need you to try letting us from here on." He searched that blank face, searching for any signs of anything that might clue him in to what Espio was thinking or feeling. Seeing nothing, he continued, "I won't make you promise this time - I know how damn serious those sorts of things are to your people - but I still want you to make the effort. Will you?"

There were a host of things that the answering silence could have meant. Perhaps it was an unspoken agreement, the sort of response Shadow or Jet might have given. Maybe it meant that Espio was still considering Sonic's words. Or, there was an entirely different and more troubling explanation that might fit… That, perhaps, Espio wasn't able or willing to offer even that vague _approximation_ of a promise. Sonic didn't know. All he knew was that his friend was gone well before Sonic was even able to blink, leaving him to ponder the breeze sifting through the leaves alone.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,090 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 8:45 a.m.) 10-11-19.**


	36. Secrets, Lies, and Bloody Knives

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this almost playful confrontation… especially for the one who holds all the secrets.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Your review to Chapter 34: I'm glad you liked it so much! I'm sure Blaze is happy, too. I just can't ask him right this second because he's at work. XD And yeah, Jet sure wrote some deep, dark stuff. You sure have some interesting views as well! We'll certainly do our best to keep writing as well as possible!**

 **Your review to Chapter 35: Yeah, emotions are most certainly a complicated affair, especially when those emotions are intricately tied to the matter of romance. Espio absolutely needs more time... time he may not have. Once again, you have some interesting views on the matter! But, anyway, yes. Sonic was able to read him quite well, all things considered. He can do it better than he appears to give himself credit for.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Secrets, Lies, Bloody Knives"**

 **~保護者~**

A colorful variety of curse words filtered through Espio's mind as he blurred seamlessly through the trees, sword in hand. In scarcely the time it took for one to draw in a breath, he was well on the other side of the vast palace grounds from where he had been before. He came to a stop in an isolated garden alcove, rapidly scanning his surroundings in an effort to spot the intruder. He knew he was out in the open, an easy target for attack, but at the moment he didn't care. Perhaps it would draw her out, prevent her from engaging in one of her many games-

In a flash, he was pressed back roughly against some sort of a statue, his wrist pinned high above his head. Slender fingers wrapped around said wrist, applying enough pressure and force to ensure that he couldn't easily wrench free. The curse words he had been thinking of seconds before came flooding back to him. He might have given vent to them, too, had his attacker not spoken first. "Truly, is the sword necessary? That is hardly a way to greet an old friend."

Given that he was never _quite_ able to conceal his reactions effectively around her, Espio openly scoffed. "We are not 'friends'."

"Hm… I suppose you may be correct." She moved to smack the sword out of his grip, but he swiftly retaliated by kicking out at her legs while also moving to yank his arm down. With a nimble leap, she deftly avoided him as he avoided her. She landed atop the statue just as he spun around to face her. "However," she continued, unfazed, in a tone of false innocence, "I still think it a touch disrespectful. I came here unarmed and everything."

An amber eye instantly glanced to her right boot, then to the sleeve of her left arm. _Unarmed… as if._

Seeing where his attention had strayed, she let out a tiny and amused huff. "Oh, hush. How could I call myself a ninja without at least a couple tiny knives on my person, hm? I seem to recall that you are never without yours."

"That is not the _point_ , Nakea," Espio told her tersely. "You should not _be_ here."

"Mm, on the contrary…" she jumped down from her perch, landing lightly in the grass just in front of him. "I happen to have a perfectly good reason to visit."

"Truly," Espio murmured, unconvinced.

"You don't believe me, I take it?" As soon as the words left her lips, she laughed. The sound was smooth and melodic and momentarily set Espio's heart racing. It had already been doing that a bit from the second she'd appeared but, of course, that hardly mattered _now_.

That split second of distraction was all it took for her to pin him against the stone again. Now sufficiently irritated (both at himself and at her), he tried to wrestle free of her hold. She again had a grip on his wrist, keeping it just above his head while the rest of her body lent its strength to keeping the rest of his in place. "Let me _go_ ," he all but growled.

"I think not." Using her free hand, Nakea lifted up his right sleeve. Seeing no increase in markings from what had been there before, she tutted in (perhaps genuine) disappointment. "A shame," she murmured to herself.

He disagreed. Strongly. He also disapproved of her manner of holding him _still_ like this and sought to escape it. She, however, was going out of her way to distract him enough to make that more than _impossible_. The feeling of her fingers lightly brushing against his skin as she examined the markings on his shoulder sent small shivers running up his spine, as did the slight breaths he felt against his face when she spoke. Gritting his teeth, he tried to remain focused on his goal of escaping her clutches and regaining his personal space, only to have that plain _totally_ derailed in one fell swoop.

The instant she planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth, it was like his brain shorted out for a second. His mind went blank as his body flooded with emotions that he was still after all these years trying to come to terms with. Coming to grips with them was especially hard during instances like now, when they surged up without warning and, thus, without him being able to prepare for their arrival.

It was almost certainly beyond obvious to her that she had managed to stun him. This earned him a smile from her, the very kind that he often found himself craving to see. It wasn't one of her sadistic or malicious smiles, or even the kind she normally wore when specifically interacting with him. No, this one was more… genuine, somehow. Equal parts devious, mischievous, and amused, it was so rarely worn that it never failed to make his breath catch in his throat whenever he managed to catch sight of it.

She pressed her advantage before he could think to even _try_ avoiding any further torment. With a swift motion, she gave him another quick kiss, this time more fully on the lips. It was there and gone far too quickly for his liking, and he found himself struggling not to let himself accept that this was happening and just relent. Her smile turned into a grin… and suddenly he noticed that his sword was no longer in his hand. With a short curse, he wrestled himself out of her grasp and started to grab for one of his knives. By ripping hers free of her sleeve and hurling it at him, she forced him to focus first on dodging her decidedly weak attempt at an attack.

The knife embedded itself into something somewhere behind him, but he was already no longer paying attention to it. In a blur of motion, she lunged for him, now wielding the knife once concealed in her boot. He quickly pulled one of his own out into the open and used it to block her wide slash. She laughed softly at him. "How I wish I had the time to properly battle. I would enjoy the opportunity to paint more of those lovely markings on your skin."

Espio wasn't quite buying it. If she was short on time, then she wouldn't have been bothering with this mock-fight. She would be getting to the point of her visit by now, though perhaps in a roundabout manner. The more likely truth was that she simply wished to avoid detection by the many hundreds of Babylonians occupying the palace and its grounds. To alert them would mean bad news for her. "If you don't wish to be seen, then _leave_ ," he asserted firmly. He then returned her earlier favor by knocking her knife out of her hand.

"Oh, I would… assuming you genuinely wanted me to. However, given that the _truth_ is quite the opposite…" Before she could finish speaking, he rushed in and soon had _her_ pinned to the statue instead. She smiled at him again, wider this time, and informed him, "I know your secrets."

He frowned. Deeply. "And I know your lies."

Another laugh. She gently tugged the knife out of his hand and tossed it aside. For some reason, he let her. "I suppose that makes us even, then."

Spinning him around, she kissed him deeply without giving him the chance to try to refuse her. His head spun, drowning itself in all the sensations and emotions without his approval or consent. She pulled back sometime after he had apparently stopped drawing in breath and yet still far too soon in his opinion. Panting a little, he opened his eye to look at her, pointedly ignoring the blade that was now pressed against his throat. "Why… do you _do_ that?" he demanded softly, too overwhelmed to make his words sound as irritated as he would have liked.

"Simple," she grinned. "This is fun. And, unless I am mistaken… you enjoy it, too."

He didn't care for her teasing, or the idle threat she still presented him with via that blade. What he did care about, however, was this. All of this. Bits and pieces of this scenario weren't normal for her. The fact that she was taking a huge risk by even _being_ here could be explained as her merely finding danger thrilling. That much he understood. But why was she trying so damn hard to maintain physical contact right now? It wasn't something she typically did. But for the past couple of years, every so often she would just… _be_ like this, and she never bothered to explain _why_. He couldn't make sense of it.

Squirming a little in her grip, Espio tried to work his way free again. "Tell me why you're here," he demanded sternly, though he didn't doubt for a second that he would be ignored.

Sure enough, she acted as though he hadn't even spoken. "You bore me," she complained instead. "You are usually much more fun than this. You cannot possibly tell me that you managed to grow tired."

Obviously, he hadn't. She knew that. Still, he replied. "As if I would."

"Then, pray tell, why are you being so… ah… 'grumpy', hm?" she inquired, another one of those special smiles tugging at her lips.

In an attempt to distract himself, Espio hit her with a half-truth. "I hate you."

Once more, she laughed at him. "Liar."

"I do not _care_ , Nakea, what you think."

"Ah, ah, ah," she warned joyfully. "That's twice now. Three times and I might be forced to do something drastic." To prove her point, she pressed her blade a touch harder against his skin, cutting a thin line across his neck. "Lying will get you nowhere with me, at any rate. I can read you better than you can read yourself."

Moving very subtly, Espio reached for another of his own knives. "That was no lie," he muttered.

"Hm… perhaps in part." In a flash, she had snatched his hand and yet _again_ trapped it above his head. He frowned more deeply at her, but she only smiled and said, "You are stubborn… and fortunate that I am disinclined to kill you just now."

Growing extraordinarily tired of this, he surged forth and knocked her backward and away from him. "I have no time for you," he muttered, watching as she neatly landed in the grass. "Tell me why you are _here_." There were truly a wide variety of reasons that could potentially be behind her visit, but he refused to make assumptions. To do so was dangerous in its own right. _Often when we guess at others' motives, we reveal only our own._

Smiling anew, she stalked over to him. He watched her distrustfully, but allowed her to come closer without rebuttal. When she was near enough to, she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I may know your secrets, but you know so few of mine. Allow me to share one with you… just this once. Consider it a reward for having entertained me for so many years." Before he could even think to reply, she continued. "The Immortals have long held the line against the forces that would seek to tear apart the foundations of existence, Espio. Even an eternal sea could never quench their fire."

Briefly, Espio felt a flicker of confusion within. Where was she going with this? And, far more importantly… _What is it that she knows about this?_

She loosely wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin upon his bad shoulder and her cheek against his. "When my lady came to them in search of similar power," she continued, "she was sent away. Later, she returned to _take_ it. Her army met them on the field of what would become a legendary battle… one which was all but forgotten by many afterward."

He was quick to catch on. _She refers to the matter of "Privilege" discussed in those stones… and how it was stolen._

Turning her head, Nakea kissed his cheek before saying, "The Immortals were poised to win, but they were in the end undone by an unreliable ally… one of their own. Their dear brother saw my lady's dream and so believed in it that he granted her the power that she sought, foolishly bringing upon them all a time of great death and sorrow. Many Immortals she has slain, and yet still they continue to resist us. They are forever locked in a war they cannot win against us, two warring planets orbiting an ever-burning star." Quietly, she chuckled. "I suppose they cannot help it… but neither can we. My lady has a dream… and it will become our new reality."

In an effort to free himself before she distracted him once more (or worse), Espio started to pull away, all the while feeling his mind race. If what he was being told was true - and it certainly had the possibility of _not_ being true - then this was no longer just a war against a power-hungry force hell-bent on mere destruction. In fact, it never had been. Nakea _strongly_ implied that her leader, whoever she was, wished to _change_ reality as opposed to destroy it. The question now, aside from the matter of truthfulness versus untruthfulness, was… _How does she intend to accomplish this?_

Now smirking, Nakea tightened her grip on him. "I suppose there is one more thing," she informed him. "Though, this one is less a secret and more a… _warning_ , of sorts. One I am only willing to give because I do not wish to see you... ah... _wiped out_ , shall we say."

Wisely, Espio stilled for the moment. A lie or not, the things she was saying right now had to be taken seriously for the time being. Her words required consideration and investigation before they could be discredited, for if she happened to tell the truth at any point… _We will need to know what she knows._

Apparently, she was pleased with his reluctant cooperation, and it showed in the way her smirk grew on her face. "There exists a certain… _dilemma_ in your little group of friends," she told him.

He subtly tensed. "Explain."

"Oh, I will. Assuming, that is, that you're willing to put up with me for a little while longer." When he gave her a small scowl, she laughed and pecked him on the lips. She then did so twice more, just enough to make him temporarily forget his plans to leave the second she finished speaking. "The Immortals," she began to reveal quietly as he forced himself to refocus, "can no more defeat us than we can defeat them. Such has been the case for far too many years." She gained a strangely thoughtful and distant look, as though remembering something from long ago. "Once, my lady was on the brink of wiping them out, only to discover that more would simply continue to be born, on and on across eternity. We have since been forced to seek a more permanent solution… and in that energy…" Her attention shifted back to the present and she resumed smiling. "My lady believes we have finally found it."

Feeling even more serious now than he already had been, Espio was forced to question, _An energy?_

Nakea idly ran a finger up and down his chest. "The trouble for you lot is… well… Let us just say that this new energy has long since picked its host… and that it is not particularly friendly."

 _Nothing ever is._ Huffing, he ducked out of the loop of her arms and took a couple steps back. In mild retaliation, she threw her slightly bloodied knife at him. He dodged it and flung one of his back at her snappishly.

It was easy for her to dodge as well, and the standoff continued. She placed a finger upon her chin in a gesture of mock thoughtfulness. "Something tells me that you are not taking this very seriously. Now, what can I do to change that…? Oh, I know."

Since he was ready for her to come, Espio had enough time to react and save himself from a potentially severe injury. She lunged for him, this time with a dagger, and made a move to plunge it into his stomach. When he struck her wrist with the side of his hand to knock the blade away, she twisted said blade around so that the tip was digging into his palm. Then of _course_ , because she was just in that sort of mood today, she pressed her advantage in a fairly unusual manner. Wasting no time, she knocked him back into the statue yet _again_ , thrust the dagger up so it stabbed through his hand and pinned it to the stone at his back, and initiated another kiss.

Shameful though it was to admit, he lost track of time for a good long while after that point. It wasn't until she finally gave it a rest that he was able to regain his breath and his mind was able to resume proper function again. At about the same time that it did, he suddenly became aware of two important (and irritating) things. One, she had managed to distract and overwhelm him to the point that some of his aura had escaped its usual confines and had been capable of being sensed for… however long they had been standing here - a problem which he quickly remedied. Two, because of his idiotic mistake, they had been detected and (despite his quick cover-up) were about to be joined by a very unwelcome guest. _Dammit._ Was this what it was like to be under supervision? Because he already hated it.

God, he needed a drink.

Thinking fast, he knocked her away from him (not that the blow in any way harmed or bothered her) and retrieved his sword. Not two seconds later, the person responsible for their interruption was upon them. "Espio? What the _hell_ is happening here?" A familiar voice called out. Soon, the green hedgehog who owned the voice was walking into the area with a noticeable huff.

Supremely irritated, Espio quickly retorted, "Nothing." Nakea just hid an amused smirk behind her hand.

"Yeah, no," Steam muttered, glaring at Nakea. "You can cut the smug shit now."

She responded with a small shrug and replied, "Whatever you say." Her smirk didn't drop at all, and Espio left off frowning at Steam long enough to toss her a short glare.

"Alright, so, you definitely hurt Espio. He's obviously a bit pissy, which leads me to believe something happened. Either way, you, woman, need to leave. _Now_." Steam crossed his arms, watching the two quietly.

Oh, she was _enjoying_ this. Espio could _tell_. "I think not," she answered easily. "I still have some time to kill, and I would like to continue doing so."

"And you can kill said time _without_ Espio involved."

"Hm, perhaps. But this is much more entertaining."

Inwardly, Espio scowled. _Must they speak about me as though I am not here?_

Steam took a step forward, anger flickering into his eyes. "I can bring a hell of a lot of attention here if necessary."

By now, Nakea had begun idly examining her fingers as though their appearance was somehow of great importance. "You could," she agreed. "I was not anticipating a slaughter today, but I would not mind one."

At this point, Espio interrupted finally. "Do it and I will cut you," he muttered. She chuckled.

The hedgehog's aura flared in annoyance at Nakea, noticeably gritting his teeth. "You're really just pissing me off, and I don't care if you want that or enjoy it."

"Mm, that _is_ the idea, though," Nakea told him casually. At the same time, she countered his little aura flare with a sort of neutralizing flare from her own aura. Through this (a feat she could only pull off ever once in a while), she prevented his little call for aid from getting noticed by anyone. Espio frowned at her. Could she have not done this _before_ and allowed them to avoid this whole confrontation? Damn her.

Steam glared at her hatefully, the air around him shimmering a golden color. "Piss off, asshole."

"Such an original threat… did you create it yourself?"

"Even if I did, it wasn't for any special purpose. Just delaying inevitable issues for people."

Growing a tad bored of this, Nakea rather idly flung multiple knives at the pair of them. Espio dodged, but did nothing to help Steam do the same. As far as he was concerned, she wasn't being anywhere near serious enough for the threat to be large, anyway. Steam waved his hand and batted the knives away with a wave of his magic, growling faintly as a black blur landed on the ground near them.

Taking sight of the blur, Espio frowned openly again. _More company… brilliant._ He tightened his grip on his sword.

Nakea raised a brow at this little turn of events. "So you were calling for help again," she murmured. "How cute."

"Well, if I can't get close enough to kick your ass, I'll find someone else who can," Steam answered easily, his stance slowly lowering.

"So your idea was to call in the kitten?" Nakea inquired, a finger on her chin. "I find myself wondering what you would _do_ with a brain if you happened to acquire one."

Armaris rolled her eyes, glancing to Steam. "Man, this woman has no sense of good humor." Or, at least, she wasn't bothering to display one to these people. "I'd enjoy seeing her IQ bump up by a few points and making up something more clever and original."

"Hm, I could say the same of you," was the idle reply. Espio resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"So I see that you've got nothing good in retort. Good thing to hear, considering I can't be assed to keep this up. I've got a mentor to impress, and I think I'll do that now," Armaris replied simply enough, smoky darkness rising off her body.

In response, Nakea's smirk unexpectedly dropped and she huffed. "Espio, must you have such annoying friends?" she sighed, drawing her sword again. He immediately readied his own.

"Hey! I'll have you know that he didn't choose to have me as a friend," Armaris retorted, grabbing her own weapon and letting the blade snap outwards. It was technically true. She had essentially shoehorned herself into his life and sort of… never really left. But that was irrelevant now, Espio supposed.

Steam grabbed for his own blade, then decided against it. _Against her, it likely won't help at all._ "Espio, you probably shouldn't be here for this."

He tossed Steam a glare. "I'm not leaving," he muttered crossly.

"Of course you aren't," Nakea laughed. "We were not finished, now were we?" He gave her a glare, too, but she merely smiled. Knowingly.

Armaris snorted. "Stubborn as hell." With that, she immediately shot forward.

In an instant, Nakea was simply gone. She gave all the appearances of having retreated again for now, but Espio wasn't buying it. As such, he immediately moved to disappear from sight as a means of defense until she reappeared. In response to all of this, Armaris began allowing her body to morph demonically. Espio knew this secret, Nakea _obviously_ would know after their last interaction, and Steam seemed to know her enough that this was probably common knowledge to him. As such, she didn't hesitate. Steam glanced around quietly, simply unsure what to do for the time being. The only reason he'd actually even called for help was due to the fact that Nakea was simply impossible for him to so much as _damage_ more than half the time. For that reason, he was waiting for any opportunity to manage such.

In a flash, Nakea reappeared and, while again using her aura to help prevent others from sensing this little skirmish, coated their small area in a thick layer of Darkness. Steam was quick to begin counteracting this with pulses of Light, glaring. "Espio, seriously. You need to go _somewhere_ else."

The chameleon was thankfully already out of range for the moment, having moved to safety the second the danger had presented itself. But, seeing an opportunity, he quickly flung his sword at Nakea's back. She dodged, but not fast enough for once. It sliced through her side, and she turned in his direction with a disapproving frown.

Armaris watched the sword almost as if time had slowed, her whole body careening in that direction as corrupted Darkness erupted from her hands and blade into a powerful wave to cover the area she assumed Nakea was in. Nakea watched her come, observing the violent energies at play, and saw an opportunity to further her little game. Smiling faintly to herself, she used her own Darkness to further spread Armaris's and hers throughout a much wider area, successfully engulfing both Steam and Espio before either could make a move to escape. Momentarily stunned by the influx of energy, Espio unintentionally froze, briefly unable to cope with the way his own energies (which he wasn't yet used to even knowing _existed_ ) were reacting. He shrugged it off, more or less, after a few seconds too long and leapt away again.

Steam was noticeably affected, but powered through it with continuous pulses of Light and went in the direction he _hoped_ Espio had headed to. Nakea vanished again, this time seemingly with little intention of returning. As she did, Espio turned his attention to his arm, which was absolutely fucking _burning_ right now. Armaris growled hatefully, crouched low to the ground and idly tearing at whatever was underneath her in efforts to calm herself down.

An amber eye glanced her way, then briefly at Steam, then Espio looked at his sleeve as he tried to somehow lift it up (damn his one arm, truly) and see why it felt burnt. Steam jumped into the tree Espio was in, landing besides the chameleon and using his magic to aid him in this endeavor. Once the sleeve was lifted, it became clear that the areas of Espio's arm that felt like they were burning were covered in new marks. While previously there had only been a few, the influx of demonic Darkness had caused so many more to appear that about a third of his arm was covered in them.

"Espio. Please come inside," Steam pleaded softly, biting his lip.

That idea held little appeal. None, actually. But, then again… neither did staying out here, at the moment. He took a second to consider his options, but scarcely had a chance to begin before _she_ was back, crouching directly in front of him. Following her lead, he moved so fast that time around them seemed to stand still. He started to dodge away from her, but she stopped him through her next unexpected action. She hooked her fingers under the collar of his shirt and tugged. "Come. We have somewhere to be."

Momentary confusion made itself known in him as she gave another light pull. Only when she released him and disappeared in the direction of the distant woods did he understand her intentions. Though a part of him wanted to follow, he hesitated. Old words of wisdom came flooding back to him from his youth, though they lacked the power they had once had over him. _"There are some paths that cannot be untread. Be careful which you choose to walk. Do not allow your enemies to change who you are."_

She reappeared a ways ahead, positively goading him with her words and her laugh. Cursing himself, he retrieved his sword and sped after her.

Armaris hissed hatefully, making a move to follow them before deciding against it. There was no way going after them would be a good idea. As such, she stayed in her crouched position for the time being. Sonic, Tails, and Wave rushed into the area right about then, all looking around in obviously great concern. "The _hell_?" Sonic asked in lieu of a proper greeting, eyeing all the remaining Darkness was still crackling throughout the area. His eyes landed on Armaris and lingered, but he didn't ask about her just yet.

"Espio and that woman. She showed up," Armaris summarized, wincing and closing her fist angrily. " _Don't_ come close."

Steam walked between them as a mild precaution. "She showed up and was fucking with Espio. I found them and called for help, so Armaris showed up. We got into a short fight, and then she ran off with him following after her."

Tails's twin namesakes shifted about in an anxious manner. Holding his scanner tightly, he said slowly, "...I detected a really _big_ spike in Darkness over here."

"All three of them had a part in that. Wasn't just Espio, but he was definitely… in that."

Wave decided to forgo her usual humor and instead adopted a very no-nonsense attitude. "Which means more markings showed up, I'd wager. How many?" Alarmed, Sonic's ears went back.

"About a third of his arm is covered," Steam replied. "I tried to get him to come in, but he chased after Nakea…"

"Shit," Sonic muttered emphatically. " _Shit_."

"Yeah," Tails agreed quietly. "This is _really_ bad. We should go find him, but… I doubt I have to explain why that's probably not possible _or_ a good idea."

Armaris' Darkness briefly spiked as she attempted to gain control over herself, briefly twitching in their direction. "Now isn't… a good time to just stand around…" she muttered, glaring at the group.

Wave shot a certain blue hedgehog a stern look. "Yes… _someone_ here is supposed to be resting. I'll monitor this with Jet while I work on the barriers, so you go to bed. Now."

Even though he strongly suspected she was just using this as an excuse to wrap this up, Sonic decided not to press his luck against her suddenly serious mood. So, with a curt nod, he simply teleported inside. Tails's gaze lingered on Armaris for a long moment but, eventually, he also turned and left. Any questions he had could be asked at a later time. He needed to check on Shadow, anyway.

 **~保護者~**

Kaden sat on a rocky ledge, gazing out over the barren landscape with powerful boredom. Smoke drifted lazily from the cigarette he had lit. In the past, he had used these little sticks as a coping mechanism, but these days… he supposed he just enjoyed the ritual of it, for it took a bit of the edge off of his boredom. That boredom, that damned _boredom_ , was the only reason he currently sat here. Watching. Waiting. Listening.

 _Patience,_ he told himself. _The time will come._ Reminding himself of that was only marginally helpful. He was itching to get going, eager to truly face his enemies for the first time in too long. He was goddamned _bored_ , and the upcoming battle was the only thing that promised to eliminate his problem for now. He _needed_ the danger, the excitement, the thrill. His enemies were preparing, in their own way, for battle. They believed they were ready. Ready to face _him_ and _win_. How ludicrous. If only they knew.

He never _lost._

 **~保護者~**

 **5,327 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 4:00 p.m.) 10-12-19.**


	37. Dark Horizons

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this moment of calm… especially for the crazy one.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, it is a bit extreme, isn't it? But, unfortunately, it truly has always been that way between them. It's just not a good thing. *Sweatdrop* And yeah, he certainly can be a touch cocky at times, and so can Sonic. Like father like son, as you pointed out. Lol XD**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Dark Horizons"**

 **~保護者~**

Night had long since fallen by the time Cream was finally able to locate her protector. She had been dozing off when he had apparently taken off. Tails had woken her up to fill her in on what had happened, then firmly insisted that she go back to bed and try to get some proper sleep. Reluctantly, she had done so. She had managed to sleep quite soundly, in fact. Only, now she was awake. Wide awake, actually, because she had gotten a feeling. That _feeling_ , the one she had relied on since childhood to guide her to her guardian whenever she had wanted or needed him. The reason why she was able to track him down was simple.

She reached out, and he answered.

A shinobi of his caliber was simply never located unless they were _willing_ to be found. There were times when even she was unable to pull off this feat, but usually… usually if she felt for his aura, she could find it. Faintly, faintly she would sense it, whispers of energy that would guide her to his location. She followed those whispers on this night as she had done so many times before, walking quietly along until he finally entered her field of vision. He was seated on the railing of a large balcony attached to one of the many halls snaking their way through this wing of the building. He sat with his right leg on the railing, bent at the knee to support his arm, and his left leg dangling lazily over the edge. It seemed to her at first that he was in a position of calm repose, until she looked more fully at him.

Spotting the open bottle hanging loosely in his hand, Cream sighed. She stepped outside to join him, bringing his attention to her with a quiet, "Espio-san…" Turning his head, he silently looked at her. Meanwhile, she paused and shook her head with a slight smile. "No, I suppose it is not necessary for me to use 'san' anymore, is it?"

He blinked, considering, then answered, "It never was."

She shrugged in response and walked over to lean on the railing beside him. "I suppose it was hardly ever accurate, was it? 'Sama' fits the best." He answered with a slight shrug. "Well, either way… I suppose it is unimportant." Knowing she would face no repercussions for her boldness, she reached out and ran her fingers over a tear in his sleeve - just one small portion of the large amount of damage now done to his kimono. "You are not injured, are you?"

"No."

Whether or not he was being entirely truthful was a question she couldn't attempt to answer. What mattered to her was that it was obvious he wasn't _seriously_ injured. His kimono, however… "This is virtually ruined," she lamented softly.

His manner was careless and dismissive. "It can be mended."

"Unless you are willing to ask for assistance, no," she answered plainly. "You cannot do it with one hand, remember?"

"I know." In some situations, pointing out such a thing might irritate or least frustrate him. This time, it didn't seem to do either. He just accepted it and moved on.

Cream shook her head again. "I was honestly surprised that you continued to wear it," she admitted. "I thought you hated them ending up like this."

Though she knew she was right, he didn't directly admit to that. He did, however, say, "I intend to change later."

"It is for the best," she agreed, letting his sleeve drop. She didn't remove her hand from his space entirely, however. Instead, she pointedly tapped the side half-empty bottle he was still holding. "Why do you have this?"

Had anyone else asked, she didn't doubt that he would have refused to answer. Since it was her, however… she hoped he would be willing to open up a bit. Usually, he did. This time proved to be no different. Now wearing a small frown, he looked back out over the darkened landscape and muttered, "I needed it."

All things considered, she didn't doubt that. From what she understood, he had turned to drinking as a coping mechanism for a very, very long time. Well before her own birth, even. It was usually at home and behind closed doors, but given everything she'd heard had gone down between him and that lady earlier this evening… she supposed his statement was truthful and made a bit of sense. ...Not that she approved, either way. "I wish you would do something else instead." Predictably, no response came. The conversation threatened to die down. After a small moment, however, she decided not to let it. "Will you at least tell me why you needed it?" Silence. She tried again. "Was it something to do with the fight?"

Unexpectedly, he scoffed. "No."

That made sense, actually. After all, why would a fight bother him? He _lived_ for combat. _That was a silly question._ "Something happened after the fight then," she surmised, "and after you left. Is that right?" If it was possible, he somehow managed to grow even more closed off than usual. Though that never boded well, it did give her some insight into just how correct she actually was. Now equal parts suspicious and concerned, she decided to try to press the issue. "Espio-sama?" His lips pressed together into a thin line. His frown remained, possibly even deepened. These reactions were both very slight, but she saw them. She saw them, and she worried over them. What in the world had happened?

Before she could try to question him further, he did something else that managed to surprise her. Though he seldom exercised any degree of authority over her (often taking the stance of, "she is not my daughter and can do as she pleases"), he did so tonight. "Go back to bed." His words were a touch quieter than usual. It was almost as though he had sighed while speaking. "It is nothing you need to worry over."

Now she was also frowning. "But…"

He didn't let her even try to argue. "Bed. Now."

She huffed at him and murmured, "I am not six anymore, you know."

In response, he flippantly replied, "And I care…?"

His answer succeeded in making her smile (she suspected that had been the intent, based off of interactions long ago), and she shook her head once more. "Alright, I will go to bed," she conceded, "but only if you promise me one thing."

He gave her a long, heavy look. Promises were an _extremely_ serious thing in his culture. Promises made were never to be broken under _any_ circumstances. It was more than just a matter of honor - it was more than she believed she even understood. For that reason, she simply didn't ask such things of him, not without good reason. Naturally, she believed she had one this time. "...Ask." It was the only permission he would give her to speak.

Once given the chance to do so, she made her request. "Please, after this one," she pointed unhappily at the bottle in his hand, "no more. Do you promise?" Now, granted, it didn't seem as though he had a kind of drink that would affect him. His kind were _notoriously_ resistant to both medicine and alcohol, meaning generally only their stuff worked on them. And, naturally, he didn't exactly have access to drinks from home way out here. But who knew, maybe this Babylonian stuff would have enough of a kick to it? Even if it didn't, she didn't like the idea of him drowning his problems like this. She never had.

Another sigh, this one slightly more noticeable. He didn't even try to hide it much this time. After a pause, he relented. "...Fine, then."

Satisfied, she moved to head back inside. "Thank you," she replied, feeling happier already. "And, goodnight."

He turned his head away to resume contemplating the landscape. Following a short period of silence, he murmured back to her, "Goodnight."

Pleased, she returned inside. Once she was out of sight, he took another drink, returning unwillingly to his thoughts. His mind drifted back to the events of earlier, the interactions that had led to his current mood… and his feelings of resentment. He had been able to mask his anger up until now, but since Cream was now gone, there was no longer a point. Especially given what had happened tonight...

 _Twenty short minutes after Nakea had taken off and Espio had taken off after her, he irritably examined his clothes. When she lightly teased him for his scrutiny, he snippily replied, "You cut them."_

 _"I did," she chuckled. "But, also, I did warn you."_

 _Huffing, he bent down and reclaimed his sheathed sword. He slipped it back into his sash without a sound. Shortly afterward, he noticed something and frowned at her. "Give it back."_

 _She played the part of an innocent bystander. "Whatever do you mean?"_

 _"Now." He wasn't buying her act, not for a second._

 _Now it was her turn to huff, though she did so with a small smile. "Yes, alright. If you insist." Removing his inhaler from a pocket, she tossed it back to him. Her smile then faded and she told him firmly, "That one is nearly ruined. Get yourself another."_

 _His response was swift and dismissive as he tucked the medicinal object away. "Don't mother me."_

 _"Do it or I will cut you instead of your clothes this time."_

 _"You would do that, anyway."_

 _"You miss the point."_

 _"No."_

 _Sufficiently annoyed by him, Nakea stalked over and cuffed him sharply on his good shoulder. "When will you learn to listen to what I say?"_

 _Her shift in mood was immediately attention-grabbing. It was unlike her to be so serious, let alone so suddenly. And why was she getting worked up over this issue, in particular? Certainly, she had gotten on his case about this sort of thing before, but not quite this sternly. Uncertain how else to respond, he opted for a small jab. "When you learn to start making sense."_

 _In a flash, she was behind him, whispering in his ear. "Heed my words, this time, Espio. I have something important to tell you…"_

 **~保護者~**

It was late in the night and Sonic found himself tossing and turning. Many, many years had thankfully passed since his last bout of insomnia, but tonight the problem had come back with a vengeance. _Can't say I appreciate that,_ he groused. Rolling over again, he squeezed his eyes shut and probably for about the millionth time tried to force himself to fall asleep. However, the sound of other blankets softly shifting distracted him from that rather swiftly.

"Sonic? That you moving around?"

Hearing the whisper, Sonic rolled over once more, ears reflexively perked. Searching the dark room, he looked at the bed to the right of his. Tails occupied that bed. When Sonic focused, he found that he could see the fox fairly well. His friend was sitting up, looking at him quietly. "Yeah," he whispered back. "Guess my old friend insomnia decided to pop in for a visit. What about you? Why are you up?"

"I had a somewhat unpleasant dream, and I guess it woke me up," Tails answered. "Then I thought I heard you moving around a bunch, so I thought I'd check."

"I guess I was doing that," Sonic admitted, sitting up. "Sorry."

Tails shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about. Everyone's a bit stressed. I'm honestly surprised that we aren't _all_ awake right now."

That was true enough, Sonic supposed. _As it is, I'm willing to bet that the two of us, Shadow, and Cream are the only ones even attempting to rest at this point._ "I guess you're right. And on that note, you should probably go back to sleep."

Much to Sonic's surprise, Tails shut that idea down. "No, that's alright. I'm kinda wide awake after that dream, to be honest." There were a few seconds of silence before he continued. "What about you? Are you even feeling tired?"

After some brief thought, Sonic had to admit that he wasn't. "No… not really. I've got too much on my mind, I guess."

"I figured as much." At about the same time that Tails replied, Cream shifted in her sleep. They both fell silent for a second and watched her, only relaxing when it became clear that she wasn't waking up. Returning his attention to Sonic, Tails said even more quietly than before, "I think we should take this into another room."

Thanks to his ears, Sonic heard that loud and clear. In response, he got out of bed and snuck past his brother and Cream with Tails at his heels. The pair slipped out of the room as silently as they possibly could, shutting the door behind them once they were out in the hall. From there, they wandered around a little bit until they found a nice cozy sitting room. They settled in on the two couches with a dim lamp on, pillows to lay on if they decided to sleep again later, and blankets to keep the evening chill at bay. Sufficiently comfortable, they resumed talking. "Seems that my reputation as a worrywart precedes me," Sonic commented, picking up the dropped thread of conversation.

Not missing a beat, Tails smiled a little and answered, "Yeah, a bit. Plus, you know, anyone who _isn't_ worried about everything going on must be a bit on the crazy side."

Sonic couldn't help but chuckle. "Maybe."

"So what, specifically, is worrying you right now?" Tails asked. "I mean, I realize _everything_ is concerning these days, but you know what I mean."

"It's hard to narrow it down to any one thing," Sonic sighed. "'Everything' is my go-to answer for a reason, I guess."

Tails seemed to give this some consideration. "Okay… so, can you narrow down 'everything' to just one thing that you want to actually talk about?" he asked.

After a long moment, Sonic executed a small shrug. "I mean… I guess I have been wondering about that God of Demons guy. He is the biggest threat we're facing, after all, and also the one responsible for the most current threat we're facing."

"That's true enough," Tails nodded. "I can't actually tell you a ton, as I'm sure you already know, but I can at least _try_ to answer any new questions you have."

"That would be great, thanks," Sonic answered, managing a small smile that Tails readily returned. "One thing I've been wondering about this whole evening was the territory that was mentioned when Jet and the queen were arguing. Does this guy have his own world or something like Jet does?"

For a minute, Tails was visibly fishing for an easy answer. "Erm… not… _quite_. See, being the God or Goddess of anything grants you a lot of extraordinary powers that no one else has. For example, the God or Goddess of the Sun has the ability to use Sunfire, use suns across existence for travel, and so on. In this case, the God of Demons used his powers to create his own… home… so to speak to live in."

Sonic frowned. "You're not being very specific."

"I'm getting to that," Tails assured, "it's just… It's hard to explain in a way that's not going to sound fantastical. ...But I suppose being blunt would be easiest…" He trailed off in thought briefly, then let out a breath. "Okay, look, he has the power to forge his own realms and bring them into existence, though it takes most of his power for a long time when he does it. It's probably why he only ever bothered making the one. Plus, it's more than large enough for everything he's put in there and way, way more."

Stunned, Sonic sat up straight. "...You… _can't_ be serious."

"I am," Tails answered sort of nonchalantly. Sonic had to remind himself that to the fox, this was old news. "Anyway, it's within that realm that he keeps his various planets, the three or so he's created and the many others he's… uh… _commandeered_." He cleared his throat. "The first of the worlds that he created himself, though… that's the one where he personally resides most of the time, so it's likely that that's where those trespassers wound up."

"Meaning they not only violated his territory once by straying into his realm-"

"But twice by also, possibly, setting foot on his favorite world. Yeah."

In response, Sonic put his head into his hands and sighed heavily. _That explains some of the sudden anger coming our way, maybe._ After a short silence, he asked, "How do you even know about this stuff?"

Tails shrugged. "Most of it I learned from Jet and Wave over the years. Though, back in the earliest days of our struggle against this god, Jet and I worked out some more minor bits and pieces of knowledge together. ...Which… is hard to do since there aren't exactly any maps of that place. It's much easier to work things out by _being_ there which, obviously, I couldn't do."

Sonic swallowed hard. In a quiet voice, he asked, "How many worlds has he taken out, Tails?"

Now Tails's entire demeanor grew somber. "I don't know," he answered just as softly. "I… I try not to think about it."

The answer was reasonable. Really, it should have been expected. Sonic just nodded and changed the subject after lifting his head again. Clearing his throat, he said, "You mentioned his power just now when you were explaining the whole realm thing. And you guys have also mentioned his power in terms of describing how strong he is. But what about his actual powers? What can he _do_?"

Tails appeared grateful for the subject change, though things were still admittedly staying rather dark. "Well, I don't claim to know all the powers of a _god_ , but I can give you some info into the skills I have heard about."

"A basic run-down is fine," Sonic agreed.

"Right. So, obviously there's the whole realm-creation thing," Tails began. "Plus he has the usual teleportation, super strength, extreme night-vision, the works. Those are just the basic non demon-specific ones, though."

 _Now that you mention "basic"…_ "Aren't demons usually associated with fire?"

"Oh, absolutely. I'm getting to that. There are three main types of fire you'll have to watch out for. There's Demonfire, as most have come to call it, true and proper _Hell_ fire, and God or Goddess's Flame. In this case, God's Flame." Tails shifted to pull his blanket up over his shoulders more when a chill ran down his spine. It was unrelated to the cold. "Now, for Demonfire," he said, "it's about what you'd expect. Fire for demons, right? The weakest demons of the bunch are limited just this fire, but don't let that description fool you into think you're safe, Mister Fire-User. Demonic fire can and _will_ kill non-demonic beings, regardless of whether or not they have fire of their own.

Sonic stared. "...Oh." _Lovely. ...And very comforting._

Tails continued. "There's not much else to say about Demonfire than that, save for this. One way you can tell it apart from regular fire… say, on the battlefield, is by the color. Demonfire is the same color as regular old fire, but the colors are always somehow more vibrant." When Sonic looked puzzled, he waved his hand lightly and added, "You'll understand when you see it, trust me."

"Okay, so what about Hellfire?" Sonic asked. "Guessing that one's used by stronger demons."

"Correct. Meaning it's much hotter, much more powerful, you get the idea. Fun fact, this fire, along with regular Demonfire, is what coats the landscape on demonic worlds and planets that have recently been razed by demons."

Thinking back, Sonic recalled the world where he had first laid eyes upon the distant visage of the man who was apparently their enemy. _Those fires… I'd thought they weren't ordinary… though I hadn't paid it much mind at the time._

"Hellfire," Tails said meanwhile, "also has a visual difference between it and other fires. It's a vibrant, bloody red and therefore very, very distinct. Easy to pick out on the battlefield, making it easier to avoid."

Well, that was good to know. "And what about that last one?"

"Not much to say besides the whole 'it's the strongest and all that' spiel," Tails said. "Plus, you know, it can obviously only be used by the current God or Goddess, hence the name."

Sonic nodded. "Right. And the color?"

"The hottest fires are said to be blue in color," Tails answered, "so I guess it makes sense that this one is. Except, it's not _exactly_ blue. It's more like this hellish shade of bluish-white. It's very ghastly and, honestly, sort of creepy when you find some just burning something in a dark place all by itself."

Eyebrows raised, Sonic asked, "Personal experience?"

"No, Wave's. But she shared the memory with me when I failed to understand via her description just how creepy it _was_."

"Must have been pretty bad, I take it."

"Oh, yeah." Tails cleared his throat. "Anyway, obviously fire isn't all he has. Otherwise, he'd probably be _much_ easier to beat."

 _Except for Jet. Fire might be enough, in a way._ Sonic felt a pang. _I hope fire doesn't still terrify him._ He refocused on Tails. "Yeah, that makes sense. What else has he got?"

"One thing, I don't know the name of it, is the ability for him to… how do I put this… make a 'call', of sorts?" When Sonic gave him a perplexed look, Tails chuckled sheepishly. "That was terrible, sorry. Um, basically, from what I've heard, he can sort of 'call' upon beings of Darkness and forcibly turn them into demons. Very few can resist such a call, unfortunately. And, on that note…"

Sonic frowned deeply. "Don't tell me…"

Tails gave him an apologetic look. "Unfortunately, what you're thinking is right. He can indeed also corrupt normal people, animals, and things. But not via the 'call'. Normal corruption works differently somehow. I don't know the specifics." He paused for a second, then added, "Oh, and on that note, obviously he can also summon demons wherever he wants and _when_ ever he wants."

"One of the perks of being the god, huh?" Sonic commented dryly.

A shrug. "I suppose so. Now, we've been over the creation of planets and all that. Terrain manipulation goes along with that, but I don't know everything that entails. So, what else is there…" Tails thought for a long moment before his eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Another one is something that's called 'Dark' invisibility. Beings of Darkness, be they demonic or not, have this really interesting ability to render themselves utterly invisible provided they are under cover of darkness, such as the shadow of a tree or something. He and probably most other demons have this power."

"I hate to say it, but that makes sense," Sonic sighed. "It's pretty fitting."

"Agreed," Tails said. "Oh, and back on the earlier topic of basic powers, I can specifically list what he has if you want."

"Please do."

"Sure. So, he has flight, teleportation, corrupted Darkness, strength, extreme night vision, speed, stealth, agility, resilience, portal opening and closing, the ability to breathe in space (like most other creatures), the so-called 'super jump' thing that you also have, all the basic semi-Immortal abilities such as only being able to die from specific things, the ability to go into his Dark form, aura sensing, the ability to adhere to surfaces to 'wall crawl' and such like Espio can, enhanced flexibility and dexterity, levitation, gliding, and… that's it for the basic stuff."

For a long moment, Sonic wasn't sure how to respond. When he finally did, all he managed to say was a small, "Shit."

Tails looked solemn again. "Yeah."

The pair grew quiet for a long moment until Sonic came up with another question. He didn't doubt that Tails knew of more abilities the God possessed, but for now Sonic had something else he wanted to know. "On the topic of powers, what are his weaknesses? Even Immortals have at least one. You know, the one that lets other Immortals kill them."

Tails inclined his head in understanding, but answered with, "He doesn't… seem to _have_ weaknesses in the traditional sense. I mean, obviously he's weak to Light and obviously he _can_ be killed, but there's just no easy way for anyone to make that happen. ...Not that we want to, anyway."

Sonic was stunned. "Wait, hold on a minute. You _don't_ want to kill the _God_ of Demons?" he demanded.

The fox's hands raised in a placating gesture. "I'm getting to that, just let me explain," he pleaded. Sonic simmered down reluctantly, and Tails let out a heavy sigh. "Look… the God is this huge, powerful, vast evil. Okay, we get that. We can't not _know_ that. But, the thing is, he used to be a person, Sonic. A _good_ one. And when he was corrupted, the goodness that was in him held out against that corruption for as long as it could. That 'light', if you will, inside of him has slowly been consumed over the years, but a tiny sliver his goodness, his past self, is still _in_ there. Jet and the rest of us… we want to use that 'weakness' to save him. Not to end him."

None of what Sonic had been told made any sense at all. There was no way, no way that any of this could be right. "Tails, why in the _hell_ would you want to _save_ a monster like that? It isn't right!" In his anger, he found himself standing up, letting his blanket fall to the floor in the process.

Slowly, Tails lifted his solemn gaze from the floor to look at Sonic. Very quietly, he stated, "Because, these days, the one sustaining that tiny sliver I was talking about… is your mother. She's trying to save him, too. Isn't that enough?"

Too shocked to speak, Sonic fell utterly silent and sank back down into his seat. "Mom… Mom is?" he whispered faintly.

Tails looked down again. "Yeah. We don't know how long she's been doing it or how she even is doing it, but… it's her energy. There isn't any doubt about that." Silence fell again. It threatened to persist for a long while and likely would have, had Tails not persisted. "Look… I know you aren't thrilled about this but eventually you'll understand why. Please, you're just going to have to trust us. If not all of us, then at least your mom. Okay?"

Slowly, very slowly, Sonic gave a slight nod. "...Okay."

It was quiet again for a moment before Tails took in a deep breath and let it out. "To answer the rest of your question… he has only one other known potential weakness that might be able to be exploited. Although, it would be _extremely_ risky."

In an effort to steady himself, Sonic closed his eyes and tried to focus on the conversation at hand. "Seems like everything is," he murmured. "What is it?"

"He's got a few kids," Tails answered. "At least one of them is really young. Demons may not love, but they still 'care' in their own way for their offspring. ...To a point, anyway, and mind you I do use the term 'care' loosely."

Sonic understood. "You think that, as a parent, he's vulnerable through them."

"It sounds awful, but… yes," Tails sighed. "This… 'care'... might be the only tiny bit of leverage we'll ever have over him. And trust me, as much as none of us _want_ to do it, prodding at that weak spot may be our only option somewhere in the future.

Though Sonic didn't like it… he saw Tails's point. "So long as we don't use those kids as damned objects or some shit. Demonic or not, it's not right."

"I agree, and we won't," Tails assured. "That's a promise."

Satisfied with that answer (though perhaps not completely), Sonic let the subject drop. "What about allies?" he asked. This was a stretch and he knew it, but he still felt the need to cover all his bases. "He got any of those?"

Tails actually chuckled at his question. "No, not at all. You probably already assumed this, but he refuses to work with anyone for _any_ reason. And, no, his demons don't count. He always, always works alone. This doesn't prevent him from using others by manipulating or even outright _forcing_ them to do things for him, but alliance implies some sort of partnership. He doesn't see others that way. Lives are dispensable to him. Worthless, unworthy of concern. No way you can see someone as equal enough to be an ally when you see them with that kind of view."

Sonic shook his head. _Typical._ "Okay… so one last thing. Is anyone planning on telling me who the hell this guy _is_?" He thought for a second. "Oh, and why in the _hell_ my dad apparently _lives_ somewhere near to him?"

Tails hesitated, visibly wracking his mind for an explanation. He opened his mouth to speak, faltered, then let out a gusty breath of air. "Like Wave said… your dad basically lives for the danger these days. That's about all I can say for him. And as far as who the God is, I can't… tell you that. I just can't." He looked up at Sonic. "But I do know who can."

Frowning, Sonic replied, "Then please tell me that, at least."

"Jet," Tails answered with no further hesitation. "You still trust him, right? More than you trust just about any other person in your life, alive or dead?"

Quashing his frustration at the change of subject, Sonic gave a curt nod. "Yeah. Of course I do."

"Then you can trust him not to be _lying_ to you about this," Tails told him frankly, putting extra emphasis on that one word. Sonic felt like they had had this conversation before. Had they? So much had been going on that he couldn't really remember. Then Tails reiterated, "Jet is the one you should talk to about those two questions. Not me. And if you want to do that tonight, even, I can guarantee he's not exactly sleeping."

Pursing his lips together, Sonic stood back up. "Yeah… okay. I'll do that. Thanks. And… sorry."

Tails shook his head and managed a small smile. "Don't be sorry. It's okay. But you're welcome."

Sonic picked his blanket up off the floor and returned it to where he'd found it earlier. "Are you gonna stay in here?" he asked.

"No," Tails answered. "I'm gonna go back and check on Shadow and Cream, I think. Maybe even try to get some more sleep myself, though that might be a little too bold and adventurous for one night."

Unable to help it, Sonic let out a small laugh. "Good thing you're the daring type, huh?"

"Precisely," Tails grinned. After getting up and dealing with his own blanket, he followed Sonic out of the room. "See you later, Sonic."

"See you." Sonic turned and dashed off without another word.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,390 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! There will be a delay before the next chapter is posted, though I don't know how long of one. Between both of us working an Blazing Winds also going to college, it's hard to get together and write. Sorry, but we'll do our best to make the wait worthwhile! Posted (at about 10:40 a.m.) 10-14-19.**


	38. Escalation

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this moment of calm before the storm… especially for the ones who are at once hated... and protected.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, Sonic and Jet need to have a lil chat. XD Anyway, the _how_ of how the God of Demons was corrupted was explained before. As for the _why_... Well... let's just say it's a matter of bloodline and power. Trust me, this little hint will make sense once we reveal his identity. ;) Anyway, thank you ever so much for your patience! Hope you enjoy!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Escalation"**

 **~保護者~**

Shortly after Sonic left him, Tails decided to get up and return to the medical ward. It was a relatively short and silent walk, one he hardly paid any attention to. His thoughts were his focus instead, all of them decidedly negative. His conversation with his friend had rendered them such. The fault wasn't Sonic's, though, not at all. He had every right to have questions, to ask them, to be given answers. Tails just… wished the topic wasn't so dark.

Shaking his head, he slipped into the ward and tiptoed his way toward the beds. Passing Cream's, he quickly determined she was still fast asleep. Something had clearly set her mind at ease for the time being. Truthfully, he suspected it had been Espio. _Maybe they had a chat._ He brushed that matter aside and continued on. Shadow's bed was the only other occupied bed he had to pass, and just to set himself at ease he glanced over to it.

His intention had merely been to reassure himself that his friend was still resting as he should of been. The blankets, however, had been tossed aside. Where the darkly-colored hedgehog should have been laying, there was only empty space. Concerned but not yet alarmed, Tails quickly started scanning the huge room. It was difficult to see, let alone try to pick out black fur in the _dark_. His main hope was those red eyes, which oddly contained the faintest of glows in the darkness… Whether it was due to his status as a cyborg or due to his alien heritage, Tails had no idea. He just knew that they were his best shot at easily spotting Shadow right now.

Turning around, Tails spotted a sliver of light coming from the doors leading out onto the balcony. He headed for said doors, feeling suspicious as to why they were suddenly open. _Could he had even walked this far?_ Pulling the doors fully open, he peered outside. Straight away, he felt relieved. _Guess he managed it._ He stepped outside with a small sigh. "Shadow… why are you here?"

Shadow, who was leaning somewhat heavily on the railing, scoffed at him. "The options were come out here or stay in _there_. This held the most appeal."

Spying the unlit cigarette in Shadow's mouth, Tails frowned. "I didn't think it would bother you very much," he said. "I realize it's a medical ward, but it doesn't exactly look the part of a hospital." _And, thus, a lab._ Silence answered him. He looked Shadow over, noting that the hedgehog was straining to maintain his upright position. _Maybe it was more than just motor skills that were messed with… Crap. Crap._ Given that worrying thought, he questioned, "How did you even get outside? Earlier, you could barely even stand up." The question sounded harsh even to his own ears. It wasn't his intention. He was just worried, he supposed. Worried and frustrated because his friends hadn't deserved these bizarre punishments and he didn't know how to fix anything for them these days. The lack of knowledge was… unwelcome.

Much to Tails's surprise, Shadow let out a small and indelicate snort. He finally lifted the lighter he'd been holding and tried with shaking uncooperative hands to make it work. "It should be obvious. I fucking _limped_. There wasn't another choice." His fingers refused to work. The lighter wouldn't light. With very obvious frustration and anger, he flung it at the ground. Metal skittered across the stone, stopping a foot or so short of Tails's shoe. "Can't even light a fucking cigarette," he muttered under his breath. This display, coupled with his random openness, would have bothered plenty. Or thrown them way off their guard, at least. But, for Tails, it was normal. The two were open around each other because they could be. They trusted each other. It was normal. For Shadow, it was just easier when there weren't any prying eyes.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Tails bent over and picked up the lighter. "Look, I don't condone this behavior and I normally wouldn't dream of helping you continue it, but… here." Walking over, he helped Shadow get his light and then quickly closed the cap on the lighter again. He then warned, "But this is a one time thing. I just… I know how stressful this is."

Crimson eyes gazed at him for a long moment, but eventually Shadow looked away. "Hn."

Tails set the lighter on the railing. "...I know you're also pretty pissed," he continued carefully. "Hence all the sudden cursing and whatnot. Now, I can't do anything to fix the source of your anger right now, and I'm sorry for that, but…" He looked up at Shadow. "But I think I know I way you can still help us fight the jerks who did this."

Shadow immediately frowned. "You're suggesting we attempt to-"

"Yeah." Tails stifled another sigh. "Yeah, I am. If you can link yourself to our tech, including the various mechs and the like we have on Mobius, you can still fight with us. You can do _more_ than just fight, and you know that."

"Maintaining such connections will be… difficult." Shadow exhaled a puff of smoke. "...But… no more so than every other time we have done this."

His response gave Tails some hope. Perhaps Shadow was willing to go through with his crazy plan. "Do you think you can do it?"

"Is there a choice?" was the dry retort. Then, more seriously, Shadow added, "I will manage."

Nodding, Tails gave the situation some thought. "We'll have to find a safe place for you to work," he mused, "where you won't have to worry about being attacked. I bet your HQ will work rather nicely."

The thought of returning to the Mobian military base where he and Sonic had first reunited, of returning _home_ , seemed to settle some of Shadow's emotions a bit. "It is the best option," he agreed neutrally.

"Agreed." A breeze whispered through the open air and Tails pulled his lab coat closed tighter around him. He let the silence between them linger for a few moments, but he soon broke it. "Anyway, listen… I'm heading back inside now. It's chilly, and I'm still tired. Do you want me to help you, or…?"

Shadow frowned deeply. "I don't need help."

Finally, Tails managed to smile. " _Now_ you sound more like yourself. I was getting worried." Turning, he began walking away. "See you later, Shadow." Receiving no reply, he simply went inside.

 **~保護者~**

Sonic managed to find Jet only after a great deal of searching. The hawk was out on the roof (really, Sonic should have predicted that he would be), gazing out into the stars and rapidly tapping out some silent rhythm with the fingers of his right hand on his leg. Taking note of this sign of stress, Sonic approached as directly as possible in an effort to avoid startling his old friend. "Hey. Mind if I sit with you?"

His voice cause Jet to straighten and turn his head, but his hand never stilled. When he turned back around, he simply said, "Fine." Once Sonic was seated, he then asked, "Why?"

"I wanted to check on you, for one thing," Sonic told him quietly. "And don't you dare say you're fine, because I can already see that you're not."

With a soft _tch_ , Jet forced his hand to stop. That, however, didn't last for longer than a few seconds. Yet, in spite of the obvious proof, he still insisted, "I'm fine, Sonic."

 _This again…_ "You're _not_ , and it might help you to admit that for once," Sonic huffed. "But, before you get defensive, I'm not here to make you do that. I just want you to know that I'm willing to listen whenever you're ready to talk. That's all."

Something about Jet's demeanor seemed to relax. Significantly, in fact. That was a good sign, as was Jet's continuation of the conversation. "...There was another reason for you to come here," he eventually said.

Nodding, Sonic explained, "I had a conversation with Tails about some things, but there are some details he really wants me to learn from you. ...Actually, I'm pretty sure Shadow said as much once before, too. Or, at least, he didn't disagree with it."

It really shouldn't have been surprising that Jet seemed to instantly understand what Sonic was getting at. As such, it wasn't. The frown was expected as well, given the nature of the conversation. They were about to start discussing some dark matters, after all. "What all have they told you?" Jet asked slowly.

Sonic shrugged. "Not much. Same goes for Wave. I've learned a bit about the God's abilities and some miscellaneous things like how he came into power, but that's really it. No one's been willing to give me any details about his identity." Jet seemed ready to tell him. He really, really did. But then his focus seemed to sharpen on something else entirely and he quickly stood up. Sonic quickly followed suit. Asking what was going on would have been just plain stupid, so instead he asked, "Is it coming?"

Jet turned his eyes up to the sky. "Yes. Go and get the others."

Looking up as well, Sonic noticed tiny flashes of light in the distance. They looked like flashing stars, and yet they were different somehow. Darker. Harsher. More… sinister. "Those are impacts," he realized aloud, "on the barriers."

A nod. The flashes were growing larger, coming faster, lasting longer. Demons, Sonic decided with sinking dread. Jet drew his sword in one smooth motion but, before he abandoned the conversation entirely, he said, "Your questions…" Sonic looked over. Jet met his gaze. "I _will_ answer them later." With that firm assurance, he vanished, no doubt to confront the threat himself before they could breach the barriers. Barriers Sonic hoped beyond all hope Wave and Jet had managed to fortify.

Turning, the hedgehog dashed inside faster than he had perhaps intended and yet still not fast enough for his own liking. He knew Wave had insisted that this wouldn't be _"the big one"_ (whatever _that_ meant), but Jet still seemed concerned about it and that fact alone was enough to set Sonic's heart racing. _Demons_ were here, after all, and that never meant good things. As such, he hastened toward his friends. He ran into Tails first out in the hall near the medical ward. The fox's eyes were wide as he exclaimed, "Sonic! Cream just woke up and she said she sensed-"

"I know, I know," Sonic hastily cut in. "We're out of time, Tails. The demons are attacking the barriers and I don't think it'll keep them out for very long."

Tails nodded once. "I need to help Shadow into a safer room. I'll do what I can to guard him."

"Right. What about Cream, where is she?"

"Headed outside already. She wouldn't listen to me when I asked her to wait."

Somehow, Sonic wasn't surprised. Sweet though she was, that woman could be freaking _stubborn_ sometimes. Especially when she felt her friends were in trouble of any sort. He chalked it up to her being Merry's descendant. "Got it. I'm gonna go find Steam and the others." He started to hurry off, then stopped and spun back around for a second. "Call me if anything happens!"

"Of course!"

Reassured, Sonic dashed off. He wasn't sure about Steam, but something told him that Armaris and Espio were still outside… somewhere. Espio might have still been _gone_ , in fact, but hopefully Armaris could at least be found quickly. Sonic was considering heading back to where he had last seen her (he was fairly certain he knew how to get back there), but he soon skidded to an abrupt halt upon returning outside. For just a split second, he'd though he'd sensed a familiar - albeit darker - aura… up above?

He looked up and spotted a lonely balcony. Bunching up his muscles, he jumped. He landed nimbly on the railing mere inches from the foot of his normally-hard-as-shit-to-find ninja friend, glanced the other man over, and asked sharply, "The hell are you doing, Espio?"

In that moment, he received the most _"What the hell does it look like?"_ expression he had seen in years. It was fleeting, but Sonic was certain he had seen it. However, all Espio actually wound up saying was, "You have eyes." He deliberately took another drink from the bottle he was holding.

 _Eyes you told me not to always trust,_ Sonic reflected as Espio set aside the bottle. Much to his dismay, it was nearly empty. "Are you-"

Espio cut him off pointedly. "No."

Actually, Espio seemed irritated by his own answer. That bothered Sonic greatly. _He's trying to deal with something. With what, though?_ Concern continually swirled about within him, but Sonic forced himself to switch gears instead of lingering on this subject. "Whatever, not important. We've gotta go." He glanced up into the sky. "The fight's about to begin."

"I am aware," Espio answered, appearing oddly unhappy. It seemed strange to Sonic. Whatever happened to the whole loving combat thing? Or… was something else entirely causing this change from his normal mood?

Tense with negative emotions he didn't care to contemplate just yet, Sonic knelt down and reached a hand out expectantly. "Let me see your arm," he said. Espio gave him a long, frustrated look, but eventually let out a huff and obliged. With permission given, Sonic took hold of the torn sleeve that was held out to him and lifted it up. Sure enough, there were a larger number of markings now than there had been before. _Damn… He's got so many of this things..._ He gritted his teeth. "Stay away from any flowing demonic energies, do you understand?" he said sharply.

Clearly irritated, Espio yanked his sleeve out of Sonic's grip, allowing it to fall back down to cover his arm. "I am not _stupid_ , Sonic," he retorted. Before the hedgehog could even blink, Espio was on his feet, sword in hand. His gaze was now on the sky as well, a frown firmly in place on his face. All he said after that point was, "Get going. I will hold this area."

There was no time for an argument. They had probably taken too long already. So, with a nod, Sonic took off again. He spotted Cream and ran to her, skidding to a halt once he was near enough. "Do you know where Steam and Armaris are?" he demanded. "Also, Jet's parents and Wave."

She shook her head. "No. I believe they are keeping their minds guarded." Turning, she met his anxious gaze. "I do not know where they are. However, they will be ready. I am rather certain of that."

Sonic ground his teeth. _Dunno about that._ It wasn't that he doubted his friends. Far from it. It was more that he was, as always, worried. Worried that they had all been caught too off-guard. Yes, they had known this attack had been coming. Yes, they had done some training prior to it so as to fight better. But was it enough? _Could_ it be enough? Somehow, he didn't feel like it was or ever would be. Were they ready? He didn't know. One thing, however, was clear. Whether or not they truly were ready… they would have to be.

 **~保護者~**

While Sonic did his best to prepare himself outside, Tails busied himself with getting through the task of barricading the room he was in as best as possible. He had run into the queen just moments ago, rushed through an explanation of what was going on and the sort of defense he needed to locate, and she had directed him here. It seemed this was the safest room where his good friend could be left in. Tails could only hope it would be enough.

With the only entrance as barred off as possible, Tails turned to face Shadow. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay in here with you?" he asked. Maybe it was a stupid question, and maybe Shadow resented him for asking, but he had to check regardless.

Shadow, for his part, seemed to be focusing most of his negativity on his situation as a whole as opposed to on Tails himself. Tails was only trying to help, after all. It wasn't his fault that they had just discovered Shadow couldn't even squeeze the trigger tight enough to fire a gun any longer… "No," he muttered rather crossly.

"...Okay…" Tails reluctantly agreed. "But, look, I need you to promise that you'll call if you end up in trouble." Shadow gave him a flat look. Tails wisely switched the subject around. "The queen said there are plenty of weapons systems, vehicles, and the like that are online. She gave us permission to utilize them as needed. So you can still help fight."

Looking away, Shadow only murmured a moody, "Hn," in response.

Taking in a breath to try to steady himself, Tails picked up the teleporter he had swiped fro Jet… however long ago that was. Using it, he brought the Tornado-Z from Mobius to the area just outside of the room they were in. Then, with nothing left to do here, teleported himself out to the ship, climbed in, and took to the sky.

Almost as soon as Tails disappeared above the clouds, Alana appeared out in the grass near Sonic and Cream, all but dragging Sein along with her. Sein struggled to follow for a second, eventually pulling away from her and huffing. "I wasn't done looking!"

His wife levelled him with a flat look. "You _are_ ," she told him sternly. "A fight is coming." Sonic watched them both, automatically bemused, while Cream managed a smile.

"Ugh, fine, but I'm going back after we send these bastards back to hell." Sein pulled his claymore free of his gauntlet, eyes narrowing faintly as he eyed the threats.

"They will end up back there, regardless," Alana reminded. "They live within that realm, mind you."

"That wasn't the point."

"Then be more specific with your meaning next time."

Sonic looked back and forth between them for a moment. _Now is not the time for this._

Sein glanced over to Sonic, sighing. "I'm kidding. I do this to keep my own tension low before fights. I promise I'll take this seriously."

Emerald eyes blinked. "O… kay?"

"Alana, we should probably take to the air by the barriers to help. Any idea on where the others should go?" Sein asked, quickly turning his attention to his wife.

In response, Alana quickly turned to Sonic and Cream, running an assessing eye over them both. Her gaze then landed on Cream, specifically. "Given your capacity for damage over a wide area… perhaps you should position yourself a small distance from the building. This will give you ample space to release your psychic energies."

Cream nodded. "I was considering the same thing," she agreed.

"I can go over there," Sonic said, pointing, "for kind of the same reason. And that way I'll still be close in case one of us needs backup or something."

"That is adequate," Alana acknowledged. She then turned to Sein. "We should go."

In response, he gave a short nod before turning to Sonic and Cream. "Be safe, both of you," he murmured gently. With that, they both took off.

 **~保護者~**

From outside the barriers, Astra calmly watched the forces far below scatter about in attempts to quickly form a defense against the demonic threat looming over them. _Where is the hedgehog…? I see the Immortals, but not him yet._

As though purely to interrupt her thoughts, the God of Demons suddenly appeared beside her. He looked calmly at the violent assault on the barriers happening close by, but soon focused all of his attention on her. "A touch eager, I see," he murmured.

"Why would I not be? That wretched hawk stood in my way before, and now I have the perfect chance to exact my… hm… _revenge_ on him and those he holds dearest."

The God blinked slowly. "Your petty grudge over the Nocturnian War will not serve you well here if you cannot remain on task," he warned.

"I will stick to _both_ plans, _properly_. Do you think me incapable of such?" Astra asked boldly.

At least for the moment, he didn't seem to care about her attitude. "I _think_ ," he answered silkily, "that you are much too prone to… shall we say… _toying_ with your enemies a tad too much at times."

She rolled her eyes. "You might be right, but I have no plans to break these two yet. The hedgehog is best left… capable of living. _Jet_ , however… as much as I would _love_ to see him crumble, he is also best left alive…" She then begrudgingly added, "And capable of normal functions."

"I do not care what you do with him," the god answered dismissively. "He is already broken. The more broken he becomes, the easier he is to deal with." He then levelled her with a cold gaze. Then he simply warned, "Mind yourself with the boy."

Astra sighed softly. "Of course. He will likely come out of this… mostly with mere trauma. I cannot help anything else that occurs _outside_ of my grasp."

"If either he or his brother are _damaged_ because of your interference, you will suffer for it." After that, the God said nothing more about it, choosing instead to return his attention to the barriers. As they shattered and collapsed in on themselves, he got ready to leave. He had somewhere else to be. "Prepare yourself." He vanished without further comment.

Grey magic flowed ominously around Astra's hands, her eyes glinting with an eager excitement as she appeared to sit while watching the battle begin. "I have."

 **~保護者~**

 **3,762 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 4:10 p.m.) 10-20-19.**


	39. Fragments of Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this chaotic battlefield… especially for the one with a plan.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Reply 1 (from me!): Yeah, those three and everyone else had better be careful. Some crap is really about to go down. There's trouble brewing, alright. Anyway, hope you enjoy this!**

 **Reply 2 (from Blazing Winds):** **Yep. Definitely trouble. Especially for two characters.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Fragments of Darkness"**

 **~保護者~**

The demons descended upon the landscape from the sky like a tsunami… one comprised entirely of dark, writhing bodies. The air was filled with roars and screams and all manner of other horrific noises. The cacophony sent Shadow reeling, causing him to instantly regret connecting his auditory systems to various cameras and the like outside. Wincing and cursing under his breath, he withdrew his connection. It took him a few crucial seconds to recover, but once he did he instantly shifted his focus to any tech he could detect outside. Anything, literally _anything_ he could find would be good enough for now. He would have taken an electric _scooter_ for fuck's sake, so long as it had at least a tiny pistol or something on it. Anything to avoid just sitting here, being absolutely fucking _useless_.

Thankfully, he wasn't that unfortunate. He reflected briefly that he shouldn't have been surprised in any capacity. After all, he was on New Babylon. Babylonians weren't exactly _lacking_ in technology. In fact, he was able to find quite a lot to work with without even having to really search. There were unmanned ships and hoverbikes (sparrows, he believed they were called), robots, weapons and defense systems programmed into various parts of the palace itself, several mid-sized mechs… And as a bonus they had guns. Lots of guns. _Destructive_ guns. Oh, he was going to enjoy this. If he couldn't be out there fighting in person, then fine. This would _more_ than make up for it.

Wasting no further time, he set his newly acquired resources into action. Ships took to the air, sparrows raced across the terrain, guns blasted, robots marched, mechs readied their individual weapons and, best of all, demons died. They were punched out of the way, shot, run over, blown up, sliced apart, accidentally set ablaze (for all the good that did), even stomped upon. Death surrounded his acquisitions, and he was satisfied with that. This unavoidably added a layer of chaos to the madness already unfolding outside, but Shadow didn't care. Every death he caused, be it directly by his hand or not, increased their odds of success and survival bit by little bit. He and his allies were vastly outnumbered, but by thinning the hoard as quickly as possible right from the beginning, it became possible for them to even the odds. That was all the incentive he needed.

 **~保護者~**

The fact that he was being relentlessly pushed away from his friends was _probably_ bad, Sonic reflected as he swung his sword over and over again. He was fighting hard, as hard as he could for that matter, but he was utterly surrounded. To make matters worse, he was _deeply_ lacking in so much of his former battle prowess. He felt weak, unlucky, cursed even. Why couldn't he be less useless? Why did he still have to be so damn _old_ on the inside? What he really could have used prior to this was some more training. Instead of sleeping and chatting, he should have been out sparring, or at least discussing battle tactics with someone. Anything more than just sitting and twiddling his thumbs.

That was when he suddenly remembered his last serious training session. Espio had seen fit to properly kick his butt at the time, but he had also imparted just a couple of pieces of sound advice. Specifically, he had admonished Sonic for spending so much of his energy thinking and worrying as opposed to focusing on the fight himself. Sonic had promptly been instructed to _stop_ doing that, for his own sake. He supposed he should have known this beforehand, but it suddenly occurred to him that he should probably follow those instructions here as well. After all, while he was struggling to cope with his thoughts, he was doing poorly in his portion of the battle. He'd even managed to get himself a nice scratch on his back already. So, taking in a few breaths, he forced himself to clear his mind (at least as much as he was capable of doing). By some miracle, his fighting seemed to gradually improve after that. It helped that several small, unmanned vehicles came screaming through the area, filling with bullets several enemies that had been giving him trouble… and proving that he wasn't actually as alone as he felt.

 _Thanks, Shadow._

 **~保護者~**

 _No matter how many we kill, it does not seem to be enough._

Lamenting the apparent futility of their struggle, Cream sighed to herself and unleashed another small and concentrated blast of psychic energy. Demons died all around her and her friends, leaving scarcely a dent in the still-descending hoards. They had effortlessly surrounded the palace and all of those in it. Strange, she had thought there were normally barriers around the building and its land. At least there clearly were barriers around all of the cities she could see in the distance. Those seemed to be holding up just fine. It was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

As she thought on all of this, she repeatedly flung her new weapons around her body and released various other attacks alongside them. However, the moment she began paying attention to the damage she was doing, she shied away. _So much bloodshed…_ Her discs were sharp. It should have been obvious to her that this was what they would do. How she had managed to not to consider it was beyond her. But she noticed it now, and she did not like that at all. So, instead of continuing with her unintentional path of gory destruction, she resorted to her usual method of vaporization via psionic blasts.

It was easier to stomach.

 **~保護者~**

 _Perhaps… flying a ship out here wasn't one of my brightest ideas,_ Tails reflected as he struggled to pilot through the cloud of demons he found himself within. He shot at them, fired missiles at them, unleashed beams into them, the _works_ , but it hardly seemed to matter. There was no room for him and the Tornado-Z up here. This problem was getting beyond frustration. _Now, what to do about it…_

Glancing around, Tails frowned to himself in thought. Flipping a couple of switches, he deactivated the defensive shields around his ship and prepared to open the cockpit. He didn't dare release any radiation at the moment, not with his friends scattered all around him, but there was something else he could do… Following up with his thoughts, he went ahead and opened the cockpit. Before anything could attack him, he gathered the energy within and unleashed it all around his ship.

Electricity that bordered on lightning due to mutations (which he closely monitored even now, right in this moment) erupted around him. Demons screamed and roared in agony, writhing and jerking as they fought to escape the onslaught. The mass fleeing cleared up space around the Tornado-Z _quite_ nicely. Feeling pleased, he closed the cockpit, reactivated the shields, and flew off to a more advantageous position.

 **~保護者~**

Blood spurted from a fresh wound, soiling the torn fabric of Espio's kimono. Having long since decided that said kimono simply couldn't be salvaged, he didn't deign to give the matter any of his attention. He ripped his sword free of the demonic throat he had plunged it into, then swung it around to relieve the beast of its nearest limb. It happened to be a leg. The beast bled to death in a matter of seconds from those wounds and several others he had just inflicted. Whirling around, he sliced clean through the torso of another demon, instantly killing it as well.

All this bloodshed was nothing to him. It was simply a part of life for his people. Always had been. Inflicting pain and death didn't bother him. However, he rapidly began to notice that it _did_ do something else to him. Specifically, it began exciting the Dark energies buried within, urging them closer and closer to the surface the longer this went on. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to reign them in (not that he even knew _how_ ) while simultaneously continuing to fend off the hordes of demons surrounding him. It wasn't as though he had any other choice _but_ to do those things.

In spite of his efforts, the very next time he buried his sword in yet another disgusting body and used it to rend that body apart, the energy spiked. Violently. Violently enough, in fact, that when a demon came at him with a sword of its own he was able to retaliate with so much instantaneous and uncontrolled force that his blade (a mortal's blade, he reflected briefly) snapped like a little twig.

That had never, ever happened before.

Suddenly furious, he hurled the remainder of the sword to the side, where it promptly embedded itself into a significantly larger demon's eye. He ignored the bellow of pain that answered his impromptu attack and lunged forward, wrenching the sword out of his initial opponent's hands. The direct physical contact with such a wicked object instantly sent his own energies into a further frenzy and he reacted to them with scarcely a thought to the consequences. He was slipping, and the burning sensation of new marks spreading down his arm was proof of that.

A harsh stab through the torso of the first demon was enough to kill it. Leaping high, he cleaved the head off of the demon whose eye he had stabbed just seconds before. Then, wrestling for control over himself before this could escalate any further, he hurled his stolen sword into some other foe's back. He landed nimbly in a small open space within the crowd after that, quashing any and all emotions as he did so. Still… he couldn't quite keep the harshness, the brutal edge out of his attacks anymore as he went invisible and resumed fighting. He was slipping, bit by bit, and he knew it.

 **~保護者~**

Armaris vanished and reappeared consistently, dropping into the darkness around her and launching herself back out as she violently tore into demon after demon before her. Her own Darkness may have been useless in this fight, but she would be _damned_ if that was the only ability she was capable of using. Precise and sharp blades of wind sliced apart her adversaries with ease as her blade cut any stragglers down with a practiced mix of grace and violence.

Countless individual blue wisps of her magic floated in the air before exploding outward to deliver dangerous lacerations to some of the stronger foes in her vicinity. She redoubled the efforts of her Wind power, creating a whirlwind that slammed the several damaged demons into one another so she could deliver a deft and calculated swipe of her sword to end them all at once.

Her attention was suddenly pulled from her fight for a moment as she felt Espio's Darkness flare in a way that alarmed her. Surrounding herself in a cyclone for temporary safety, she trained her vision on his fight to watch momentarily. _Damn it… If he loses control now, we might be in for something a lot worse after this is over. _Armaris bit her lip painfully before turning away. She couldn't let herself be too close to this happening in case that it caused a rise of her own Darkness. If that happened… No. That's definitely not happening. The cat refocused on her own battle and simply kept a mental note of Espio's current state, monitoring the situation should it get worse.

 _Be safe, please._

 **~保護者~**

Steam grappled with a demon and violently slammed it into a crowd behind him, throwing out a burst of Light at them all to eradicate them while flipping over another and forcefully slamming it into the ground with more than enough force to crush it's head. He allowed Light to fill his body, then allowed it to pulsate outward in waves as he barreled his way through large numbers of demons in front of him. When these pulsations finally ceased, Steam felt something clamp onto his shoulder and proceed to throw him into the air.

In the moments before he could be launched, he latched onto the arm of the offending enemy and proceeded to twist his body in a _truly_ violent manner to toss the demon into the cyclone Armaris had created. He blinked a few times at the fact that the cyclone was even there before realizing the situation. Steam felt the surge of Espio's Darkness and promptly cursed aloud, grabbing the nearest demon by the face and slamming it into the ground. _I don't know what the hell prompted that kind of reaction, but I might as well check it out._

In an easy movement, Steam vaulted himself off a rapidly approaching crowd of demons into the air, taking stock of the situation as he sent down a beam of light onto every enemy below him. Cursing once more, the hedgehog used his fire to propel himself near to the area. "Espio!" he called out. In response to hearing his name, Espio whipped around. His gaze locked onto Steam in a near-instant, but he didn't say anything back to him. Instead, he almost immediately returned his attention to the demons that were launching themselves at him, all of which he forced to back the _fuck_ off with a series of severe knife slashes.

Steam drew his own sword, quickly stabbing a demon behind him and wrenching it free in time to slice through another in front, quickly coming a bit closer so he could aid in fighting back the assailants. "Talk to me, Espio!"

"And say _what_?" Espio snapped, temper flaring for no good reason. In the same moment, he flung his knife into a demon's gaping maw, stabbing the creature in the back of its throat. It choked and howled in pain, but only briefly. Before it could even try to take in another breath, he rather brutally kicked its skull in, killing it.

"I just need you to talk to me, Espio! I'm sure you're aware of it, but you're not _exactly_ in control of yourself!" Steam dropped to the ground and powerfully launched a much larger demon into the air with his legs, throwing a sphere of Light into it that promptly exploded and vaporized the beast.

Rather predictably, Espio ignored that comment in favor of taking out his frustration on a demon that had cropped up a short distance away. It was very, _very_ dead in short order, as was the one next to it. And the ones surrounding the pair of them. However, one of them managed scratch him slightly with its claw. That… only worsened his mood. The _bastards_.

Steam gritted his teeth and spun around to deliver a destructive blow to a demon attempting to sneak up on him, Light flowing out of his fist to destroy the enemy. "Just _please_ try to keep yourself under some manner of control. I know you are _very_ capable of doing so."

Several distinctly negative response flitted through Espio's mind, but he managed not to give vent to them. Instead, he bit out a harsh reply of, "I _know_." Nothing he did seemed to quell the constant flow of Darkness within him. In fact, most things he did made it _worse_. Such as fighting, for example. But he couldn't exactly _stop_ doing that at the moment. All he could do was call upon his training as best as he could to at least _attempt_ to level out his emotions. Not that that was proving terribly successful at the moment. Gritting his teeth as well, he kicked a demon into the side of a random section of building, killing it on impact.

Steam resigned himself to simply continue fighting for the time being, knowing full well that continuing to talk to Espio may make the situation far worse than it was currently at the moment. As such, he distanced himself more so that the two could fight independently and not hamper each other's style (mostly his own, given the fact that he knew many of his attacks were literal explosions). In true fashion, he quickly unleashed a practical storm of small beams of Light into the oncoming waves of demonic enemies before violently slamming himself back into the fight, full force.

 **~保護者~**

Aura exploded forth from Sein's body, eradicating any demon that _dared_ step (or fly) too close to him. Any aura that would have dissipated after release was instead drawn into the claymore he wielded, allowing him to launch blades of aura at his more distant foes. He threw himself into the air and slammed his foot into one particularly large demon, forcing the enemy up toward Alana. "Alana! Catch!"

Whirling around, Alana caught sight of the hulking mass sailing toward her position in the sky. Huffing softly to herself, she hurled a blade of her own aura energy at it, slicing the beast in half in one smooth motion. She then sent her husband a vaguely disapproving look before returning her attention to the few demons that had been brave enough to stay by her. Summoning her own sword into her hand, she swiftly shot forward and cut them all up as well.

Once the immediate area was clear, Alana took a second to glance around again. There were no barriers to speak of to guard the palace grounds below, but all things considered they seemed to be defending it well enough. It was clear, from her earlier examination of Queen Saraya's schematics, that the lack of barriers was due to all of that technology being used to defend the cities. She was proud of the young for the decision. The strength of the barriers was something she could sense even from here.

 _Wait… what is that?_ Suddenly aware that she was also sensing something _else_ entirely, Alana dropped down to stand beside Sein. "Do you sense that?" she asked quickly, offering no explanation. There was this strange spike in energy emanating from some undetermined point, and it was… growing? She couldn't be certain.

"Keep a focus on it. I'd rather not get caught by surprise if we can manage it," Sein said easily, throwing his sword in a wide arc to behead several demons before it returned to his hand. "If you can, try and figure out where it's coming from."

"It seems to be moving," Alana remarked idly, eyes on the sky. Despite her apparent lack of focus, she was able to easily kick an enemy away from them. She then murmured, "And it does not feel malevolent. Whatever it is, it is not demonic." By now, a faint shimmer had taken hold in the air above them, almost as though a section of the sky was… sparkling? _How odd._

Sein cast a glance upwards and examined this, raising his fist up with enough force to crunch a demon's head into its body. "Should… we do something?"

"Perhaps…" Alana looked around the space surrounding the strange shimmering spot in the sky, taking notice of the fact that most of the demons were actively avoiding it. The few that ventured close to it in spite of the behavior of the others found themselves rapidly incinerated by whiteish energy with hints of a sort of… _rainbow_. That, she realized with a start, was the telltale appearance of… _Chaos… but it can't be._ She frowned to herself. _How would Chaos have-_

Before she could even finish her thought, a mental link suddenly opened itself to both her and Sein. She had half a mind to sever that connection the instant she felt it (how had it even bypassed their defenses?), but a voice interrupted that train of thought. A voice that had not been heard by any but one other person in more than several billion years. _"Your situation will soon be dire. I am sending you aid."_

 _"Hold the fuck up, what's going on here?"_ Sein demanded immediately, face noticeably bearing hints of concern and agitation at this sudden intrusion followed by grave news.

Already, the connection had begun to fade. In shock, Alana turned to her partner and, for once, did his job for him by asking a probably stupid question. "Was that… Lady Teyan?"

"I… guess it was. That doesn't explain what the hell she _meant_ …" Sein murmured, crossing his arms and glancing off to his right for a moment. "Situation…?"

This situation in particular was under control, but Alana seemed to recall that Jet and his friend Wave had been concerned about a bigger conflict to come later. Perhaps that was what the Queen of Chaos had been referring to? There was no way of knowing that just yet, but she _was_ starting to realize something different. "Lady Ythene uses a very similar form of Chaos to this when she is reviving someone, does she not…?"

Just before the connection faded entirely, the Queen deigned to answer her. _"She does. It takes longer when the subjects are from other timelines, however. Your patience will be required. I will be finished shortly."_ Her words faded away into nothingness just as she finished speaking.

There was a short series of blinks from Sein, utter confusion on his face as he tried to figure out _who_ could be getting revived. "What…?"

There was another spike of energy in that moment and, as if purely to contradict what the Queen had just said about patience, a portal suddenly opened up. Some of the energy Alana sensed was very clearly from their home timeline (it was something she, being an Immortal, could just _feel_ ). That was a fact she couldn't even begin to take the time to process before more energy spiked… and incredibly roughly flung something out of the portal. Or, rather, _someone_. She recognized him the instant she saw him. Her eyes widened. _Father…!_

Unable to recover himself fast enough to land with his usual grace and dignity, Kath slammed back-first into the ground, crashing through several demons along the way. He finally managed to stop rolling after hitting his side on a rock, thus slowing his momentum enough for him to catch himself. With a subtle wince, he started to sit up… only for his ever-present wolf-companion to be flung out of the portal as well - and straight into him. The collision was nearly instantaneous and sent them both tumbling hard again. When they finally stopped, Azerel was lying in a heap on top of him. Supremely irritated, even visibly so, he shoved the wolf off (earning an unhappy growl) and finally sat up.

Sein coughed amidst his attempts to not laugh, mouth covered tightly as a well of emotions surged up within him. He had _no_ idea how to feel in this moment, so _something_ was coming out as a result. This time, it happened to be laughter. Alana, meanwhile, just stared in mute shock. _It truly is him…_

Hearing this sound, Kath started to stand and turn around, only to stop short when a demon's huge sword swung at his head with every intent of cleaving it from his shoulders. He ducked neatly, then knocked the opponent back a step with a surge of aura. When the sword came at him again, he caught the blade itself in his hand with enough force to create a shockwave. With a grip too tight for the demon to remove its weapon, he turned his head to look over his shoulder to look at Sein and Alana with a soft and icy demand of, " _What_ are these doing here?"

"That's a long story that I'm not even fully sure that I know, so, let's kick ass and figure it out more later," Sein answered with a shrug, using the gauntlet on his hand to block a blade's deadly arc. "Honestly, I think it'd be easier that way."

Huffing, Kath tightened his grip enough to shatter the sword he'd been holding hostage, blasted the enemy away and stood up. Azerel look up at him and growled, clearly communicating something the wolf wasn't at all happy about, but Kath simply murmured back, "Quiet." Alana rushed over to the pair then, nearly tackling her father in a hug. Though slightly taken aback by her uncharacteristic action, he didn't hesitate to take the necessary seconds to return her embrace.

Seeing that Kath was ignoring him, Azerel huffily trotted over to Sein and sat against his leg as though saying hello in his own way. Sein kneeled down long enough to ruffle the fur on the wolf's head for a moment before raising back up and grabbing a demon that was attempting to ruin the moment his father-in-law and wife were having before launching with every last bit of force he could muster.

With a sigh, Alana reluctantly ended the hug. Her husband's little outburst was as good a reminder that any that there _was_ still very much a fight going on. That needed dealing with, something Kath very much seemed to agree with immediately. Trading a look with his wolf companion, he prepared himself for battle by summoning his sword into his hand. Alana took off but, though he was ready to follow suit, he lingered for a moment. There were conflicting emotions all over Sein's face and, while Kath had never been especially well-versed in dealing with emotional matters, he felt compelled as always to try for the sake of his family. "Sein," he called softly, hoping to gently nudge the younger hawk out of his fluctuating whirlwind of emotions before they got out of hand.

For a moment, Sein almost seemed intent on ignoring this. Ultimately, he turned and cast a vaguely questioning look to Kath. "Yeah?"

Kath's tone was calm and not admonishing when he reminded, "Settle yourself. Your aura responds strongly to your emotions."

"I know," Sein admitted, crossing his arms once more for a moment. "Just… not sure what to do right now. Didn't expect… all of this."

 _No one did_ , Kath inwardly reflected. Glancing away, he gave the simplest answer he could come up with. "Focus on the battle for now. 'All of this' can be dealt with after." And, hopefully, by then he would have come up with a way to deal with his son-in-law and daughter's reactions better than this. He'd never done well being flung into emotional situations like these… hence why he typically avoided them.

A short nod served as a reply, Sein's aura soon losing the natural flare it had as he attempted to exert a more proper control over it. "Talk to you more after, then."

The older hawk nodded once in response and shot one last quick look at Azerel. _"Stay with him."_ Hearing this silent command, Azerel inclined his head subtly. Kath took off after that, leaving the pair alone where they were.

 **~保護者~**

 _Finally, found that sneaky little hedgehog. Time to play with him a bit._ A cocoon of magic formed around her body in preparation, her expression faintly shifting to something more wicked. Very quickly and forcefully, she teleported Sonic away from the area he had been in and placed a veil of her magic around him. _"It has been some time, Sonic,"_ she mentally said.

The second he heard that voice, Sonic realized it was familiar. It took him a few moments to think back over all the eons that had passed and give that voice a name, but as soon as he did his stomach dropped. _Oh, no…_

 _"You should have listened to your friend back then. Had you done so… well, you shall see."_ She giggled maniacally.

Immediately, he understood. He _remembered_. It was _her_ , he realized. Astra. The woman they had all met near the very end of their war against the Nocturnians. The one Jet had never trusted. The one Sonic had _defended_ … _God_ , he was an idiot. _And now I'm about to die for it._ Of that, he had little doubt.

 _"Your fate will be far worse than death, imbecile. You will… suffer, alongside the one you decided not to trust, by the hand of the one you did trust."_

Sonic's stomach dropped further. He realized that she was reading his thoughts and so thought quickly, _"The hell are you going to do?"_

 _"As I said, had you been listening… You. Will. Suffer."_

Without any further warning, she suddenly began showing him memories from the far distant past… memories of an _extremely_ dark series of events that she had once partaken in. But one in particular truly stood out among the rest.

 _"The both of you, get out of the room. Leave him to me for some time," Astra demanded, grey magic glowing around her hands as she stormed in. The pair of Syxans in the room turned her way for a brief moment, then hurried into the hall without complaint. They all but fled from her presence. Jet, meanwhile, sat on the floor with his limbs bound, coughing and struggling to remain awake after the beating he'd just sustained moments beforehand. His bindings were imbued with such powerful dark magic that it could sap the strength from virtually anyone… magic that could only have come from one prime, evil source. "So, you're still… conscious." The cat kneeled down, discarding her cloak and carefully lifting his head to examine him. Despite his condition, he managed a weak glare. "Leave it to the resilience of an Immortal, I guess," she shrugged, retracting her hand and letting his head droop down. "Well, let's see how long that lasts."_

 _Gritting his teeth, Jet gave her another glare. "Fuck… you," he coughed, eyes blazing with hatred that he simply could do nothing about._

 _"Oh, how short this little… mood will last." Her feet lifted off the ground and she brought him with her, magic encircling them both. He glanced down, hatred bleeding away into immediate wariness. "What to pull out first… that's always the tricky one to figure out. Ah, I have just the thing for someone resilient."_

 _Within moments, the room seemed to grow intensely hot. Jet instantly cringed, despite trying to hide his reaction. He knew what was coming, and it showed. Magic pressed Jet against a wall, flames sprouting all around the room and slowly consuming its occupants in a hellish blaze. Astra saw through her own ruse, of course, creating this entire mental hell simply to further damage and weaken her Immortal prey. No matter how hard he tried, Jet couldn't calm his instantly frantic breathing and pulse as he fought to press himself further against the wall and away from the flames._

 _"Oh dear, this doesn't seem to be nearly enough. Perhaps you need a… touch." A mixture of her mind and magic formed a searing edge to the flames, practically scorching his feathers and skin as the fire grew ever more wild. Helpless to quell his rising panic, Jet curled in on himself, unable to breath properly from fear and fighting not to react to the rapidly increasing pain he felt. No amount of telling himself that it wasn't real ever helped during these "sessions" of hers._

 _Astra grew… bored of this show, letting her feet touch the ground once more to exit the room and retrieve a few select tools she was fond of, returning only once this was done. Gradually, the flames and pain ebbed away with her decreasing care for the display, her intent now focused onto other matters. "Jet… you poor, innocent soul. Your fear only allows me to enter your mind more easily..."_

The memory ended abruptly. While Sonic was too stunned to react, he was away and into a writhing mass of demons. One he would be able to fight off… eventually. Thus, Astra kept her promise not to break or kill him. At the same time, Astra's gaze flicked over the battlefield and briefly examined her various traps. If there ever was a time to have them active, it would be now, and so they were made to be. _Now… onto the bigger bird of the two._

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Jet was only just beginning to take note of her presence. He had been locked in such a wild fight with a particularly violent pair of demons that he hadn't even noticed her previously. He frowned at the energy he was sensing, recognizing it vaguely from their brief encounter during the Nocturnian War. But, there was something else, too… some other memory (perhaps many) tugging at the darkest recesses of his mind, hinting at things he couldn't seem to remember. Things she appeared to be the root cause of.

He flicked a glance to the side just in time to see Sonic flung to the ground, and his frown deepened considerably. In spite of the danger and the threat she posed, Jet appeared in front of her in a flash. She grinned at him as though he were prey and she had not eaten in months. _Hungrily_. "My, my. You've always been one to charge headlong into danger, but this occurrence is simply _reckless_. I can't dare think of what might happen should you make a mistake in this engagement," she teased openly, licking her lips as she watched him.

Shifting his grip on the handle of his sword, Jet softly demanded, "What did you do to him?" His tone was cold, so cold that it almost seemed to threaten particularly bloody violence against her at a moment's notice.

"Nothing like what I haven't done to you, Jet," Astra said honestly, eyes narrowing faintly. His own eyes narrowed faintly. What was she talking about? "Move and you will feel pain _far_ worse than I dare make your dear friend feel." Jet stayed silent, assessing the situation and continually shifting his grip on his sword in irritation. "You've lost your mouth? Shame, I did so enjoy your vehement spoutings." A hand covered her mouth for a moment as she glanced past him. "This is an unusual turn of events, if I am truthful."

Narrowing his eyes further, to the point where the action was actually visible, he told her simply, "Explain."

She rolled her eyes. "The return of two fully grown Immortals, and not newborns. They must be of great importance, perhaps to you?" Her gaze refocused on the hawk before her, head tilting a fraction. He didn't deign to divulge to her even the tiniest scrap of information regarding that, choosing instead to remain silent. "Your silence says plenty. The male agitates me. His presence is simply not what I _needed_ to further what I am doing. As such, rendering him… incapable of helping would be a pleasant addition to my current goals."

Jet's shifting grip stilled and tightened. Clearly, she was up to something, though he had no idea yet as to the nature of her plan. Regardless of what it was, he didn't trust it. Didn't trust _her_. He just didn't know exactly _why_. That had been the case back then, too, when Sonic and the others had chosen to trust her. Clearly he had been correct not to, but… what had tipped him off? That was a memory he seemed to be lacking, and it… _bothered_ him.

"If I'm truthful… you've already made the mistake, and now _they_ will pay for it." Magic concentrated around the cat, forming a powerful sphere around herself. Gathering his aura energy to break through that magic, Jet lunged for her. He would be damned if he allowed her to attack anyone else today. At least if she focused on him the others would be relatively safer for it. Her body shone for a brief moment as one of her many traps activated the moment he was too close, ensnaring his body while her sphere of magic and the barrier formed within left her to receive a fraction of the damage she would have (both being shattered in the process). "And there was your second."

Inwardly, Jet cursed as he tried to free himself. He conjured forth more aura energy in an effort to break free, correctly assuming that it was his best tool against this corrupt magic at the moment, but for the moment he was held firmly in place. Though his face remained largely impassive, inside he was starting to get tense. He _hated_ being restrained, hated feeling like he was being tightly squeezed and unable to move. As such, he started to lash out almost immediately. Sensing these deep reserves of building energies, Alana, Sein, and Kath immediately turned his way.

Hatred leaked onto Astra's face, evident in the way her eyes glowed and how her magic surrounded the both of them before enclosing around Jet violently as she assaulted his mind in an attempt to draw out anything that would bring him into mental or emotional anguish. Buried memories began to rise in response, causing emotions to flare up in Jet's aura beyond his control. At roughly the same time, Alana took notice of what was starting to happen. She shot Sein an alarmed look and began flying toward their son without further delay. Sein was following behind her in an instant, propelling himself with the furthest extent of his speed.

Sein and Alana both suddenly were forced to stop, a circle of magic appearing and wrapping around him tightly to prevent any movement for the time being. Before either could even so much as attempt to escape, their minds were also being assaulted (albeit with much more minor affects than Jet was experiencing). Sensing their plight caused Kath to start to fly over, but a trap right by his side ensnared him as well before he could get far. Soon, he was also being attacked, with Azerel helpless to stop it.

A sly smirk was cast in the direction of the trapped individuals, before Astra turned back to Jet fully and the memories she was forcing him to relive. Fractured, broken memories of darkness and hell and agony and suffering erupted into Jet's consciousness entirely against his will. It was difficult to make sense of them, but it didn't matter. What he saw was still enough to send him into an instant panic. Too terrified to react or move, he rapidly found himself drowning in it all. He saw flashes of fire, of bloodied blades of all kinds, of maulings by Syxan-kept beasts, of hammers and branding tools and whips and ligatures, of himself dying over and over and _over_ again…

As the onslaught of memories practically tore Jet apart from the inside out, he very, very slowly became aware of feeling _actual_ physical pain outside the scope of said memories simultaneously. The pain of bites and clawings and slices and god only knew what else sent his distress levels skyrocketing more so than they already had been. It felt as though the energy from every single attack was gathering in him, demanding to be loosed on his assailants. If only to save himself from having his focus dragged back into his memories, he allowed himself to lash out at every single individual thing around him.

The ensuing explosion was massive in scope and succeeded in clearing the surrounding area for the moment. For some reason, the flow of memories seemed to cease in the same moment. Unable to contain his emotions, Jet crumpled to the ground in a fetal position, trembling, sobbing, and hyperventilating. Alana broke free at almost the same moment and, seeing him falling apart so completely, she rushed to his side without first checking on her husband and father.

It was so, so hard to see her son like this. It was hard to even accept the fact that she was seeing him like this. Possibly, it had something to do with how hard it was to reconcile this image with the one he usually presented. Calm. Reserved. In control. That side of him was far removed from the sight she was seeing now, so completely opposite to how she was seeing him right this very moment. He was vulnerable. Terrified. Falling apart. What could she even do to help him recover?

Based off of what little she had ever seen of meltdowns in the past (the sort cause by trauma, stress, autism-related difficulties in emotional control, and so on), she knew that laying a hand on her son right now would be unwise. Still, she knelt beside him, close enough to let him feel her presence but hopefully far enough away to give him the personal space he required. It could never be enough to fix this, though. There was no way it could be. More was required. But… what? In an effort to further ease his attention away from whatever mental assault he'd just suffered, she then quietly called out his name. "Jet…"

Whether or not he heard her was anybody's guess. Even if he did, he didn't react to her. That is, he didn't react to her _voice_. But he did reflexively kick at her in continued panic the instant he detected her proximity. With some soothing words, she eased away from him, stopping once she was far enough away that he ceased his kicking. The sound of him still sobbing and struggling to catch his breath about wrenched her heart out. Seeking assistance, she turned her head to see if Sein or her father had managed to free themselves yet.

Luckily, Sein had freed himself by now and arrived moments later, kneeling in front of Jet a few feet away with his aura rising and falling in a gentle manner. "Jet, can you hear me?" he asked in a still, soft, and concerned tone, his voice carrying the love he was so capable. Despite the intense anger burning inside him, he knew better than to let that flow outward right now. The faint knowledge of this he had from experiences with Kath told him that much.

As with before, there was no response or acknowledgement from their son. Worry furrowed Alana's brow. "I do not think he can," she murmured. Then she added more quietly, "He will make himself pass out if he continues to breathe like that…"

Worry flickered across Sein's face for but a moment before he resolved himself. "I'm going to try something." Closing his eyes in concentration, Sein's aura slowly flowed out around him and Jet, surrounding them both in a practical cocoon of a gently flowing aura. There wasn't an immediate response, but after several long and tense moments Sein's tactic seemed to produce some good results. If nothing else, it seemed to take some of the edge off of the intense terror still filling Jet's own aura.

Alana caught on quickly and added her own aura to the mix, willing her energies to be as calm, gentle, and even as possible. At about the same time, Kath finally broke free of the trap that had caught him and he quickly turned their way. She gestured for him to go, silently urging him to resume the battle so that she and Sein (and more importantly their son) would not be attacked. Her father cast a long and unreadable glance Jet's way, no doubt understanding the younger hawk's condition all too well, then simply nodded and took off with Azerel following close behind. Within moments of noticing this, Sein continued these efforts in another manner. He allowed emotions to flow in more, such as his love, concern, and worry over Jet, to try and allow his son to understand that he was safe and that he would be okay. Alana once again followed his lead, taking all of the same steps that he did.

Jet, however, was barely aware of anything they were doing. Aside from all of the emotions and memories he was currently suffering from, there was something else. Something worse. The longer his emotions continued to remain the way they were, the longer his mental barriers remained in tatters, the worse his sudden migraine grew. It was familiar, suspiciously so, and along with it came something faint. Ominous. Foreboding, even. The sound grew into a vague whisper that persisted until it could form words. Words he had not wanted to hear ever again.

 _"There is beauty to be found in pain, Immortal…"_

 **~保護者~**

Aura surged and magic flared as Wave gracefully battled her way through one wave of demons after another. She lingered close to whatever remained of the barriers as she fought, guarding the hole as valiantly as she could. A flash of steel as her sword swung around, a mighty roar as another demon died, and she glanced down once again to check on Jet. While she trusted him not to needlessly get himself killed (usually), she couldn't help but worry over his safety. Spying him far below fighting his own portion of the battle with ease, she relaxed again for now.

Well aware of the fact that she was getting distracted, she looked back up and refocused on her own enemies. More slicing. More explosions of aura. More powerful flares of magic. All seemed to be going well. Another glance around at the battlefield below seemed to suggest that the same was true for everyone else. Cream was holding her own as well as ever, purging demons from wide swaths of land with each psychic attack. Espio was an invisible blur of motion, detectable only through the sheer destruction he left in his wake. Shadow made his presence known through mechanical creations of all kinds, bullets chewing their way through anything that got in the way of his rampage. Steam was quite a force to be reckoned with, even with his less-than-usual fighting tactics. Amaris was a shadowy visage of death, with her black fur and relentless attacking of every single demon who dared cross her path. Sein and Alana were a sight to behold, doling out swift and powerful punishment against each and every single foe they could get their hands on. Tails was wreaking havoc up in the air near her, making full use of that big brain of his to take out all manner of beasts. And Sonic… well, he was doing far better than she suspected he was giving himself credit for.

Time to focus. Back to fighting. Slice, blast, vaporize, kick, stab, explode, throw, punch… With each attack, more and more demons fell. As they died, many more came to replace them. Sheer madness and hell descended upon her, for she had cut at the many heads of the hydra and yet more had arisen from the bloody stumps left behind. Gathering energies from within unleashed themselves in a golden outpouring of light, turning everything around her into dust that faded with the breeze.

With the area clear, she again turned her attention to battle still being waged far below her. Mere minutes had passed since she had been swarmed and forced to narrow her focus onto her own enemies and nothing more. However, despite the short amount of time that had elapsed, she realized with a faint start that neither Jet nor Sonic were in her line of sight. Concern arose inside her and she began rapidly scanning the battlefield for any sign of either of them. At first, there was nothing. Soon, though, she caught sight of Sonic way off to her left. He looked rather worse for wear, both physically and not, as he struggled to keep up with the near-endless tide of demons all around him. He was alive, though, and didn't seem to need immediate aid. Especially not with Cream so close by to him now.

That just left Jet. The longer it took for her to locate him, the more the worry she felt for him grew. It gnawed at her like a ravenous wolf that hadn't so much as spied a meal in weeks. She was about ready to start obliterating the beasts below her in an effort to locate him (the only thing preventing her from giving into that particular urge was the importance of her friends' lives) when she suddenly felt it. Energy, huge quantities of it, building at an astounding pace and threatening to explode outward against the world around it. Then explode it did, causing her to whip around to face the direction it had come from. That was Jet's energy. There was no mistaking it. Nor was their any mistaking the emotional state she suddenly sensed that he was in. There was so much anguish… and pain. So, so much pain.

In an instant, Wave appeared directly in front of the strongest evil force she sensed anywhere in the vicinity. The same one she had sensed near Jet a mere instant before he had lashed out. Too furious to speak, she hurled a blast of aura energy straight at the other woman without giving her a chance to react first to Wave's arrival. Elsewhere, she briefly caught sight of Alana hurrying to Jet's side. That was good. He couldn't be left alone in his current state.

A quick barrier was erected in response to the attack, furious purple eyes glaring at the swallow before them. "So it's you. The one he told me about. Hexan magic user, hm?" Astra asked with a slight raise of her brow.

Returning the glare, Wave asked snidely, "Oh, someone mentioned me? My, and I thought I had lost my touch in making friends." As she spoke, golden markings appeared all over her body, signaling her strong intention to fight.

"You know, you're quite rude to speak in such a manner," Astra returned in kind, smirking faintly. A sphere of grey magic appeared around her as she prepared herself for what came next. The God of Demons had warned her of this particular swallow, a powerful magic user. The thought of truly facing someone with a _proper_ knowledge in magic-based fighting excited Astra enough to make her want to draw this out.

Golden symbols began writing themselves all over Astra's protective sphere, each individual one threatening to blast a sizable hole in said sphere… and its creator. "Your opinion means nothing to me," Wave warned coolly, the markings on her body glowing. "Your _actions_ , however…" She trailed off, letting the building explosions rip through the space her opponent was currently occupying.

"So I am aware," Astra responded with a spell she'd been building up, massive, grey, magic chains shooting through the air to coil around the cat and fly at Wave. She couldn't contain the wicked grin forming on her face as various dark markings formed all over her body.

Wave shielded herself from the coils with a fierce crackle of magic. Blades of various sizes and shapes formed of the same energy in the air around her, some of which she then hurled at Astra from multiple different directions. She was starting to get a very basic feel for how this woman fought, but she needed more information if she was to counter her properly. Astra was quick to respond, needles of her magic flying out to intercept the blades en masse before quite literally launching herself out of her protective bubble with a blade in hand to lunge at Wave.

Seeing the incoming threat, Wave readied her sword. She parried the blow with a strong arm, teeth gritting angrily at the grin plastered on the other woman's face. If this cat thought she would win, then she was _wrong_. Taking advantage of the proximity, she let loose another explosion, this one comprised of both her magic and her aura. _Counter that, you smug little shit._ Whether or not Astra could was yet to be seen, and that precisely what Wave was interested in learning.

The dark markings on Astra's body glowed and protected her largely from the magic as a barrier that was formed on her body bore the damage from the aura. She brought her blade back down quickly in a dangerous arc as magic circles appeared in the area immediately around them. Wave blocked the incoming attack with her sword and quickly shielded herself in a rippling cloak of glowing golden energy. This was done in time to prevent massive spikes of Astra's grey magic from violently piercing Wave's body, the cat immediately returning to offense as she let loose a quick explosion of magic from her own hand. _Take a piece of your own goddamn medicine._

Wave's cloak managed to hold against the violent eruption of magic long enough to give her ample time to escape. Once she was clear of the attack, she flung more of the magical blades she had created at Astra closely followed by a beam from the palm of her free hand. The markings on Astra's body that absorbed the explosion of magic began glowing, forming a strong barrier around her that prevented the blades from reaching her body while the cat formed a magic circle that absorbed the beam and immediately fired it back.

With ease, Wave dodged the return attack. She narrowed her eyes, thinking, as she watched her foe. _Clearly, she knows what she's doing. She's taken the time to learn._ Given that bit of knowledge, she began to try to rapidly construct the basis for some sort of a plan. Though, realistically, she probably didn't have the time to do that. So, in order to _buy_ herself that time, she conjured up a substantial force of magical clones of herself. They lunged for Astra all at once from all directions, swords poised to strike, auras surging, and magic blazing.

Astra glanced around as her perception of time seemed to slow momentarily, a concern written on her face before she proceeded to quickly move into a sitting position and create a powerful attack in return. Needles of magic flew out in every imaginable direction as threads appeared all around the magic copies of Wave, attempting to pull them all to their deaths while rapidly casting several spells to absorb or otherwise reflect the energy and magic being flung in her direction. In response to this, Wave promptly used a spell of her own to (for once) send the rebounding attack right _back_ at her opponent.

Realizing that she wasn't going to win in this particular situation (and definitely not as of the moment with some of her energy and effort having gone toward tearing into Jet and Sonic's minds), Astra cast one last spell to properly blast the area immediately around her to hell before teleporting away. Wave gritted her teeth in angry frustration, but ultimately just let her leave. Other matters required her attention right now… especially Jet in particular. Sheathing her sword, she began to rapidly fly back down toward him, her heart aching as she remembered the sorry state she had left him in.

 _Hold on, Jet. I'm coming._

 **~保護者~**

 **9,316 words this time. _Whew_ , this was a biggun! Hopefully the wait for this chapter was worth it, and I hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for his help! Posted (at about 8:00 a.m.) 10-27-19.**


	40. Truth Be Told

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this enlightenment discussion… especially for the supportive one.

 **~保護者~**

 _ **REVIEW REPLIES:**_

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, Astra not... exactly... a _good_ person here, is she? XD Sonic and Jet really did wind up in a pinch because of her, but mostly Jet. I think Sonic is gonna be fine. But, anyway, yes. Shadow must always have his precious guns. XD And yeah, Wave did great!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Truth Be Told"**

 **~保護者~**

With Astra gone and whatever purpose behind this attack seemingly fulfilled, the stronger demons that remained alive began to strategically withdraw. The weaker, wilder demons - the ones most desperate to grow their strength - remained despite the mounting odds against them. Sonic, Tails, and the others worked alongside the Babylonians in the area to kill or drive out all these stragglers while Wave rushed over to Jet and his parents. "What happened?" she demanded, dropping down on her knees by her old friend's side. She had a suspicion, but she needed confirmation before she could appropriately respond.

"We were trapped by that woman," Alana told her quickly, "and attacked with terrible memories and the like." Her gaze shifted back to her son, full of unspoken fear. "I believe the same happened to him… though it was clearly far worse."

Wave was feeling protective. Incredibly so. It was difficult to let go of that feeling, made harder by the fact that Jet was still in a state of uncontrolled panic and terror. His stress-levels were through the roof and he was having a complete and total meltdown. His broken sobs were absolutely _heart_ -wrenching. But, while she wanted to be the one to stay by his side and find any means at all of making him feel better, she understood that there were other things she needed to do. And besides that… he was in good hands already. Trust was not something she had to search herself to find. They had had it from the beginning.

Standing up, Wave took charge of the situation and directed firmly, "He needs to be taken inside. I don't care where. Whatever room is the calmest and quietest. Just don't touch him, or he might lash out at you without meaning to." She glanced down at him, panged with worry, then back at his parents. "Teleporting him once or twice should be fine, but try not to do it more than that. Try to have a room picked before you move him to avoid stressing him out further."

Seeing that Sein was still focused entirely on their son, Alana was the one to respond. After a quick nod, she asked, "Once there, what else can we do to help?"

"A blanket," Wave directed quickly. "Preferably a soft one. He's always liked those, and giving him one now could calm him down a little. They're good comfort items. Work on that and getting him inside to begin with and I'll join you shortly after." Another nod. Alana turned to Sein and Jet, teleporting them inside without another word. Once they were gone, Wave closed her eyes and focused. It would take a fair bit of her energy to take out all these demons at once, but their numbers were manageable by now… and she did not have the time or patience to hunt them down individually.

Golden markings began to appear on the bodies of her foes, spreading like wildfire through their ranks. The second every beast bore these Hexan symbols, the marks ignited in a glorious blaze of explosive destruction. Flesh and blood rained down from each point of death, but the mess could be cleaned up later. It was not her concern at the moment. Instead, she directed her attention to the other important matter at hand.

It had taken more energy than she would have liked to carry out her attack. She was always getting after her friends for not resting enough and thus depleting her energy reserves, but it seemed she had failed to heed her own warnings this time. No matter. She could rest later. Teleportation was what she needed to focus on. Teleporting her nearest allies to her location, that is. It happened to be Steam and Cream. If she were in a better mood, she might have found it amusing how that rhymed. Now just wasn't the time for that.

Not missing a beat, Cream addressed her. "Yes, Miss Wave?"

Wave fought to keep her voice even. "Jet's out of commission. Some serious crap went down and I intend on dealing with it. I _also_ intend on sending you lot someplace _safe_ in the meantime. But before we get to any of that, I need to know-"

Cream, for once, decided to forgo her usual manners. "What went wrong on our end," she interrupted. Then she sighed. "Several things happened that should not have, Miss Wave. To start with, Sonic was too easily separated from us, despite having originally been fairly close to me. And he was attacked and cast aside by a woman before anyone noticed or could intervene. I believe that was very deliberate on her part. And then…" Her gaze flicked in the direction of where Espio had last been spotted, but she ultimately just trailed off and said nothing more.

Wave acknowledged her unspoken concern with a nod. "Something triggered a rise in his Darkness," she prompted tensely. "I felt the spike. We all did."

"Yes," Cream murmured.

"And not just one," Wave continued, "but two. The first may well have just been an effect of that magic needle, but the second spike was larger and sharper. Steam, you were fairly near to him. Did you see what happened?"

The green hedgehog nodded. "He got hold of a demon's sword and, more or less, Darkness flowed from the sword and into him. The reaction was strong enough that it caused that second spike pretty much instantaneously."

Cream looked troubled. "Why would he have done that?" she questioned, as any sane person no doubt would. "Surely he would have known better…"

"His Darkness already flared once before that," Wave reminded carefully, "so it's quite possible that he just wasn't in a rational state of mind at the time. Darkness causes people to react based off of emotions, remember, not logic and reason. Our past dealings with Kaden and his Darkness are proof enough of that."

I should check on Armaris soon, then… Steam thought. Then he added, "It's honestly the most likely scenario, considering who Espio is outside of the influence of Darkness. Not sure what to do other than letting the spike subside on its own."

"It may not," Cream murmured. "When Mister Kaden's Darkness used to flare up in the past, it never seemed to settle down without outside help. Usually, Miss Analia would do things to calm him, though I don't know what."

"This situation isn't as simple as that. Kaden's Darkness reacted _naturally_ to things. _This_ is because of magic, remember?" Wave shook her head, dismayed. _Ever since those markings have started appearing, he's barely needed to be pushed at all to give in to his Darkness, bit by little bit. He's slipping so quickly and so easily… to the point where even he is virtually helpless to stop it. The evil he's facing from within… just how powerful is it? Things haven't gotten too serious yet, but if this keeps up…_ Taking in a small breath, she forced herself to let go of that train of thought and refocus on the conversation at hand. "I don't know what to do, either… Not about this, anyway. But I do know what to do about other things. Steam, mind helping me out a bit?"

Steam gave another nod. "Just tell me what you need help with," he answered simply.

Casting her gaze about the ruins of the once pristine gardens, Wave said, "It's not as safe here as Jet or I would have liked. Certainly not safe _enough_ to warrant us all staying here grouped together as one, big, easy target." She fixed her gaze back on the pair of them. "I'm sending you all to a far more secure location on Mobius to lay low for a while. You'll be protected, but I'd still like you to help keep an eye on everyone regardless, Steam. I won't be there, and neither will Jet. I don't dare move him now, and he needs me here."

The hedgehog took a long, deep breath before giving one more, short nod. "I'll do everything I can," he promised.

Visibly relieved, Wave allowed her once stiff posture to relax to a degree. "Thank you. Really." She took in a breath and let it out. "I don't have the energy to grab everyone and then also send you all to Mobius. Will you two gather everyone over here, please?"

Cream quickly glanced in Espio's direction. "I will fetch Espio." When Wave hesitated ever-so-slightly, she asserted firmly and yet calmly, "He would never hurt me while he maintains any degree of control over himself."

Wave sighed. "Of course… You're right. Go ahead, then."

Steam looked to Wave, then glanced around the immediate area. "I'll help with getting everyone to Mobius as well, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that," she told him sincerely while Cream walked away. "For now, though, see if you can't track down our rogue pilot. He seems to have disappeared above the cloud line. I'll go find and check on Sonic." With a nod, Steam leapt into the air and burst off using his fire.

It took no real time for the group to be gathered up after that. Wave returned to them with Sonic (who was pretty worse for wear, but not severely injured) in tow. It was he who first asked, "Where are we going, anyway? I'm pretty sure Mobius is a lot less protected than _any_ place here."

"Not quite right," Wave sighed. She turned to Espio, who had briefly busied himself with removing whatever shredded bits of cloth remained of his shirt. "Will they be able to stay in-"

He cut her off. "That depends on her _mood_."

"Uh… whose?" Sonic questioned.

"The village elder," Wave answered. She thought for a second, then shook her head. "Whatever. Look, whatever strings you need to pull, Espio, do it. If it causes any trouble, I'll help you deal with them later. The barriers around the Highlands are the strongest barriers available on either world. It's the best place to hide right now."

"I know."

"Right. So, time to go, then." She turned to Steam. "Ready?"

Steam gave a nod in response. "Whenever you are." Without another word, they teleported everyone onto Mobius.

The group landed just outside of the barriers in question, but… not quite perfectly. In fact, they fell straight into a tree. Sonic, in particular, wound up crashing through some weak branches and straight onto the ground with Tails not far behind. "Ow…" the fox mumbled, sitting up. He then quickly looked around and was relieved to see that his ship had landed without a hitch. "Everyone else okay?"

"Yes," Cream answered, gingerly picking her way out of the tree as she spoke. Shadow just glowered at the snow and dropped down to the ground without another word. Sonic was quick to help him up when he was unable to land properly on his feet. Steam dropped out of the tree and glanced around to take stock of where they were currently, allowing the others ample time to check on one another.

Ignoring everyone else for the moment, Espio dropped out of the tree and approached the barriers. He slipped inside with no issue, something Sonic didn't doubt that they wouldn't be able to do. Sometimes they were allowed passage, but this time appeared to be different. To let them all in, he pulled out a knife and seamlessly drew it up from the ground to about head height, opening a rift just wide enough for people to pass through. Taking the hint, Sonic edged his way through, bringing Shadow along with him. Cream followed shortly after, then Tails. Steam followed along behind them with Armaris trailing behind him within his shadow.

The barrier fell shut again the second Espio removed his knife, and he began walking without a word to any of them. Begrudgingly, Sonic began trekking through the snow after him. "How far away from here is the edge of the village?"

"Very far," Cream answered when Espio didn't. "We can't teleport right here, but we can a little ways ahead."

Armaris poked her head out of Steam's shadow. "Yeah… it's agitating." With that unhelpful piece of information, she sunk back down.

"A safety measure," Cream corrected, tone light and almost happy in spite of the circumstances. She had always loved these mountains.

"How far do we have to walk, exactly?" Sonic sighed.

"About fifty yards, and then we can teleport."

"Great. I'd like to get out of the snow." He paused, thinking, then questioned, "Wait… why is it always snowy out _here_ but never in the village? The forest can't be _that_ dense over there." Tails gave him a look. "Or… it can be and I'm just stupid. Great. I'll shut up now."

Tails laughed and patted his shoulder placatingly. "Nah, you're fine."

"Everyone is stupid now and then. Just, seems that you do it a bit more than 'now and then'," Armaris piped up, snickering faintly.

Steam glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Says the crazed cat lady." His comment earned some barely concealed laughter from Tails.

The group was whisked away in a teleport (courtesy of their resident ninja) not two seconds later, landing just barely within the outskirts of the village Hyale. Turning to them, Espio instructed firmly, "Stay here." He shot a look at Armaris in particular. "That includes you."

Armaris rolled her eyes and reformed from the shadow. "Fine. I won't cause trouble." Though he didn't look like he believed her, Espio also didn't argue. He turned on his heel and left without further comment.

Even at risk of asking another stupid question, Sonic spoke. "Why'd he drop us off here if there's a chance we might not even be welcome?"

Though Tails opened his mouth to comment, Cream beat him to the punch. "Espio's homelands can be a wondrous, beautiful place, if you know how to survive," she told him. Her eyes sought out the minuscule gaps in the leaves far overhead and the darkening skies beyond them. "However… we stand at the end of the day, when shadows grow long and the night comes cold. Sinister spirits and terrible monsters wander these lands, and sometimes once-good people turn mean and hard." Sonic pursed his lips together, absorbing her words and warnings with great care. "You _must_ mind yourself, always," she continued. "Do not wander off beyond the borders of whatever villages he takes us to, no matter what, and especially do not do so alone. Be careful what you say and to whom. Most importantly, be ready to fight for your life at any given moment. His people have lived here their whole lives and can survive the dangers easily. We cannot."

"Long story short, stick close and hold your tongue," Armaris said simply, her eyes drifting in the direction Espio had gone. "If you need anything, let someone know before _doing_ anything."

"They're right," Tails chimed in. "Obviously I've never lived here and don't know near as much, but even we outsiders know that these people are trained assassins who _very_ much prefer to kill first and ask questions later. It's just… better to be safe than sorry."

"I thought we _were_ safe here," Sonic grumbled. "I mean, I get that we've hardly come here much, but it's never seemed like a problem or like anyone wanted us to _not_ be here."

"There is a difference between ignoring outsiders and rejecting their presence," Shadow said. "Usually, we can get away with a visit here or there without issue purely because we have a friend who lives here and holds authority within the community. He is not, however, _the_ authority of this village. If she decides we cannot be here, then so be it. Her rejection alone is all it would take for our lives to potentially be endangered."

"...Which is why Wave mentioned Espio needing to pull some strings," Sonic surmised. "Got it. But, what do we do in the meantime?"

Armaris, in response to this, laid on the ground and curled up for now. "If you need me, don't touch me." Shrugging, Tails went to sit by a nearby tree. Sonic wound up joining him along with Shadow (he was basically being dragged around and didn't have much choice).

Cream saw an opportunity and went to sit by Armaris instead. Taking care to heed the feline's warning, she settled into the cool grass and asked, "May I speak with you?"

The cat cracked an eye open and blinked once before rolling onto her side. "Sure. What do you wanna talk about?"

"You and Espio seem to know each other well," Cream answered immediately. "Generally speaking, I do as well, but not to the same extent. I was very young when I first met him. I've always had questions that I could never quite get answers to… though I would understand if you do not wish to answer any of them, either."

Armaris shrugged. "Ah, ask away. If it's too personal, I'll say so and we can just move on. Deal?"

The bunny brightened a bit. "Of course," she agreed easily. Then she paused to give her request some more careful thought. "I suppose… I've never had very many specific questions. It was always just that… well, he never really spoke of his past prior to meeting some of our mutual friends." She paused again, thinking once more, then turned her head to look directly at Armaris. "One thing I did always wonder about, though, was why he never mentioned any friends in his life prior to those ones. Were you a friend of his?"

"I was a friend of his. We were… pretty close, if I can say so myself. I more or less grew up with him." Armaris scratched at her chin faintly. "As to why he didn't really talk about things before a certain point… I can honestly see him just not giving enough of a shit to do it."

This made Cream crack a smile. "I suppose that is true enough. He is not the sort to dwell much."

Armaris seemed to suddenly have an idea, properly sitting up and looking at Cream rather intensely for a moment. "What's happened with Espio? Like, regarding his arm and all?"

Cream's expression immediately saddened. "We don't know exactly… and neither does he. He cannot remember at all. The best we can do is speculate based off of the evidence from the time, if that is alright." The cat gave a gentle nod in response, hoping for any answer that made remote sense. Cream sighed. "Many years ago… we fought a war against a race who called themselves the Nocturnians. Toward the end of that great conflict, a woman whom he had been starting to care for was captured, alongside Espio himself and a separate friend of ours. I don't know how long they were held captive, but from what our friend Rouge said at the time, they were kept in a cell all together under the watch of the Nocturnian's secondary leader. Her name was Shade."

She grew quiet for a second, remembering the woman in question, then forced herself to proceed. "Rouge was beaten badly and unconscious when we found her and so was Espio. The other woman was dead. He was unconscious for some time and nearly died, but Rouge regained consciousness before too long. From what she said, he had been brazen in his dealings with Shade. He… Well, he got on her bad side on more than one occasion by being outright defiant, refusing to fear her, mouthing off, and so on."

The bunny brightened a bit. "Of course," she agreed easily. Then she paused to give her request some more careful thought. "I suppose… I've never had very many specific questions. It was always just that… well, he never really spoke of his past prior to meeting some of our mutual friends." She paused again, thinking once more, then turned her head to look directly at Armaris. "One thing I did always wonder about, though, was why he never mentioned any friends in his life prior to those ones. Were you a friend of his?"

"I was a friend of his. We were… pretty close, if I can say so myself. I more or less grew up with him." Armaris scratched at her chin faintly. "As to why he didn't really talk about things before a certain point… I can honestly see him just not giving enough of a shit to do it."

This made Cream crack a smile. "I suppose that is true enough. He is not the sort to dwell much."

Armaris seemed to suddenly have an idea, properly sitting up and looking at Cream rather intensely for a moment. "What's happened with Espio? Like, regarding his arm and all?"

Cream's expression immediately saddened. "We don't know exactly… and neither does he. He cannot remember at all. The best we can do is speculate based off of the evidence from the time, if that is alright." The cat gave a gentle nod in response, hoping for any answer that made remote sense. Cream sighed. "Many years ago… we fought a war against a race who called themselves the Nocturnians. Toward the end of that great conflict, a woman whom he had been starting to care for was captured, alongside Espio himself and a separate friend of ours. I don't know how long they were held captive, but from what our friend Rouge said at the time, they were kept in a cell all together under the watch of the Nocturnian's secondary leader. Her name was Shade."

She grew quiet for a second, remembering the woman in question, then forced herself to proceed. "Rouge was beaten badly and unconscious when we found her and so was Espio. The other woman was dead. He was unconscious for some time and nearly died, but Rouge regained consciousness before too long. From what she said, he had been brazen in his dealings with Shade. He… Well, he got on her bad side on more than one occasion by being outright defiant, refusing to fear her, mouthing off, and so on."

The bunny brightened a bit. "Of course," she agreed easily. Then she paused to give her request some more careful thought. "I suppose… I've never had very many _specific_ questions. It was always just that… well, he never really spoke of his past prior to meeting some of our mutual friends." She paused again, thinking once more, then turned her head to look directly at Armaris. "One thing I did always wonder about, though, was why he never mentioned any friends in his life prior to those ones. Were you a friend of his?"

"I was a friend of his. We were… pretty close, if I can say so myself. I more or less grew up with him." Armaris scratched at her chin faintly. "As to why he didn't really talk about things before a certain point… I can honestly see him just not giving enough of a shit to do it."

This made Cream crack a smile. "I suppose that is true enough. He is not the sort to dwell much."

Armaris seemed to suddenly have an idea, properly sitting up and looking at Cream rather intensely for a moment. "What's happened with Espio? Like, regarding his arm and all?"

Cream's expression immediately saddened. "We don't know _exactly_ … and neither does he. He cannot remember at all. The best we can do is speculate based off of the evidence from the time, if that is alright." The cat gave a gentle nod in response, hoping for any answer that made remote sense. Cream sighed. "Many years ago… we fought a war against a race who called themselves the Nocturnians. Toward the end of that great conflict, a woman whom he had been starting to care for was captured, alongside Espio himself and a separate friend of ours. I don't know how long they were held captive, but from what our friend Rouge said at the time, they were kept in a cell all together under the watch of the Nocturnian's secondary leader. Her name was Shade."

She grew quiet for a second, remembering the woman in question, then forced herself to proceed. "Rouge was beaten badly and unconscious when we found her and so was Espio. The other woman was dead. He was unconscious for some time and nearly died, but Rouge regained consciousness before too long. From what she said, he had been brazen in his dealings with Shade. He… Well, he got on her bad side on more than one occasion by being outright defiant, refusing to fear her, mouthing off, and so on."

"One thing me and him had in common with people we don't like," Armaris giggled, covering her mouth. "Sounds about right, honestly."

"It may well be what prompted Shade to somehow beat him nearly to death, though," Cream murmured. "And she did so more than once, each time allowing him to recover from the brink, only to bring him back to that point immediately afterward. His eye sustained a deep gash during that time that resulted in a scar that keeps it permanently shut. His arm was paralysed and has never regained function or feeling. His left leg also still suffers pain and weakness to this day." She shook her head. "And there are many, many years of his life that he can no longer remember in any capacity."

 _Way to kill the mood, kiddo._ "Yeah… things happen like that, sometimes," Armaris murmured while settling down her suddenly tensed muscles.

Cream glanced at her. "I am not sure if this was the case when you knew him, but before all of this, I knew Espio to be a calm and rather neutral individual. Though, not one who didn't allow himself to feel and express emotions when he saw fit. Was this true for you as well?"

"Yeah, honestly. It was always sort of… his thing."

"And you have no doubt noticed how drastically that has changed, yes?"

"Of course. You'd have to be blind to not see it."

"Yes," Cream nodded. She took in a breath, then let it out in another sigh. "We don't know what the Nocturnians did, precisely, only that they did _something_ to him that entirely blocked out his emotions from almost the moment he regained consciousness following his rescue. He was utterly _incapable_ of feeling for many, many centuries as a result of it. It is only very recently that some have begun to resurface. But even now, most emotions are entirely lost to him. Sadness, joy, and excitement, just to name a small few. The Nocturnians are entirely to blame for their loss."

There was a noticeable tension across the cat's shoulders, a flare of anger present in her eyes that she forced herself to quell for the time. "That's awful. In every form of the word."

"It was," Cream acknowledged sadly. "Looking back… I suppose it feels even more so for me, if only because it happened when I was so young. It seemed to… frightening, at the time." She grew quiet for a long moment before forcing a smile. "But… things _did_ get better over time, so I suppose there is that." She looked at Armaris. "By the way… for all his fearsome reputation, it turns out that he is a very good caretaker of young, needy children."

Armaris seemed to relax somewhat at that, sighing softly. "He surprised me with that one, too. That fucker has always been pretty decent if nothing else at it."

Cream's smile managed to grow a little. "Ah, so you already knew that, then?" she asked, genuinely curious by this bit of news.

"First-hand experience, kiddo. Had to learn it the hard way." Armaris cracked a smile, chuckling. "When I was extremely young, my dad split off from my mom and brought me here to Hyale. Had some acquaintances, friends, whatever they were. I ended up growing up in the village with Espio."

Curiosity bloomed in Cream's innocent eyes. "Really? I never knew that… Were you two friends as well?"

"Yep. That's why we seem to have a bond. Can't forget about him, and I'm glad he still seems to remember me."

"If I may be so bold to say… I don't think he ever _could_ forget you. If you two have truly been friends for so long, I doubt he would relinquish his memories of that so easily." Cream smiled to herself. "He reminds me of Mister Shadow. Both have few close bonds, but they always seem to hold tight to the ones that are there."

Armaris shrugged. "I've had people decide to forget me over time, so I didn't really think it impossible. We split off to go our separate ways. I guess we're both the loner type, and we just did our own thing."

At this, Cream grinned at the chance to prove her newfound friend wrong… if only slightly. "With that in mind, I suppose it might shock you just how many friends he had at once in the past," she teased.

"I wouldn't be _completely_ surprised, since I've noticed in the past that the loners are the ones that get swarmed somehow," Armaris teased in return, glancing off in the direction Espio had gone once more.

"True enough," Cream giggled, "but looking back… this was a bit much. There were nearly twenty of us, once upon a time, including him."

Armaris nodded gently. "I wouldn't have imagined that many, but I suppose it makes sense."

With a mere nod, Cream shifted gears a little bit. "Since I've asked several questions already, did you have any others you wanted to ask?"

"Ah, not really. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to ask," Armaris assured with a gentle smile.

Cream nodded once. "Alright. Oh, and on that note, might I suggest something?" She turned her head to look back at Armaris again. "I know he's standoffish and whatnot, as per usual, but I think it might do you both some good to sit down and talk together like you and I did. You know… to catch up."

The cat's smile grew a touch. "You're pretty smart, kid. I like you."

Another warm giggle. "The feeling is mutual," Cream replied. Not a full minute passed before Espio returned to the group and gestured wordlessly for them to follow. Seeing him return, Cream and the others were quick to get back on their feet. "I hope we did not upset anyone with our arrival," she murmured.

Ignoring her concern, Espio turned and led the way into the village. Sonic couldn't help but look around constantly, surprised by how many people were out and about at the moment. The place usually seemed like such a ghost town… "I didn't realize this many people actually lived here."

Armaris snickered. "Of course there's a bunch of people." Tails chuckled.

Sonic floundered for a way to defend himself from this new batch of teasing. "It's just- I mean- there aren't even enough houses for this many people."

"That you can see," Espio remarked dryly, no trace of humor in his tone. "The trees are taller than you seem to realize."

"They _are_ ninja, shinobi, and whatever you want to call 'em. If you could see everywhere they were all the time, then what would be the point of the title?" Steam shrugged softly.

Espio suddenly switched the subject. Flicking a glance specifically at Armaris as they approached his isolated home, he simply said, "Do not freak out." Sonic gave him a confused look.

Armaris stuck her tongue out at Espio, huffing. "Ass." That comment went ignored.

Before Sonic or anyone else could even ask, a particularly thick branch encircling the tree home suddenly began to slither and move. The "branch" then began to shift color and texture from brown wood to vibrant purple scales right before their very eyes. By the time the owner of those scales had drifted down to ground level, it was abundantly clear what they were looking at. Before them hovered a serpentine dragon not unlike the mythical Lung dragons Sonic had seen in artwork before, complete with the shaggy head hair and permanently grinning mouth full of massive teeth. It rumbled at them, but Espio didn't seem in the slightest bit concerned.

"Dragon," Armaris remarked bluntly. "Wish I could say I was surprised, Espio."

As with before, Espio chose to ignore her. That seemed to be his go-to response to everything today. However, he _did_ acknowledge the beast briefly. "Must you always cause a scene?" he muttered, no doubt referring to all the stares they were now receiving from various younger villagers around them. The dragon rumbled again. It almost sounded like laughter this time, at least to Sonic's ears.

The dragon turned its large head to look over the group, then allowed its gaze to land on Armaris. Without ever moving its mouth, it spoke. _"We had thought you long dead, Little Shadow."_

Armaris scoffed. "Remember that one fucker that tried to kill me a long time ago?"

 _"I recall the crimson stain you left behind."_

"Yep. That should have told you that I wasn't gonna die unless I decided to. So, ha."

For a second, the dragon seemed ready to retort in a way that might genuinely cause an argument. However, it soon stopped itself and let out another rumbling laugh. _"I remember that attitude… very well,"_ it murmured. Espio openly rolled his eyes (well, _eye_ ) at the dragon before jumping up onto the porch-like area surrounding his house and disappearing inside. Shrugging, Tails flew up after him.

"Glad to know you remember," Armaris scoffed, crossing her arms. Rumbling out one more laugh, the dragon turned away and flew slowly back into the mess of branches overhead, returning to the perch it had claimed before and closing its eyes to rest.

Stunned, Sonic stared after it and asked, "I thought there haven't been any living dragons since… since ancient times?" Cream shook her head, but didn't elaborate for him this time. Shaking his own head in wonder, Sonic then asked, "Okay, so, who the hell was that, Armaris?"

"An asshole-" Armaris stopped herself for a moment, realizing that it was an actual question that she was answering. "Oh, right. They've been around each other for who knows how long. So, realistically he's been alive _since_ then."

"They trained together when they were very young," Cream further explained. "Back then, when dragons were more abundant than they are now, it was common practice. They fought many battles side-by-side during their youth, similar to battles side-by-side during their youth, similar to Kath and Azerel, but since dragons and chameleons age very differently, Aku eventually grew too old to be anything more than a companion. He only remains alive because, when I was still young, they tied their life forces together via magic. So long as Mister Espio remains alive, Aku will, too."

Still trying to digest this, Sonic asked, "So… he's not gonna bite our heads off or something? I mean, if looks could kill…"

Cream giggled. "No, he would never. He is really very sweet." That was most definitely _not_ the word Sonic would have used to describe him, based off what he had just seen.

Armaris scoffed again. "Sweet isn't the right word, but I agree he won't be doing much on the eating of appendages or limbs."

Emerald eyes briefly rolled. "Thanks. You guys really sound so confident and make me feel so much better."

"Just doing my job," Armaris commented.

At this point, Shadow finally decided he was fed up with the banter and demanded, "Enough, already. Let's go inside." Sonic opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. It _was_ cold out here, after all. Very, very cold, in fact. He didn't exactly like that little detail.

In response, Cream smiled. "Of course. We do need to work out sleeping arrangements and the like, after all." With that, she used her large ears to slowly fly up to the house. Sonic followed shortly after with a nimble leap, though that was definitely tricky since he had to take his brother along for the ride… a fact which Shadow no doubt did _not_ appreciate. Armaris leapt up after them, Steam following shortly behind her with his fire.

Once inside, Sonic and the others were met by an… odd sight. There were knives. Everywhere. And not just laying around, but actually stabbed into the _walls_. Espio was angrily ripping them out and tossing them aside, but plenty more remained. Each had a little note tied to it, and Sonic briefly read one as he helped Shadow sit down.

 _"Missed you"_

Realized who must have been here, Sonic instantly understood their friend's agitation. "Wait- What the hell? When did _she_ come here? And _why_?" Cream looked around, at a loss for how to answer. _It must have been sometime recent, when we were all gone... but when, exactly?_

Armaris snatched one of the knives out of the wall herself and cast a short glance to Espio. Definitely gonna be asking about all of this.

Just as another knife was ripped out, a small commotion broke out outside. Irritated beyond all words, Espio threw the blade aside and disappeared in the direction of the noise to investigate. Figuring they should also see what was up, Sonic and Tails hurried after him while Cream chose to remain inside with Shadow. Armaris practically threw herself out after them while Steam stayed back for now.

Sonic and Tails caught up just in time to see something small and black and _very_ energetic slam into Espio full-force. He snatched it in his good hand and held it away from himself a bit while frowning in a mix of confusion and continued irritation… for the thing he was holding was the back of a shirt, and wearing that shirt was a small… child? Only… that child was active _very_ aggressively, biting and clawing at his arm relentlessly, hissing all the while with angry demonic eyes glaring at everyone around them. Soon, two more such child-demons lunged for him in an effort to save the first one, but he blurred out of their way before they could reach him.

Tails looked aghast at the sight. "Oh, _man_ …" he muttered to himself, just loud enough for Sonic to hear. "This is so _not_ good…"

Armaris didn't hesitate in the slightest, storming forward with her fists clenched and teeth gritted. _Oh, you little fucks are gonna get it now._

Too confused to immediately react, Sonic watched the three demons for a moment longer. Despite their display of hostility and aggression, they were visibly drooping with exhaustion. They were also young, _way_ younger than any demons he had ever imagined. If he had to guess, he'd have placed their ages at no more than four each. Maybe five. _And they look alike, too… Siblings, then. Maybe even… triplets?_ In that instant, it was like a light bulb went off in his head. "Oh, no _way_ is this them." Tails gave him a horrified look.

While this was happening, the two remaining demons lunged for Espio again. He dodged a second time, but caught one of them under his arm, restraining her while still keeping ahold of the first girl he'd caught. This resulted in more clawing and biting, but he ignored that for now as he watched the third crouch a short distance away and hiss at them. This conjured up some rather vivid memories of Espio having to deal with young Armaris in the very distant past, but now was by no means the time to think about it.

Armaris kept walking toward the one that wasn't yet restrained, clear anger evident in her eyes. Seeing her approach, the demonic child hissed louder but rapidly backed off, prompting the small crowd of people to get out of the way immediately. None of them showed any sign of fear, but they had clearly decided to let Espio handle this situation instead of them. Despite the child backing off, Armaris kept up her approach and teleported behind the child, lunging down to grab her like Espio had the other two.

Tails was first to speak up again. "Oh, man, _now_ what do we do?" he asked, fighting back apparent rising panic. "We can't keep them _here_! That'll bring _him_ to us for sure!"

" _Slow down_ ," Armaris muttered, glaring momentarily before realizing what she was doing. "Don't immediately begin panicking, because then we'll really be fucked."

"It's hard _not_ to!" Tails quickly retorted with a spark of rare temper. "I don't think you understand, these kids belong to the _God of Demons_! You know, the very same guy who already set his armies upon us once today? If we trap his kids _here_ , he's gonna genuinely try to _kill_ us this time!" Sonic tried his damnedest not to feel too alarmed by that declaration, he really did. He couldn't quite help but gulp, though.

Gritting his teeth, Espio shifted his hold on one of his captives as she tried to wriggle her way free. "We are not trapping them here," he asserted firmly. "There are more than enough of their ilk in the woods without adding them to the mix."

"Then we have to figure out what to _do_ with them, _without_ pissing him off." Armaris stated simply.

"How did they even get here?" Sonic demanded, eyeing the three warily.

"They must have somehow been dragged along when Wave and Steam teleported us," Tails mumbled. "Meaning they were close to one of us when we left. They might have been getting ready to attack, judging by their demeanor." He shook his head, then said, "We can't keep them here, but we also can't just _drop them off_ somewhere… so what _do_ we do with them?"

One of the girls bit down particularly hard on Espio's arm, and a flare of unusual anger prompted him to swiftly knock her out - albeit without doing any real harm to her at all. Still… this was something he normally would have _never_ done. After witnessing this, the second and third girls settled down considerably in a display of instinctual self-preservation. Tails and Sonic traded a worried look, but didn't comment on it. Instead, Sonic asked again, "So we can't just dump them off somewhere and we also can't _keep_ them… so what the _hell_ are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Tails answered softly. "There… isn't any right answer here. Just multiple _wrong_ ones with varying degrees of incredible risk."

Armaris took a long, deep breath before glancing back as Steam dropped to the ground. "My best guess is that we need to get them away from here," the hedgehog said.

"But we can't _do_ that," Tails protested in dismay. "The second we leave the barriers, we'll be sensed and so will the kids. That could draw the God, or at least his armies, _right_ to us."

"But if we keep them here, what's to say that he won't just come right for us anyway?" Armaris asked, a frown growing on her face.

"Nothing within the barriers can be sensed from the outside," Espio muttered. "For the moment, he will not know they are here."

Steam bit his lip. "The thing is, the God is fucking intelligent. He knows a _lot_ of this group, and there's a damn good chance he'll know to come and raise hell on Mobius if they're not on Babylon."

"How would he _know_ us?" Sonic asked, utterly confused. Of course, he knew that the God had fought with _some_ of his friends, but _most_?

"Because he knows _Jet_ , first off. As such, he's definitely got a lot of information regarding those that Jet is allied with, close to, and more. He keeps tabs on his enemies."

Though he shook his head, Sonic dropped that matter for now. It wasn't as important as dealing with these freaking demonic _kids_ was. "Would he have actually known these kids were outside of the barriers here, though? I mean, does he keep that much of an eye on them?"

"Only if he's paying direct attention, which…" Steam's eyes widened and he bit off a curse. _Ah, fuck. It's the same shit again..._

Seeing his expression, Tails quickly asked, "What is it, Steam?"

Unsure of how to explain otherwise, Steam growled to himself before biting out, "He's just going to go after _both_ planets until he finds them." Quickly, he began typing out a message to Wave, explaining the situation they were all in.

"Until he's able to track them down… yeah," Tails agreed in a whisper. Sonic felt himself pale. "The second he realizes they're not where they're supposed to be… we might be done for. Even if we were to set the triplets loose _right this second_ , the fact that they were trapped here at all will likely still be enough to incur his wrath." Armaris tapped her foot rapidly in agitation at this, stalking off somewhere for the time being.

Steam took a moment to breathe in deeply, running his fingers along his hair. "Alright, so, we need to prepare. First off, we have to make sure they're not injured when shit hits the fan."

With a subtle glance at the one girl who had been knocked out, Sonic mumbled, "They don't look like they're hurt. But what are we supposed to do with them? We can't just let them run amok again, obviously."

Espio seemed to give this some thought. "There are containment areas outside of the village," he eventually said. "They are designed for Hollows, but other demons can be held there as well."

"Do you think it'll work for the time being?" Steam asked, simply for affirmation.

"They will hold," was the simple reply. "The only danger lies in opening the seals long enough to put them in without letting Hollows out."

Steam nodded. "We can talk about that more later. Second, we need to prepare. As much as we can.

"That means more training, for one thing," Tails added quickly with a look at Sonic, "for you and Cream in particular. Though it certainly wouldn't hurt the rest of us to spar a bit as well." He gave that matter a brief moment of thought, then perked up visibly when a new idea struck. "Actually, on that note… Steam, would you be up to helping with a bit of training? It'd help us learn more about your fighting style so we can coordinate with you better, plus an extra sparring partner might do everyone some good."

There was a short few seconds where Steam glanced over everyone before nodding. "Yeah. We can sort out how we'll be doing that in a moment. For now, is there _anything_ else we should get done that you guys can think of?"

"I really don't think there's anything else _to_ do," Sonic remarked. As he spoke, he warily eyed the two conscious demonic girls, who were starting to grow restless again. "...Aside from dealing with those three, I mean. But is containing them like that really a good idea? I mean, wouldn't that make things worse when their dad comes looking for them?"

"Truthfully… we don't have many other options. They're a _huge_ danger to at least two people in this group by just _being_ here, and we can't just leave them roaming about."

Tails saw the wisdom in that almost instantly. "Crap, you're right about that. Obviously letting them run free is a bad idea, but I hadn't considered…" He trailed off, shook his head, then switched gears. "We should sort this matter out before we do anything else. It's the most pressing issue."

Steam glanced to Espio. "I know you're capable of handling the containment, but I'd prefer you take someone else with you just to help keep those three in check on the way there," he said softly, glancing in the direction Armaris had went off in. "Besides, could be good for you two to catch up." Not in the mood for any of this, Espio just let out a tiny huff, turned on his heel, and began walking. He didn't bother to acknowledge Steam beyond that brief sound, nor did he wait for Armaris to be filled in or anything.

Without missing a beat, the telltale sign of Armaris in her shadow shot across the area to catch up to Espio, the cat launching out and landing a couple of feet to his side. "So, going out to seal them?"

Having long since grown familiar with the slight sounds of her creeping around, Espio knew well before she spoke that she was coming. As such, he didn't bother reaching for a knife or anything like he would have had it been most anyone else. He simply kept walking and said, "Yes."

"Well, then. Guess I'll come with you. Take this little fuck with me, too." Armaris held out the demonic child, having knocked the girl unconscious during the time she was missing. "Didn't think you would wanna come all the way back to fetch her." He let out a vague hum in response, but said nothing. His bad mood was readily apparent, and to some extent his negativity was rolling off of him in waves. Armaris pursed her lips for a moment before switching topics. "So, hi. Nice to see you again. Wanna catch up?"

Though he frowned slightly for a second, in the end he didn't argue. He couldn't quite find a good reason to, no matter how much a part of him _did_ just want to argue purely because he could. _Now is not the time,_ he reminded himself. As such, he held his tongue. The pair reached the north-eastern edge of the village (they had been very close to it from the start) and soon began walking into the dense wilderness surrounding the settlement.

"Alright, good to see that you're not against it. I'll start. When we first split off, I ended up slowly becoming a pretty well-renowned thief. I was damn good at it, and I had a lot of fun doing it," Armaris said softly, smiling in reminiscence.

Espio raised an eyebrow slightly and commented dryly, "So when you stated as a small child that you would 'abso-freakin-lutely be an amazing thief', you were not joking."

"Did I ever joke about my dreams?" she teased, winking gently.

"Yes," he responded swiftly.

"Ass." He shrugged slightly, not disagreeing with her statement. "So, what did _you_ do, besides obviously stay a badass and make a group of friends larger than I could ever imagine having?"

Another shrug, this one smaller. "Various things," he answered enigmatically. "It depends on which time period you are referring to."

"Any of them. Pick one."

Resisting a third shrug of his own, he thought for a moment before finally saying, "At one point… I was wrangled into working in a detective agency with two others. The cases were never anything serious, but often my boss would get us into ridiculous situations I then had to save us from."

Armaris snickered faintly. "'Course you'd get wrapped up in something like that."

"You act as though I make a habit of it," Espio murmured, side-stepping a half-frozen puddle on his way through the trees.

"Mm… perhaps." Armaris thought for a moment, before turning her full gaze to him. "I actually met back up with my dad after some time. I kicked him in the face at first, but we ended up having a good conversation after." The cat simply walked over the puddle, her shadows keeping the ice from cracking under her weight.

Hearing this bit of news, Espio blinked a couple of times. He hadn't seen or heard of that man in… multiple, _multiple_ eons. Last he'd heard from _her_ , she hadn't even had the desire to see the man again. "Considering the threats you spouted in past," he commented with careful neutrality, "I am surprised kicking was all you did."

"Okay, so, that kick _might_ have been enough to cause a fracture somewhere, and I'd already gotten consolation in that regard through someone else I'm close to now." She smiled gently. "What about your parents?"

Though this wasn't something he typically was willing to discuss with anyone, Espio recognized that she had viewed his parents as her own for some time. If only for that reason, he decided she had a right to know. "They died," he said flatly. "I was told their causes of death at the time… but whatever was said was likely a lie, given the secret nature of their work. Regardless, it was a very long time ago." _Long enough ago to no longer matter,_ he tried to tell himself yet again. To this day, he could never quite believe his own words.

Armaris' gaze grew downcast, an almost tangible shade covering her mood for a long and painful moment. "Regardless of their causes of death, it still hurts to hear." He didn't acknowledge that, instead choosing to block out much thought about it as he usually did. He focused on continuing the long walk through the snow and trees toward their destination. After some silence, Armaris coughed and let the emotions go, letting her attention return forward. "I should probably explain this, since it's really important to me. As of some long time ago, I was chosen by Cere, the Goddess of Judgement, to become the successor of her position. I've been training under her for a long time now so I'll be ready to take over for her when she deems me ready."

After giving that a bit of thought, Espio responded simply (and yet sincerely, coming from him), "A fitting position for you."

"Yeah. I'm still kind of worried, especially because of the responsibility it holds, the kind of reputation she has, so on and so forth to bring endless amounts of anxiety."

"You have done well in positions of responsibility in the past."

"But this is being a literal _goddess_. Someone who helps keep balance in the whole of fucking _existence_. That's some next level responsibility."

With four simple, direct words, Espio offered his support and firmly refused to accept any further argument on the matter. "You will be fine."

The cat rolled her eyes. "Still a stubborn fucker as always, eh?" He didn't deign to answer that question, rhetorical as it was. "I may as well ask this. What have you been doing recently?"

"Whatever has been needed," was the vague response. After a small moment of pause, he gave in and elaborated. "At times, the elder requires me to carry out missions others cannot. Other times, situations arise like this where I am required to deal with outside matters. The specifics vary wildly each time."

"That sounds about right. Realistically, I've been doing similar stuff. Carrying out missions to aid the gods and goddesses, helping watch over events, and more. Kinda tiring." Armaris groaned softly, amused. Internally, he disagreed. As irritating as it was at times to have to deal with all the people involved, he still very much lived for the thrill of combat. That was something he'd never miss out on if he could help it, and it certainly never felt tiring to him. It provided constant and very welcome distractions from the monotony of life. "So, I wanted to ask about something right now in case we don't get to talk again soon. What's got you so bothered that your mood has changed this much?"

Immediately, he tried to shut this line of inquiry down. "Leave it alone," he muttered, perhaps a touch more angrily than was necessary. That had been unintentional.

Armaris raised an eyebrow. "That which begets anger is never a thing to 'leave alone'. That's something that Cere taught me a long while ago, so… I want you to talk to me. We're friends, close friends I'd say, and you know you can trust me." She slowed her walk a touch, turning to face him fully. He stopped walking when she turned, followed shortly by her doing the same. "What's on your mind?"

Suddenly fighting against his rising temper, he bit out as evenly as he could manage, " _Nothing_ , Armaris."

"You don't get pissed over _nothing_ , Espio." He had to disagree with that assertion. Lately, it seemed as though _everything_ was pissing him off. It didn't help that that simple fact _also_ pissed him off. "Something happened. Is it about those knives?" Armaris prodded, crossing her arms to hold the demonic child more comfortably.

The fact that she apparently hadn't been filled in on the source of those knives (or, more accurately, the source of _all_ his recent trouble) caught him off-guard enough that he spoke without thinking… and in the process unintentionally divulged a bit more information than he wanted to. "Her knives have nothing to do with this," he answered curtly. Though, in retrospect, that wasn't _entirely_ true. With her, knives were virtually _always_ involved in some form or another.

"So it's a woman. Likely someone you know well. My first guess is a lover?" Armaris guessed, raising an eyebrow.

That word made him visibly cringe for a half-second. That fucking _word_ implied (at least in his culture, if not others) that there was an actual sense of mutual affection or something more than that, and with _her_ … With her, as badly as he found himself wanting to believe it at times, he knew better than to blindly trust that she felt even remotely similar things toward him that he felt toward her. At best, he was maybe some sort of a toy for her. He knew that. He'd _known_ that from the beginning. The knowledge just… didn't make the truth easier to accept.

"No," he responded sharply, refocusing on the present moment and already walking again. If he could somehow get out of this conversation by physically removing himself from it, then he'd be damned if he didn't at least _try_.

Armaris moved after him quickly. "So, she's not exactly an enemy, and not exactly someone friendly?" He chose to pointedly ignore the question. "Alright, so I'm likely right. Not much would normally bother you like this, so it's gotta be something that drastically changes your life. If you're not _that_ close to each other emotionally, then…" She took a moment to consider the possibility. Soon the realization hit and her eyes widened faintly.

Espio stopped walking again as the reality that he had been grappling with all day (or however the fuck long it had been) came crashing down around him all over again. It took a solid minute or two before he finally responded, answering with a very reluctant and quietly spoken, "...Yes." Had he been with anyone but her, he wouldn't have said anything at all. Actually, he was questioning why he said anything at all, regardless of the fact that she was the only one present to hear his admission.

"Espio. I'll say here and now that in whatever happens, I'll be there to support you. There's no way me or any of your friends will let you do this alone, alright?" she said resolutely, staring into his good eye. "I'm your friend for a reason, ya know."

After another very, very long moment of silence, he quietly admitted another detail… one that only compounded the problem he was facing and deepened the deep anger, resentment, and whatever else that he felt about the whole thing. "She already expressed no desire to keep the child herself," he muttered, looking away. "She intends to leave it with me from the beginning." That was another hard bit of news to swallow yet still. That particular sort of responsibility was _not_ the kind he was prepared to handle. Just about _anything_ else would have been better than this.

Armaris bit back a low and hateful growl at that information, intense anger soaring into view in her once soft eyes. _No good piece of shit, fucking abandoning a child._ "In some manner, I'm glad she's giving the child to you. At least the people you're _friends_ with will help you take care of it."

Espio disagreed, strongly, but not so much with the last part. "Leaving it with me is just as bad," he nearly snapped, once again resuming his walk.

"But the fact that you're even worried about that shows you _care_ , which is a trait she obviously lacks," Armaris responded quickly, walking after him. Espio found himself struggling to hold back a sudden surge of dark fury, screaming at him from within that he _didn't_ care. He buried it, unwilling to face his own reaction while in her presence. "It doesn't matter if you're not sure of your own capabilities in being a parent," Armaris continued, "as long as you _try_ to do it. 'Cause, guess what? You've got people to support you. I know that _I_ will help, and I'm damn sure at least half of your group of friends will be _more_ than willing to do the same."

He didn't choose to acknowledge her words right then, gritting his teeth tightly in silence. He pointedly ignored the feeling of several new burning marks appearing on his skin in response to their rising emotions, particularly his own. The burning sensation quickly faded as the marks finished fading into existence. However, the sensation had been present more than long enough for him to be aware of it, and he immediately continued trying to quash his anger and stuff it away again where it could no longer cause him such a pronounced issue. The fact that burying it all would likely come back to kick him in the ass later was a matter to be dealt with… well… later.

After a pause, Armaris sighed softly, letting her anger fade away. "I'm sorry. That's a… sore subject for me, as you know, and I'm just glad that the child won't be with someone who obviously has no regard for it."

As was usual for him, Espio didn't say anything in response, opting for his usual tactic of retreating into silence. Instead, he focused on walking the remaining distance toward the nearest Hollow seal. Upon reaching it, he grabbed a special knife and used it to cut open a small hole. Once the hole was wide enough, he tossed the two girls he'd been carrying in there. He was not in the right frame of mind to do so gently, despite the fact that he knew he was handling children - demonic or not. Armaris did the same with the one she'd been carrying, a touch more gently than Espio had. As soon as they were inside, Espio let the seal fall back into place… just in time to prevent a rather large and cranky Hollow from rushing out at them. He then simply turned on his heel and began walking back at a brisk pace.

Armaris followed a short distance behind him, arms crossed gently. Since they weren't walking as slowly as before, they reached the village in short order. Espio promptly disappeared in the vague direction of his house, abandoning her near Sonic, Tails, and Steam, who were still standing around waiting for the two of them to finish. Spotting her, Tails quickly waved her over. "Did you guys get it dealt with without any issues?" he called.

The cat nodded gently. "Yeah. The three are currently sealed away. It was pretty simple once we got there and all." Tails was visibly relieved by the news, though naturally plenty of worry remained.

Though his friends often teased him about being 'blind', Sonic was observant enough to pick up on the remnants of her upset from minutes ago. Frowning a little, he hesitantly asked, "...You okay? Did something happen?"

Armaris glanced away faintly. "It's something best left alone for now, if only because it's not my place to speak about it."

Tails thought it best not to pry, so he headed off any further comments from Sonic by saying, "Okay. We can respect that." He glanced at his three companions in turn before continuing. "Should we get started with training now? Part of me says we should rest first, but I'm not convinced we have the sort of time needed for such a luxury."

"It'd probably be best to get started sooner rather than later," Steam answered, shrugging softly.

Nodding, Tails turned his attention back to Sonic. "Maybe you oughta go first. You've said yourself that you could use it more than the rest of us."

Sonic sighed heavily. "Yeah… I probably could. You've seen me lately. I'm not exactly fighting as well as I used to be able to. Nowhere near it."

"No shit, Sonic. The problem isn't that your fighting may not be as good as it was, it's more that your skills haven't fully returned. You're still somewhat struggling with some of the things you _were_ good at in the past," Steam said.

"It's not a matter of them _returning_ ," Sonic huffed. "These things deteriorate with age. I learned that the hard way. And you have to remember, I'm still fucking _old_. There's only so much I can do about that."

Tails was quick to interject before they could start to argue. "Be that as it may," he said, "training can still help you out a lot. That's the main point to this conversation. Since we agree on that much, let's just leave the rest of be and actually focus on the training itself. Okay?"

Sonic sighed. "Yeah. Okay."

"Yeah, yeah," Steam agreed, rolling his shoulders lightly. His eyes flicked to Armaris, who was standing there in utter silence. "Hey, Armaris. Come and watch, or go take some time to yourself. You could use a bit of a break." The cat stood there for a long moment before falling into her shadow and skulking away.

After a second or so of silence, Sonic piped up again. "So, I've never been here many times or anything, but if I remember correctly there's some sort of training grounds off that way." He pointed. "Think anyone would mind us using them?"

Tails shrugged. "Hard to say."

"I assume it likely won't be an issue," Steam offered. "Things might have been different in my timeline, though."

This evoked a sigh from Sonic. "Fuck it. If we get stabbed, then I guess we'll just have to deal with it." With this melodramatic response said, he began trudging off in the direction he'd indicated before. Steam headed off after him, rolling his eyes in faint amusement. Hiding a smile behind his hand, Tails hurried after them.

Armaris caught back up with Espio, carrying herself in front of him quickly with her shadows and reforming there to try and catch his attention. Seeing the familiar shadow upon the ground even before she truly appeared, Espio stopped walking. Stifling a sigh, he asked, "What?" Honestly, he didn't care to know what she wanted right now. He just wanted to be left alone long enough to get his emotions back in order, before they and his vaguely rampant energies caused truly irreparable damage to some part of his life or another. ...Not that his emotions hadn't already _done_ that.

The cat glanced away quietly for a moment before stepping closer, minutely so. "Just know that I'll always be there for you, Espio." Her words rendered him silent for a long moment, though there was little evidence of negativity in him at this moment. Instead there was careful neutrality and a hint of the guarded expression he had sometimes worn in the past when uncertain how to react to another person. He'd never been especially… skilled at social things. "Be careful, alright?" she asked gently, a genuine expression of concern on her face.

At this, Espio looked away. "I know."

Armaris quietly began walking away, casting a long glance back at her old friend with a weak smile. _The same, yet… so different._ As she watched, he disappeared without a trace. _I guess, in the end, we've both changed._

 **~保護者~**

 **11,764 words this time. _Wow_ , this is a long one! Hope y'all enjoyed! And many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help! Oh, and a bit of humor for ya... When we write together, we tend to poke fun at each other's typos. This culminated in us once sharing our funniest typos in an author's note like this one in one or two chapters during the Metarex arc of "Hero". Well, by his insistence, here's the best recent typo we've had. Sadly, this was my goofy error. I was trying to write "demons", but somehow instead wrote "demoncs". I hope it's as funny to you guys as its been for us. XD Posted (at about _) 11-16-19.**


	41. Cherish

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this revealing conversation… especially for the ones who are nowhere near as ready as their enemies.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Cherish"**

 **~保護者~**

In lieu of returning directly to his home, Espio nimbly leapt into the tree whose branches his home had been built amongst. He took a seat beside the camouflaged head of his dragon companion and tersely asked, "Why did you call for me?"

Aku didn't bother to open his eyes or even just stop making himself look like a particularly sizable branch. For some reason, that was irritating. _"Your parents feared this time would come, my Little Shadow,"_ he murmured. The old nickname made Espio frown disapprovingly. _"Considering the nature of their own Darkness, in spite of how they overcame it, they worried from the moment of your conception about your own inevitable power… and if it would one day cease to be dormant as theirs had become."_ A single golden eye cracked open a sliver to stare at him. _"I had once thought their fear unfounded… until you began to associate yourself with her."_

Espio's frown deepened. "I have no interest in a lecture, Aku," he muttered.

 _"Bah!"_ the dragon scoffed. He closed his eye and shifted into a more comfortable position. _"Interest… no interest… that does not matter. You will hear my words, and you will listen well. I did not spend all of these years helping to guard you from the sins of your blood just so that you could give yourself to them anyway."_

This accusation made Espio grit his teeth in agitation. "I am not _giving_ myself to it," he responded sharply, fighting to hold back yet another random surge of anger.

In a display of his own anger, Aku dropped his camouflage and rounded on him. In a fraction of a second, his large head with inches from Espio's face and their gazes were locked in an intense stare. Espio didn't flinch. _"Then prove it to me!"_ he bellowed. _"Show me you are more than a pawn for her and her machinations! Remove yourself as a player in her games!"_

His hand balling up into a tight fist, Espio demanded softly, "If it were that _simple_ , do you not think I would have _done_ so by now? Do you not think that I have _tried_ to cut our ties together more than once?"

Aku growled lowly at him, but lowered his voice. Some of the rougher edges to his tone smoothed out. _"There are reasons why I was once somewhat grateful for your numbness,"_ he suddenly admitted. He backed off a little, giving them both some space again. _"Emotions are a vexing problem, and they have on more than one occasion utterly damned people to their fate. Yours are doing precisely the same here."_ Though Espio started to respond, Aku gave him a harsh look and continued talking over him. _"No one may choose who they fall for. That is true. But anyone can choose when they are ready to let go of their love and move on with their lives. It has long been time for you to do that."_

Resisting the urge to scoff openly, Espio turned his head away and scowled at a random branch. _Nothing is ever so simple. Least of all when she is involved._

Perhaps in an effort to regain his attention, Aku deliberately slithered back into Espio's line of sight. _"You are in a uniquely dangerous situation,"_ he reminded in careful, controlled tones. _"I have let it be for far too long. You asked once for my insight, and this is what I will tell you. There are many things that can be said about her - about you \- that you already know. However, I believe you have overlooked one simple fact… The fact that what you want and what you need are two vastly different prospects."_

Espio let out a slight sound of anger. "Pray tell," he muttered unhappily, though he really didn't care about the answer he was about to be given.

The dragon made very sure to catch his wandering gaze again and hold it before murmuring, _"You have always cherished things quietly. Prior to her influence, your love, when given, was a very gentle and honest thing. It was not violent, it was not spiteful, it was not bloody. She has stolen from you the very thing which you have always needed the most."_

Another frown, this one much deeper than before. Espio gave him a long look. "And what is it you presume that I _need_ , then?" he eventually asked.

 _"To be cherished in return."_

 **~保護者~**

Several hours had passed since the attack on New Babylon. When Jet had been unable to calm down even with the aid of his parents, they had been politely shooed out of the room by Wave so that she could handle it. By some miracle, she had actually gotten him to sleep. But, though he was certainly calmer now, it had been agreed that giving him space was still in his best interest. As such, Alana was sitting with Sein in another room, each of them biding their time until they could go and check on their son again. Despite not normally being one to willingly show her vulnerability, she eventually laid her head on his shoulder. "I worry for him, Sein," she admitted in a whisper. "I have never… felt so much _anguish_ from one person before."

"I worry too, Alana. I don't know what to do, and I feel like there's so much more that I- no, that we could be doing." _I wish I could have done more beforehand to prevent this…_ Sein closed his eyes and lowered his chin.

Alana shifted her arms to hug herself tightly. "What could she have possibly shown him to evoke such an intense reaction?" she asked him in a soft voice. Though, in truth, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

Sein cracked an eye open and glanced to her, wrapping an arm around Alana gently. "My best guess is something extremely traumatic. You don't just _get_ those kinds of reactions from plain fear or illusions."

"I know," she murmured back. "But there are so few situations that could have such a drastic effect on a person… particularly if a long time has passed since the onset of the trauma." Not that she knew for certain that a long time had indeed passed, but based off of their son's current demeanor overall he just seemed… fine. At least, mostly so. That didn't hint at any _recent_ trauma.

"There's a lot we… don't know about his life, and what he's been through. When we get a chance, we'll ask Wave. She probably knows." Alana just nodded silently in response to this.

Li poked his head in the door, blinking a few times. "Hey… how are you guys…?" He asked carefully, slowly stepping in and pulling Novei with him.

At the sound of their old friend's voice, Alana turned her head to look at him. She wasn't feeling up to socializing right now, but nevertheless answered him to be polite. "We are fine," she told him, looking away again.

Before Sein could speak, Li rolled his eyes. "Alright, I know something's up. What happened?" He asked gently, walking across the room to sit closer to them. "Talk to me. You know I'm here for you guys."

"Something happened to Jet. Some woman attacked him and dug up some sort of trauma that caused a meltdown. Not sure… who she is, what she dug up… or… _anything_." Sein noticeably tensed up as emotions welled within him, but he managed to keep himself calm for now.

"'The Corrupted Light', Astra. Once a being of Light that corrupted herself with dark magic and has since been causing literal _hell_ for many of the people she comes in contact with. She's allied herself with some of the biggest evils in the past, and has also managed to turn against them at the same time," Li explained, frowning.

Novei cut in before anyone else could respond. "She has been a threat to Therians as well, once before. During the Nocturnian war. She specializes in magic and the various capabilities of magic."

"Wait, wait... " Sein lifted his body into a straight position, clear concern and confusion written on his face. " _Corrupted_ _Light_?" he asked incredulously. "That's _possible_?"

"Only barely," Alana mumbled, eyes still downcast. "I do not know all of the specifics involved, but the most likely cause would have been the dark magic." She thought for a short moment before continuing. "If her Light was weak enough and her magic _strong_ enough, then it is possible that the imbalance of power was enough to allow her dark magic to force her Light into a dormant state. And, once dormant, that Light would no longer be automatically shielding her from further corruption. Such a thing has only happened once… maybe twice before, ever. It is borderline impossible, given the inherent strength of Light and its position as a primary energy within existence."

"I'm pretty sure she has a sister, too. Someone by the name of Rosalline?" Li said, somewhat unsure. "The girl has been searching for Astra, but never is able to catch up or find her. Kinda sad, really."

"A person as unstable as Astra would be remarkably skilled at hiding," Alana answered. "She will have made plenty of enemies throughout her ill-fated existence."

Novei nodded. "Yes."

Li frowned softly and glanced to Sein. "You mentioned Jet… but… why are you so deeply… concerned?"

Instantly, a flood of memories came back to Alana. _He knew we had a baby coming, but he never had a chance to meet Jet before we were attacked and I had to flee with him._ Swallowing back her emotions, she said quietly, "The baby we were expecting… Li, I named him Jet. When I died, he was… left here. But we have found him again. The Jet that Sein mentioned is _our_ Jet."

Novei opened her mouth to speak, but Li quickly put his hand over her mouth. "I came here to try and find you… No... " His voice trailed off as several realizations hit him. "Is that why he's so talented as an Immortal and so powerful…?" he asked, mostly to himself as his gaze wandered around aimlessly for a moment. Alana didn't trust herself to speak anymore in this moment and so just weakly shrugged.

Sein coughed softly to grab the wolf's attention, intent on changing the subject. "So, do you know about what kind of trauma she might have drug out?"

Li blinked a few times as he returned to reality, frowning. "Before the Nocturnian War, he was apparently kidnapped by Syxans during a separate war he helped fight. Likely, he was… tortured…" Li trailed off, not wanting to get to other possibilities. Alana stiffened (froze, really) in shock, too stunned to reply.

"Long story short, she likely dug into things like that and potentially other things he's had to endure in the past." Novei explained, shrugging. "Who knows what she got ahold of, especially with her rumored mental capabilities." Still in shock, Alana was unable to formulate any sort of response (be it internal or external) to anything they had just been told. She stared at the floor in mute horror.

Biting back some vivid curses, Sein took a long and deep breath. "Let's… talk about something else." Li nodded gently, not wanting to continue the grim conversation longer than necessary. Novei said nothing, which prompted Sein to glance back to the wolf. "Apparently… Kath is back, now."

Bewildered, Li blinked rapidly. "He's _what_? How? _Why_?"

If only to try and force herself out of her currently darkening mood, Alana answered him. "Lady Teyan has apparently weakened her bonds enough to be able to interact with things outside of her home realm. She spoke with us briefly and said that our situation would soon be dire and that she was sending help. Then she revived Father in our timeline and sent him here."

Novei blinked a few times. "Who the f-"

Li clamped a hand over her mouth once more. "Lady _Teyan_? As in _Queen of Chaos_ Teyan?" He asked for clarification. "How the _hell_?"

Another weak shrug. "We do not know. It only just happened, and she has not made contact since. It is possible that she cannot do so anymore at this moment."

The Therian tilted her head at Li. "You seem perplexed. Explain."

A long and deep sigh escaped the wolf. "So, Lady Teyan, Queen of Chaos, likely _the first_ Semi-Immortal to exist, was once free to do as she pleased just like the rest of us. However, while the early days of existence were full of creation and peace and unity under the watchful eyes of the Faein, eventually they did leave. The second generation of Immortals eventually came to be following their departure, and one of them made the fatal error of granting _incredible_ Privilege to a woman named Nareish. That woman began killing Immortals en masse using her newly gifted abilities, stealing new ones all the while. Eventually, she was confronted by Cere, Finis, Teyan, Ythene, and perhaps several others. While most were defeated and driven away, Lady Teyan remained strong. Nareish overestimated her own power and continued the fight until it was clear that she was doomed to lose it. Instead of accepting her defeat, she chose instead to enact a powerful seal on the Realm of Chaos, and tossed Lady Teyan into the realm. She did the same with Ythene, though the seal had closed enough at that time that Ythene was trapped beneath only a few layers of it. Lady Teyan was _fully_ trapped, and she has been ever since. As powerful as she is, even _she_ could never win against Immortal abilities."

His last statement raised a new question in Alana's mind. _That is so… But, then, how did she weaken the seal? How could this be possible?_

"Oh. Neat." Novei answered, blinking.

After a long and vaguely awkward pause, Alana stood up. They could continue this conversation without her if they really wanted to, but she was no longer interested. She just wanted to check on her son. She couldn't take continuing to sit here without knowing how he was. It was just too difficult to bear. Sein stood up with her, more than intent on following her. Giving him a brief look, she simply proceeded into the hall and began walking briskly toward the room they had left Jet and Wave in. She arrived there in short order and was vaguely surprised to note that she could no longer sense Wave's presence within the room. However, she _also_ didn't sense anymore extreme emotional turmoil from Jet (whose energies seemed to indicate he was sleeping currently). Chances were, the swallow had gone to take care of things while her friend rested.

Taking care to be very quiet, she opened the door and stepped inside. Her previous surprise grew somewhat when she saw her father was already in there with Azerel dozing at his feet, leaning against the wall directly beside the bed with arms crossed and eyes glued to the window. Despite how his overly detached demeanor would tell most that he wasn't paying attention, she knew the truth was that he was, in fact, paying _very_ close attention. In fact, she dared to believe he was actually keeping watch.

"So… hi." Sein said, unsure of what else to say in response to seeing Kath. "How are you?"

Glacial blue eyes immediately glanced at Jet as though to check if the younger Babylonian had woken up (he hadn't even stirred, curiously), then Kath's gaze shifted to Sein. In answer, he gave a vague shrug. Alana fully entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed. To fill the silence, she quietly asked, "Was he given medicine?"

Kath nodded slightly. "A sedative of sorts. His friend could not calm him otherwise. His emotions were escalating too greatly." He grew quiet for a long moment with a certain look in his eye, one that told her he was thinking deeply about something.

Glancing at her husband, she tried to silently communicate with him her desire to explain to her father who Jet was and why they were so concerned. Their concern was likely the reason behind him coming here to guard Jet at all, but she highly doubted he knew the truth yet. But, naturally, she _wanted_ him to know. _If only he or Mother could have been there to know from the beginning…_ A fresh pang of a grief slammed into her full-force, but she did her best to choke it down.

"So…" Sein glanced to the window for a moment. "Yeah… Uh, hello. I had a child with your daughter and I hope you don't murder me."

Kath glanced sharply at Sein with a disapproving expression, but said, "I know. His aura revealed as much."

Somehow, by no small miracle, Alana managed a small smile. Though she wanted to smack Sein for his _utter_ lack of tact, she held off for the time being. _Of course… Of course he could read that much from an aura. How silly of us._

Sein coughed, sliding back a few feet as if concerned that Kath might _actually_ kill him for that. "So… uh… I assume that's why you're sitting here, watching over him?"

Looking away again, Kath simply said, "Yes." He paused, then eventually added, "And his friend requested I did so. ...Something about wanting me to be present when he wakes."

"That makes sense. Part of me is willing to bet that Jet would've known the you of this timeline a little, if not pretty well," Sein shrugged.

"Perhaps," Kath murmured, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with that statement.

Sein cast a glance over at Jet quietly, his faint happiness fading once more as worry creeped its back way in. "I wonder what all he's been through, both by choice and not. There's so much we just… don't know, and I _want_ to know so I can be there for him."

Kath's gaze slid back over to him. "He may not hold the same opinion. The chance is high that he will be utterly unwilling to give you the answers you seek."

"That is so," Alana agreed slowly, "but his friends may have information they would be willing to share. I hate to go behind his back, but if that is what it takes to help him then it is necessary."

"I'm more intent on getting them from _him_ if possible. I want as much of the information about him to come from the source as I can get, reasonably," Sein sighed.

"But if what Li said is correct, Sein, then there may not be much his is _able_ to tell us," Alana pointed out carefully. "And he certainly will _not_ want to."

There was a long moment before Sein could respond, obvious pain in his eyes as he gazed at his sleeping son. "I just want to understand…"

She got up and walked over to him. "I know," she answered gently, placing a hand on his arm. "We just have to do so in a way that will not further hurt him, however unintentionally."

"Yeah… I just…" Sein said nothing more for a moment, his eyes closing as he shuffled closer to Alana. "I want to help."

"By simply _being_ here for him," Alana murmured gently and yet firmly, "you _are_ helping him. Being here is the best way we can help in this very moment." When he didn't immediately reply, she accepted the silence and pulled him into a tight embrace. They could _both_ use a hug right now.

 **~保護者~**

A red portal opened in deep space, casting a faint light into the immediate area as the Goddess of Judgement stepped through. "Finis. Something _drastic_ occurred that I wish to speak with you about," she said gently, eyes locking onto the Babylonian.

Despite not truly being a creature of Darkness, the God of Night was _very_ closely related to them and, as such, shared some similar traits to them. One of those traits was a distaste for light, and he almost instinctively hovered away from it when his partner arrived in his isolated retreat. Then, via their mental connection, he directed simply, _"Speak."_

" _Teyan_ spoke, albeit mentally, during the battle recent on New Babylon," Cere said slowly, as if she herself did not believe this. The feeling was more than reasonable, given the facts at play here.

In spite of the surrounding darkness, Finis's frown managed to be faintly visible within the dim light her energies had provided. _"She has been sealed away since near the dawn of time,"_ he responded just as slowly. _"How is it that she so suddenly has managed to free herself from her bonds?"_

The Goddess of Judgement frowned as well, unsure of how exactly to explain for a moment. "She is not fully _freed_. It is more that a crack has seemingly appeared within those bonds and as such allows her to perform actions, as she did."

 _"'Actions',"_ Finis echoed carefully. He then asked, _"She did more than one thing, then?"_

 _"Kath has been revived,"_ Cere answered mentally, glancing about as if unsure whether they were being observed or otherwise listened to. _"He is currently on New Babylon with Sein, Jet, Alana, and Wave."_

His frown deepened considerably. _"She returned the Soldier of Light to us…"_ he murmured. _"For what specific purpose? Even his presence cannot miraculously turn the tide of this war."_

"As always, there is that which is beyond our immediate comprehension. We will see in due time, but I wish to preserve the secret as long as we are capable due to the immense danger it poses," Cere replied.

Finis nodded once. _"Understood. I will aid in monitoring the situation on my end."_

The Goddess returned the gesture, her gaze shifting to the portal she arrived through. "As will I. I will have another monitor other sectors, especially in light of another enemy we will be facing."

Deep purple eyes narrowed, but he didn't comment on that. Instead he said, _"There are greater forces at play thanks to her. Are you aware of what she has done? What she has awoken?"_

Cere was dead silent for a long moment, her body turning away. "I am aware. There is not much that can be done regarding that situation at this time, so monitoring her is my solution to prevent it from growing worse."

He turned away. _"Fine, then. But if things change, direct action will need to be taken... even at risk of harming him."_

"I am aware and waiting to see if such an issue will arise. Until then…" After waiting a moment to see if he had anything else he wished to comment, Cere stepped back through her portal and let it slowly shut to envelop the Babylonian once more in darkness.

 **~保護者~**

The space surrounding the ancient Temple of the Sun in its lonesome little realm was dark, yet filled with the blazing light of many suns. The contrast was start, fiery, and intense. It was also familiar… warm. The God of the Sun had called this place home for many eons by now, but never had being alone here made him feel quite so… tense. The silence was just as unnerving as the ever-present roar of the flames that illuminated the outside of his home, felt just as ominous as the space surrounding the world he had been so closely monitoring for so long. _And I have to return there… Now, of all times._ Stifling a heavy sigh, he walked through the spacious main room, headed toward a massive unlit floor brazier in its center. Kneeling before the ornately decorated gold, he reached a hand in and conjured up a flame. With it, the room itself was finally as illuminated in flickering light as the space outside.

"Hey! Where are you?" A woman called, loudly storming her way into the temple as she usually did.

The God sighed to himself again and stood up. With a light shake, he rid his hand of the flames still clinging to it. "In here, as always," he called back. "Where else would I be?"

"' _As always_ '," she mocked teasingly, walking inside with her arms crossed smugly. "Hard to get you to show up for anything, ya know?" Sona smirked at the God.

Turning around to face her, he quirked an eyebrow at her. "I could say the same of you, when you aren't sleeping," he remarked casually. Then, without giving her a chance to reply, he asked, "Why were you looking for me?"

Sona shrugged gently. "Eh, dunno. Guess I got lonely with Li focused on trying to set up a temporary forge and all. Outside of that, I don't really hang out with anyone."

He took a moment to consider that before just telling her, "I can't hang out this time. I don't have enough… well, _time_."

The cat scoffed. "Don't have time to hang out with me? What's happening?" Despite the teasing nature of her tone, a slight glow to her eyes showed that she was seriously curious.

"He's gearing up for something big," the other God answered softly, turning away. "Possibly the biggest attack he's launched in years outside of those geared toward getting a shard. This has nothing to do with those, for once, and yet he's gathering a _hellish_ number of forces on his favorite world."

"So, you gonna go out and get involved?" Sona asked with a raised eyebrow. "Cause, I wanna go if that's the case."

"You don't understand," the God insisted earnestly, quickly turning back around to face her. "He's gonna go after the kid. He's been waiting to do it for however long the kid's been back, and now he's got the perfect opportunity to _actually_ get after him. I can't just _let_ that happen. So, yeah, I'm going. There isn't any other option."

Sona closed her eyes for a moment, ruminating over the situation. "What does he _want_ with the kid?"

The Sun God shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure. There are various possible answers, but at the end of the day… I can almost never fathom what his plans are. He's got so many of them and they're all so damn intricate that I can barely keep up these days." He pursed his lips together, frowned, and dropped his gaze before admitting, "...I do know what he's planning for some of the others, though."

"Eh?" She opened her eyes once more, frowning. "What?"

He took a breath. "You know the kid's got a brother, right?" he asked, seemingly at random.

Sona nodded slowly. "Uh-huh…? What about him?"

"He may not be a Light-bearer like the kid is," the god stated carefully, "but he's damn powerful in his own right. He's got his dad's power, even if most of it is dormant to this day. Chances are, however, that that power can be drawn to the surface and corrupted. Jet and I have been shielding him from it for a _lot_ of years, but it's starting to look like our enemy might actually be interested enough to start trying to test out this little theory."

The cat's fingers twitched faintly as if she were going to form a fist, agitation showing on her features easily. "What about the others? There's that one guy from the other timeline, as well as the chameleon, a fox, and some others."

"Patience," he chided, albeit gently. "I'm getting to them. About 'that guy', his name's apparently Steam. He's a Balancer, too, mind you. Given what happened to the _rest_ of them, the God of Demons has one of two fates in mind for him. Corruption, which I doubt he'd bother with in this case, or death. Chances are, he's leaning _much_ more heavily toward the latter."

"That makes sense," She muttered in annoyance, huffing with a faint growl. "Bastard pisses me off with this kind of shit."

He shrugged, acknowledging her statement but not commenting on it. Instead, he said, "As for Tails - he's the fox - and several of the others… chances are he's just going to kill them. What other purpose would they serve him? And in the case of Wave, killing her would _directly_ hurt his _greatest_ enemy."

Sona's muscles noticeably shifted at this mention, tapping her foot lightly. "And that's likely a _high_ probability, all things considered. Not to mention, getting at anyone else he's close to would still hurt him regardless."

A nod. "Yeah. She would just… hurt the deepest, I think." He started to open his mouth to say something else, but stopped and turned to a darkened doorway across the room. Sighing, he called out in a distinctly gentle tone, "Girls… I know you're over there. Come out."

Two sleepy orange echidna girls girls soon skulked into view, looking guilty over having been caught eavesdropping when they were meant to be in bed. The older and somewhat taller of the two yawned. Being the only one of the pair who was physically capable of speaking, she voiced what they were both wondering. "What are you two talking about? You sounded… upset?"

Sona coughed faintly and stored her anger away for now. "Yeah. Some big things are happening and we were talking about possibilities of what might come of it."

The littler girl looked at her with wide, innocent eyes and slowly signed with her hands, _"Bad man coming?"_

At this, the Sun God smiled wanly and knelt in front of them. "Not to here, no. I promised you two you would always be safe here, and I meant it. He won't come here. Not ever. We're gonna make sure of that."

Sona managed a small smile. "I wouldn't let him either. You both know I'll always have all of your backs."

Moving to stand, the God picked up the littler girl (seeing that she looked the most worried) and said, "Anya, you don't have to be so afraid. You're perfectly safe here." He reached out his free hand and ruffled the other girl's hair. "The same goes for you, Anthea." The trio shared a brief hug, then he turned to Sona. "I should get them back to bed. We can discuss this more later, if there's time for it."

The cat gave a gentle nod and a smile. "Yeah. I'm gonna go bug Cere and ask her about some stuff anyway. Got other curiosities I want answered." With a nod, he turned and began walking away with his daughters. They may have been adopted just a few short centuries ago, but he cared for them as his own. He couldn't just leave them in such a fearful state.

Chances were, some snuggles were in order to bring peace back to his little family.

 **~保護者~**

They should have returned by now.

In the hours that had passed since their assault in enemy territory, the demons that had survived had wisely retreated. They had returned to the various demonic worlds they had come from, and the triplets should have done the same. Yet, clearly they had not. Alynn and her sisters were _not_ where they were supposed to be. Troublingly, they no longer _seemed_ to be on New Babylon, either. Though he would never put it past the Babylonians to have devised all manner of means to hide things from their enemies, there was just no way to be sure if that was going on. The God of Demons was not pleased with the uncertainty.

Throughout the duration of the attack he had ordered, he had been focused on other matters. It had been necessary for him to focus entirely on retrieving a shard from a particularly troublesome location. He always made a point to gather them himself, not trusting anyone else to do so, but this time he could not have let anyone even if he had for whatever reason _wanted_ to. The creature who had been in possession of his shard had been… _difficult_ , in its own right. It had required his full attention. Excitingly so. Which meant he hadn't been paying attention to where his daughters had been and when during the battle or afterward. They had disappeared specifically during that time, lending credence to the idea that it was possibly a planned kidnapping or something of the sort. That was unacceptable.

As it stood, the only _likely_ people to be in possession of the girls were Jet and his allies. Since their little friend group had divided across two planets, it stood to reason that Alynn and her sisters were either on New Babylon or Mobius. It was just a matter of determining which planet was the correct one. Utterly pissed that someone had the three of them, the God made a rare split-second decision. Screw carefully searching one world and then the other. Screw punishing only some members of that group. They would all regret crossing him. They would all be _truly_ faced with the threat of death. Both planets were going to suffer by his hand.

But ultimately, no matter how angry he was over the matter of his daughters, he made his decision for more than just that one reason. An attack of this nature had actually been a long-time coming. He had been generous with his treatment of these people for far too long, purely because he had had far more pressing and _interesting_ matters to attend to. That was different now. He was closer now than ever to finishing the portal, and that meant he had more time. Time to focus on something new. Something… that would no doubt prove to be utterly _satisfying_ at its end.

There was plenty of motivation to be found in the case of attacking Mobius alone. For one thing, he had been plotting for _quite_ some time to rid himself of the minor nuisances that were Tails, the Mobian military, and the planet's general citizens. He could now add Cream to that list as well. That Balancer, Steam, had royally irked him as well with the little stunt he had pulled on the God's world during their last interaction as well. Said stunt was certainly punishable by death. It would be an easy way to rid himself of that irritation. And then there was the boy and his brother. He had been intending on confronting the pair face-to-face for rather long while. Why pass up such a golden opportunity? And then there was Espio, whose Darkness the God had very recently become aware of. The suddenly awakened power intrigued him. Its innate malice excited him. He could not help but wonder what might happen if he oh-so-innocently stirred those energies up further… and perhaps gifted them with a distinctly _demonic_ edge.

But he couldn't direct all of his forces on just this one, decidedly insignificant planet. Oh, no. Babylon had proven itself worthy of his attention as well. Its residents were so _fucking_ insistent on staying on his radar that they simply _deserved_ a reward for their efforts. It wasn't that he liked any other race any more than this one, but he reserved a very _special_ brand of hatred for this one. He wanted them gone. Dead. _Extinct_. That could be arranged. As was the case with Mobius, he had _layers_ of motivation for carrying through with an attack of this scale on that world. His hatred for Jet _alone_ , and not to mention his _constant_ interference, was damn-near motivation enough on its own. But there was more to it than that.

Also on that planet was Wave. For her, he harbored a similar (albeit somewhat less intense) hatred for many of the same reasons. She was, after all, commonly involved in the acts Jet carried out against him. But there was a key difference. Unlike Jet, the sole bane of his _fucking_ existence, _she_ was someone he could kill. And there was one other key detail: she would _stay_ dead once he stopped her heart. Oh, there was certainly fun to be had in being offered the opportunity to kill someone over and over and fucking _over_ again. It could be exhilarating at times, _exciting_ , even addicting. However, the same could no doubt also be said for killing off the one person his enemy cared for the most… and watching him suffer in _agony_ in the aftermath of his loss. He wanted to attack Jet where it would hurt the most… and destroying his home and his special love would do the trick quite nicely. The fact that doing so would also sufficiently punish his people for their repeated trespassing as well as afford him a rare opportunity to study the two newly revived Immortals (allowing him to learn who they were, why they were important enough to revive, and so on)... well, those were just nice little bonuses.

The fact of the matter was, this all warranted an all-out attack. A bit of kidnapping was in order, but… well, he could leave his right-hand to handle that last bit. It was part of what he had crafted that demon for. Making people vanish was what it did the best. Handling this job would be easy enough. He had no concerns about this failing, not in the slightest. After all, despite sending his very weakest demons, the last attack he had launched had been a resounding success. Many of those demons had absolutely perished, but that had been the idea. Let the enemy think they stood some degree of a chance. Let them lower their guard. It would serve him well later.

In all truthfulness, part of the reason why his plan had worked so well was because he had managed to find and use… _her_. Casting a slow glance to the side, the God's gaze fell upon Astra. She had been critical to further both her goal and his own. He had used her to that end, yes, but he had no doubt that she had been willing. He had given her a prime opportunity, after all… a chance to get close to their mutual prey and strengthen the seeds of control she had so long ago planted. The fact that she had also aided in weakening Jet against his _many_ other enemies was, to her, likely a mere byproduct of her own plan. In this situation, such a fact was more than acceptable. She had served her purpose exceedingly well. And now he was going to press the advantage she had so _graciously_ afforded them both.

In two days' time, or perhaps even less… Mobius and Babylon would _fall_.

 **~保護者~**

 **6,582 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help! Posted (at about 7:25 a.m.) 11-20-19.**


	42. The Best Defense

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of preparation… especially for the one who understands the merit of striking first.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Glad you enjoyed it! And yeah, parts of it were certainly meant to be that way, lol. Ooh, what do you think things meant? ;) Yeah, Jet's in a bit of a pinch... and the God of Demon's sure ain't helping that get better. Guess we'll have to see how that plays out.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"The Best Defense"**

 **~保護者~**

It was only by virtue of her immense psychic ability that Cream managed to gain an audience with the Hyale village elder. It was through mentally communicating with her about the plight their mutual friend was facing that Cream was eventually granted permission to access an isolated building, hidden away just beyond the village and behind a series of powerful defensive barriers. She was led in by the village elder, who then departed. The barriers were left down so that Cream could leave when she was finished. Within the one-room building were a series of ancient tomes an equally ancient chameleon had penned countless years before to document an aspect of their people's shared past… tomes that would finally shed some light on what Cream and her friends and allies were actually up against.

According to what she read, chameleons who were (as the author put it) "in current possession of their true and wicked selves" were ruthless. They possessed absolutely zero capacity for mercy, compassion, sympathy, or even basic empathy. The lot of them were remorseless and often _extremely_ hostile, angry, spiteful, malicious, full of animosity, and worse. To make matters worse, they were prone to extreme and often _savage_ violence, particularly through the use of their beloved blades. Despite being eerily calm both in and out of combat just as often as being angry and the like, they carried out acts of incredible bloodlust at every available opportunity. They were sadistic beyond words, derived the greatest thrill, satisfaction, and even outright _pleasure_ from fighting and killing, and were known to be strangely creative in their cruelty toward others.

From the beginning, these people had displayed a terrifying fascination for bladed weapons and their capacity for slicing, stabbing, killing, torturing, and more. This extended to _any_ sharp weapons, be they axes or swords or shuriken or even arrowheads. To say that their reputation in regards to their use of said weapons was "fearsome" simply was not enough and never could be. Only adding to the reputation they held as some of the most feared beings in existence was their intelligence, their cunningness, their deceitfulness, their ability to manipulate others through lies and false bonds and impossibly subtle persuasion… All the while, they would remain cold and aloof, uncaring about the agony they caused so long as they achieved their own goals. These people were just as fond of psychological and emotional warfare as they were of _physical_ warfare, and it showed.

All of this aside, there were a few flaws to be found. But… _just_ a few. At times, these chameleons could be bold. Cocky. Impatient. Impulsive. A couple throughout history had even acted drunk with their own power. However, those who had not been wise had been killed, often by their own kind. The clans of old did not take kindly to _any_ displays of weakness, and the moment these potentially damning traits had ceased aiding an individual and instead had begun making them a liability, their lives had promptly been snuffed out. Often, in a brutal manner. It wasn't as though that had ever bothered anyone, though. Their lives _were_ brutal, and they had _enjoyed_ it that way. They had seemed to outsiders to be addicted to the violence, to the thrill of battle and bloodshed, to the very act of killing itself. In some ways, these seemed to have been the forces that drove them on in life… the things these people had not only _lived_ for, but _existed_ for.

It was hard ( _very_ hard) to admit to, but the more Cream sat and thought about it, the more she discovered that bits and pieces of what she had just read sounded disturbingly… familiar. Some even felt deeply so. The last bit, in particular, could _not_ be played off as a coincidence. While it had never seemed to her that Espio had cared one way or another about the act of killing itself, he _had_ always been very oddly drawn to violence and any and all situations containing it. He was often the first to draw his weapon when a fight seemed imminent. Worse than that, she could very distinctly recall times where it had seemed to her that he might have been actively looking for a fight, _any_ fight at all. He'd certainly always gotten a thrill from combat, and most oftentimes it seemed that that thrill was precisely what he was looking for when he sought out excuses to battle… whether he realized it himself or not.

However, this one large fact was not the only one that had captured her attention, or her concern. There were other, somewhat smaller things as well. Such as the lack of sympathy, empathy, and remorse that had been mentioned. Now, he was _no_ monster, but Cream had never known Espio to be particularly capable of connecting with many others on an emotional level, even prior to his near-death at the hands of the Nocturnians. He couldn't always empathize with others regardless of the situation at play. He didn't often display any signs of feeling much (if any) sympathy in cases where the emotion was usually warranted. His capacity for it had always appeared limited, if present at all. And when it came to remorse… she honestly couldn't recall a _single_ time in her life where she had ever seen even a hint of that from him. If she were to be perfectly honest, she couldn't even so much as remember an instance where he'd thought or felt that any sense of remorse had been _necessary_ to feel at any point.

As interactions lately had certainly proved time and again, he also truly did have the potential to feel and even unleash very large quantities of anger, thus leading to great displays of hostility, spite, and even hints of hatred. He had always had an _incredibly_ elevated capacity for violence and had _detested_ weakness of any sort in himself, though that was a fact Cream and her friends had always chalked up to merely being a result of his upbringing. Who knew, maybe that did play a part in it, but it still didn't feel like that was the best explanation. It didn't adequately explain his own deep fascination with blades, either, or his blatant refusal to use any other types of weapons the vast majority of the time, his occasional _distinctively_ creative use of them in combat… Previously, she had never given the matter much consideration. Now she shuddered to think about it.

But there was still more. His people were known for their remarkable ability to lie for all manner of purposes with a straight face and without being caught. In more modern times, since leaving their dark past behind them, the chameleons that had come to live on Mobius had come to value honor and honesty more. Espio certainly abided by that most of the time, and yet compared to the many other chameleons she had met during her lifetime he lied far more frequently. He didn't usually bother trying too hard to make his lies particularly believable or convincing, but when he _did_ bother even just a little bit… Thinking back on it now, she could see how effortlessly he had done so and how incredibly _difficult_ it had been to determine the truth he had been concealing. Often, to this day, she found that she couldn't determine if his version even really _had_ been the lie or not.

All of this, Cream was forced to realize, was no happy (or, really, _un_ happy) accident. Her friend had these traits about him for a _reason_. It couldn't be explained away by his upbringing or the environment in which he'd lived in since birth, or anything as simple as any of that. The truth was far, far more frightening… and utterly _damming_ for him. It-

"Whatcha reading, kiddo?" Armaris asked suddenly behind her with a raised brow and her arms crossed in a nonchalant manner.

The poor young woman jumped and spun around, a hand over her heart. "Oh my goodness, you _scared_ me!" she exclaimed.

Armaris frowned faintly, tilting her head. "You're a bit too tense. What's that you got there?"

Cream let out a heavy breath. "Yes, well…" She turned back to the book. "I granted myself an audience with the village elder a few minutes ago, and she allowed me to come in here and read these books. They… Well, they seem to describe what her people were known to be like before so many of the people traveled here and managed to leave their Darkness behind."

The cat frowned a touch deeper, a touch of concern lighting up her eyes. "Is that so, kid? Tell me what you've read," she said gently.

With a sigh, Cream began to recount what she had uncovered. "Needless to say, the author described his own people as ruthless," she began "with no ability to feel mercy, compassion, sympathy, or even basic empathy."

 _Sounds a bit too familiar for my liking…_ Shivering softly, Armaris sighed. "It's honestly a bit too true. Even those that left their Darkness behind have some hellishly strong traces of those kinds of traits, or… the ones that I met when I was a kid did, anyway. "

"I know," Cream murmured. "I have always known that for an entire society to be made up of assassins and warriors, such a lack of care would be and _must_ be prominent. I had just… never realized it was associated with such a dark past." Her expressive eyes were clouded with concern. "What worries me most, though, is the fact that Espio has the very same lack of compassion and the like most oftentimes."

"Sometimes, there are things that just… can't be removed from your personality. My dad's one of those people that finds it extremely hard to carry emotions like the ones you mentioned due to the situation he was born with."

"I suppose so. Anyway…" Cream scanned the page once more. "It also should come as no surprise that they were also described as being remorseless, incredibly hostile, angry, spiteful, malicious… Well, you get the idea." Armaris nodded slowly, motioning for her to continue. "The author further went on to say that they were prone to extreme and savage violence - unsurprisingly via the use of blades - and that they were also both eerily calm and yet incredibly angry people. In the author's words, 'they carried out acts of incredible bloodlust at every available opportunity' and were 'sadistic beyond words', 'deriving the greatest thrill, satisfaction, and even outright pleasure from fighting and killing'. The author even said that they were 'known to be strangely creative in their cruelty toward others'."

Armaris' gaze grew distant for a moment, focusing on something else before she managed to pull herself back. "Well… yeah. Think of it this way. If they're extremely powerful beings of Darkness, it's not exactly unusual for them to be driven this way, especially if that Darkness is inherently _evil_ by nature."

"I understand," Cream answered softly, "but that does not make it any less concerning when you sit back and think about how similar Mister Espio often is to those people that were just described. Even before all this began to happen, he has always been drawn to violence of all kinds and has _always_ sought to partake in it. As I'm sure you're aware, he often spends much of his time _searching_ for fights. And, of course, he has always had a rather intense temper. Though, it is usually _far_ better contained than this."

The cat's hands tightened into fists, anger pointed inward as she fought with herself momentarily. It hit too close to home, as did most of this conversation. After a long couple of seconds, Armaris pulled herself together enough to stay calm. "Because his Darkness is being drawn out, yeah?" she pointed out, as if trying to find a way to end this conversation.

The bunny shook her head. "That is making it worse, yes. But these traits are not present because of that. They have _always_ been here."

Armaris turned quickly on her heels, only to stop when a gentle red rune of sorts appeared on her shoulder. It took almost no time for her entire body to relax as she let out a soft sigh. _Thanks, ma._ "It's true. Espio has _always_ been like that to some degree. Never thought all too deeply about it."

"Neither have I," Cream admitted. "And it's… concerning." After a small pause, she continued. "This bit is frighteningly true of him as well… It describes how these people displayed a 'terrifying fascination' for bladed weapons of _all_ sorts, regardless of what they were, and that this fascination extended to their use as well. Cutting, killing, and… well… I suppose you can imagine the rest." She swallowed hard. "It even says that they could be extraordinarily cruel in their creativity while using their blades, as I mentioned before."

"Well… of course." Armaris turned back to face Cream, a concerned expression on her face. "Due to that nature they're born with, it's practically instinct for many to pick up interests and thoughts or feelings like those. He's… no exception to the rule."

Cream wasn't even remotely comforted. "That does not make this any less troubling," she responded slowly. "'Normal' does not equate to 'benign' or 'safe'."

Armaris sighed faintly. "In no way is that what I'm trying to say. Just that… to a degree, he can't help it. Of course he could seek out help and attempt to change _some_ things, but a lot of this is so deeply ingrained that it will likely never get _better_."

"Seeking 'help' is not likely a viable option," Cream sighed. "As you stated, it is a part of the innate nature of his people… But even so, the fact that these traits still exist within him even when he is _not_ in his evil state is…" She trailed off.

"Dangerous, unnerving, _terrifying_ ," Armaris murmured softly, closing her eyes. "The best we can do, from what I know, is to try and usher him _away_ from that state for as long as we can. If Steam's reactions are anything to go by, it's _highly_ likely that he will reach that state regardless of what we do. As such, I would think it best to try and prepare for when it comes."

Following that line of thought, Cream responded, "Preparing for it entails awareness… And I think there are a few more things you should be aware of. There are other traits that are also present even when he is his normal self, and… I worry that the fact there are so _many_ may help explain why he has been slipping so easily. He just… is toeing the line too closely purely by being his usual self." Rather than respond, Armaris simply motioned for Cream to continue. Taking the hint, Cream did as she'd silently been told. "According to whoever wrote this book, their people had a reputation for intelligence, cunningness and deceitfulness. They were also feared for their ability to manipulate through falsely bonding with others, subtly persuading victims, and silkily lying with so much skill that it was always believed they were speaking the truth. And, while doing these things, they were known to remain cold, aloof, and detached from the pain they caused others, caring only that they accomplished what they wanted. They were just as fond of psychological warfare as physical." She heaved a heavy sigh. "I hate to say this, but… compared to the many others I have met, it does seem like Mister Espio and just a few others lie far more frequently than the rest. When he bothers to actually make his lies believable… he does so so _effortlessly_ , and they have that same effect of being so believable that the actual truth cannot be discerned."

Taking time to think back, Armaris eventually gave a gentle nod. "Honestly… yeah. I was pretty young at the time when I knew him best, so I didn't pick up on it. But now… it's a bit obvious."

Her words earned a nod. "There are a few others things as well," Cream told her sadly. "For example, the author described a weakness that these people were known to possess now and then. By their telling, these people could at times be bold, cocky, impatient, and impulsive. Remember what I told you about how he acted, according to what Rouge told us after the fact, when they were captured by the Nocturnians? He behaved in a manner _just_ like this before he was nearly beaten to death. It was random and out of character, and up until now none of us have understood _why_ he did it. And it is not as though he can remember."

"It could have also been drawn out more as a defensive mechanism of sorts, but I see what you're getting at."

"But Mister Espio does not _get_ defensive like that, Miss Armaris. He never has."

Armaris visibly cringed at being called 'miss', but didn't comment for the time being. "Yeah, it never was like him to."

"And, on the subject of weakness," Cream continued, "it says here that the old clans _detested_ weakness in themselves and anyone else. Now, think of how Mister Espio has always strived for perfection in his training and the like. It seemed just a harmless personality trait before, but now it appears as though it's likely _also_ a trait passed down from his darker ancestors."

"It most definitely _is_ ," Armaris added, unsure of what else to really say. This was all _very_ true, if not spot-on with Espio.

Cream stared down at the words on the page before her. "There is one last thing, too. Even those who might try to explain _everything_ else away as something benign cannot ignore the fact that these people… They lived brutal lives, filled with savage warfare and great bloodshed. They _wanted_ it that way. According to this author, they were even _addicted_ to living that way, to the violence and the thrills and the killing and everything else. In many ways, these seemed to be what they truly _lived_ for. It may not be quite that severe, but… Mister Espio has also _always_ lived for combat, thrills, and the like. How much of his life has he spent simply wandering the world, almost subconsciously seeking out that very lifestyle and being made restless due to an inability to find it? It's too accurate a description of both the lives of these past people and his own life for us to ignore it."

In lieu of a response, Armaris cast a glance over the bunny's shoulder, taking note of something else on the page. "There's something else really important there. Read it," she said softly, despite the demanding statement.

Blinking, Cream shifted her attention to an unread passage that sat just above multiple colorful depictions of different eyes. Frowning slightly to herself, she translated aloud what she read, though not word-for-word. "This says that… during states of elevated and intense evil when an individual was not ascending into their Dark form - it says that those with great power and control could of course choose not to transform if they did not want to - there was a physical change that would still take place. It says that the person's eyes would shift from their normal color to a more metallic version of said color."

After a short pause while looking over the pictures below, she continued. "So, for example… the author drew a picture of green eyes. Their corresponding metallic color, according to this, is a shimmering emerald. Another example was amber (which the author wrote was the most prominent eye color of one of the oldest and most powerful clans), which is a shade of yellow. It's corresponding metallic color would be gold."

Armaris took a moment to let this sink in before quietly thinking back over Espio. _He also has amber eyes. Ah, fuck me._ "I'll probably try and ask Steam if that was a common thing that he saw, considering he seems to know a lot."

Cream nodded. "That would be prudent," she murmured.

After a few tense moments of silence, Armaris abruptly turned and began walking. "We should head back. If you need me, go to Espio's house." With a second, smaller nod, Cream turned and followed her out.

 **~保護者~**

It was with a sense of great reluctance that Sonic took his place on the training ground and drew his sword. He didn't feel up to being here after everything that had gone down earlier, but also recognized why he _needed_ to be. So, instead of putting up a fuss, he just sighed and asked, "Think we can make this a bit short? I know this needs to happen and all that shit, but I just… I don't know. I think I might need to sit down for a while or something."

Steam gave a gentle nod. "Don't worry, I didn't plan for it to be all that long. Mostly getting you to rehearse some of your old tactics and hopefully just overall catching you up a bit more." He gave a weak smile, unsure of what else to say. Steam knew full well the power that woman had when she _wasn't_ corrupted, and in this timeline she _was_. Regardless of the severity of the attack he might have suffered, he had no plans to be harsh with Sonic. Too much would give the exact _opposite_ results of what he wanted.

Given the headache he was dealing with right now, courtesy of the earlier attack, Sonic didn't have it in him to really smile back. Nevertheless, he did his best to let Steam know that he accepted this plan willingly by keeping a lid on his usual temper. "Yeah. Okay. What exactly are we doing?"

"Some swordplay and a bit of training with your powers again. If you're feeling up to it, maybe some basic training to make sure your stance and so on is proper."

"I never had much training on stances," Sonic informed him, scuffing his shoe in the dirt, "so I doubt those are gonna be up to par. Just a fair warning."

Steam shrugged. "Same here. I mostly just make sure you won't get knocked over in a breeze."

Finally, Sonic managed a small smirk. "Shut up, like I _would_ ," he retorted.

A smirk appeared in response on the green hedgehog's face. "I dunno. I'd hope that much, though." Without waiting for much of a response, Steam launched himself forward and slashed out at Sonic with his sword.

Sonic's headache made him a touch sluggish, but he managed to block the attack in time to avoid injury. The impact made him slide back several inches in the hard-packed dirt, but he retained his footing and pushed Steam back with great force. Steam landed on one foot and spun himself around, following his momentum until he could throw himself right back at Sonic with a sweeping kick. The blue hedgehog was quick to jump sideways to dodge the kick, but didn't follow through on the small opportunity that he was presented with due to a sharp stab of painful protest in his head. He winced, unintentionally flinching a little closing his eyes in the process. As much as Steam didn't want to press this kind of advantage, he lunged out with his sword in a way that would let the blade fly right past the other hedgehog's face.

Sensing this threat, Sonic reflexively threw himself to the side to further avoid the attack. He swung Caliburn outward as he moved, slamming the heavier blade forcefully into Steam's lighter weight one. Feeling his sword knocked aside, Steam was quick to toss it back and instead approach with a quick yet powerful punch from his free hand. Finally forcing his eyes open again, Sonic countered with a strong kick, just as he would have done had he been facing Knuckles or Locke. Fist met leg with jarring force. Quickly turning his hand, Steam grabbed hold of Sonic's leg, intent on throwing him into the trees. Sonic reacted half on instinct and half based off of what little training he did have, using Steam's grip as leverage to twist himself up and around to counter with a kick to the other man's head with his free leg.

A touch surprised, Steam was knocked back from the hit. However, he rolled back and teleported his sword back into his hand, sliding forward with a minor burst of flames to perform an overhead strike. Struggling to ignore further pounding in his head, Sonic raised his sword up to block again. He didn't bother doing anything about the fire Steam was using, as it wouldn't affect him in the slightest and he had no concerns regarding it. Then, directly after blocking the attack, he launched a swift Homing Attack to knock his opponent back again. He didn't pour as much speed and strength as he would have into that attack once upon a time, however. In this moment, he didn't feel like he had it in him. Steam dropped onto his back quickly, launching his feet up to meet the attack and rebound the other man away for the moment.

Sonic unintentionally stumbled, but quickly regained his footing. Pain made him vaguely dizzy, rendering him unable to see Steam clearly for a moment or two. He refocused as quickly as he could, however, and quickly threw a wimpy and small Chaos Spear at Steam to keep him back. This was a feat he could only very rarely pull off without an emerald present, and he was frankly grateful that it had worked… lame though it had been. A touch surprised once more, Steam pushed himself off the ground and focused Darkness into his hands, blasting the spear with enough Darkness to cause it to dissipate. Having briefly forgotten that Steam could _do_ that, Sonic watched in surprise for a second or two before wisely backing off and putting some distance between them. His head continued pounding, but he was able to see clearly again by now.

Steam watched Sonic for a moment before deciding to forgo the swordplay, instead launched two blades of Light from one hand while focusing enough to keep Darkness in the other. He could only do this through intense focus, keeping the two energies separate enough so that they wouldn't dangerously mingle. Being unable to conjure up his own Light or Darkness at will the vast majority of the time, Sonic was forced to just dodge. The second blade, however, nearly managed to slice him due to his continued sluggish reactions to everything. Still, he _did_ manage to avoid injury in the end. Steam hesitated for a moment, allowing Sonic a better chance to see what was coming before throwing a sphere of Darkness.

Though he managed to dodge, Sonic did so only barely once more. At that point, he leaned over and braced his hands on his knees (he had dropped his sword somewhere at some point, though he didn't know when or where) with his head drooping as another wave of pain-induced dizziness hit him. "I think I need to stop," he mumbled, swaying a little on his feet. "Really need to sit down…"

"Shit," Steam walked over, instinctively grabbing hold of Sonic in a careful way to make sure that he was stable. "Do you need help getting back?"

After a moment, Sonic dared to shake his head. "No. It stopped b'fore. Just… need a second. I think." He took a few deep breaths and eventually forced himself to stand back up. Once his vision cleared enough, he quickly looked around for where he had dropped Caliburn. It was resting on the ground more or less where he had been standing before he had dodged that final attack, so he walked over and picked it up.

"You sure you'll be okay, Sonic?" Steam asked, a worried expression on his face.

Sonic sheathed his sword with a small nod. "Yeah. Like I said, I think I just need to sit down or something." He sighed tiredly. "It wasn't that bad before, but all this moving around is sort of… fucking with me."

Steam gave a gentle nod in response. "Be careful, then. If you need me, I'll do what I can to help."

"Thanks," Sonic answered sincerely. "I appreciate it." He began walking away without another word. This was far from the ideal situation, but it couldn't be helped. And if Astra's brief attack on him had done this much of a number on his head, he could only imagine how poorly _Jet_ must have been faring...

 **~保護者~**

Following Steam's sparring match with Sonic, Tails ventured out to the training area. He surveyed the relatively modest damage to said area, then quickly looked both Sonic and Steam over as Sonic walked away back toward the village. _No substantial damage and no major injuries… Must have gone pretty well._ Shrugging that thought off, Tails approached the green hedgehog. "So, make any progress, I hope?"

"Honestly, yeah. The biggest problem is reteaching yourself the skills you had that haven't been used in a long time, but he's adjusting relatively fast." Steam smiled faintly and chuckled. "Not exactly too happy all the time, though."

"Nah, he still gets kinda cranky," Tails laughed. "But, in all fairness, we'd probably be the same way if we were anywhere near the same age as he is. Or, was… or whatever." He trailed off for a second, thinking that one over, then shook his head with another laugh. "Yeah, whatever. You know what I mean."

The hedgehog shrugged. "Makes enough sense, I guess." Steam took a moment and glanced away to the direction Sonic had left, then shifted his gaze back to Tails. "Knowing you, you've probably got some questions of some sort. Am I right?"

This made the fox chuckle almost nervously. "I'm that obvious, huh?" Another chuckle. "Yeah, I suppose I do have some questions. I mostly came down to check on you guys, but I would definitely like a chance to chat real quick if you don't mind."

"It's not that you're obvious, more so that I kinda… know the tendencies you all have. Nonetheless, go ahead. I'm cool with a short chat."

Tails nodded and responded, "Your knowledge about us and the stuff that's likely due to go down is part of what I'm interested in, but I do have something else I wanted to ask about. I more or less understand that you're a Balancer and all that, but I guess I must have missed the part where you explained about _how_ you can use both Light and Darkness without it rending you to bits?" He fixed Steam with a puzzled expression. "The only person I've ever heard of being able to use both is Sonic, and his circumstances are a bit… erm… _particular_ and borderline impossible."

"That's actually a problem I've nearly caused myself before." Steam thought over his answer for a few seconds before actually trying to respond. "So, in essence, I don't actually create the energies within my body. Instead, I kinda pull them from the Realms of Darkness and Light and expel them from my body. Due to that, I don't actually have access to any of the abilities that those energies would give a normal being of its respective energy."

Unlike some people, Tails needed no time at all to process this and make sense of it all. "Okay, yeah. That actually really clears it up for me. Thanks for that." He gave himself a few seconds longer to ponder this new information before continuing. "Now that that bit's been cleared up, do you mind talking about some more worrisome things? It just… would help me to have some more information to work with."

"Depends on what it is. Some things will likely be best unsaid, but, I'm sure you understand that well enough," Steam answered, giving a faintly bothered expression at having to hide information.

"Of course," Tails agreed straight away. "And if anything comes up that you can't tell me, just say so and I won't pry. Is that alright with you?"

Steam cast him a small smile. "Gotcha."

Seeing the smile, Tails returned it. "Before we get into this, though, I do want to apologize. I know this stuff is… well, _unpleasant_ and not at all what anyone really wants to talk about."

Coughing faintly, Steam shrugged. "I… honestly don't give a shit. As you can guess, I've been through worse. This is kinda normal, sadly."

"Well… still." With that decidedly weak response, Tails let the matter go. "One thing I did want to ask about is pertaining to _him_. I assume you know how his kind are with their kin, right? Harsh and brutal, and yet also _violently_ protective in their own ways."

Steam nodded to this. "Yeah, what about it?"

With a sort of sigh, Tails shook his head. "I very recently got to thinking about all these threats we seem to be facing from all sides, and it sort of occurred to me… As much danger as Sonic and Shadow, like the rest of us, are in from enemies like the Trokkelar Army and even him, well, _himself_ … In a lot of ways, won't they actually be pretty severely guarded and protected? Even if, you know, not in a _nice_ way."

"Precisely. He's got no plans of letting either of them get seriously injured or otherwise, especially if the source isn't _him_."

"I thought that might be the case," Tails murmured thoughtfully. "It's just… too bad we can't somehow work that to our advantage in any way."

Steam frowned, unsure of what to say for a short time. "Honestly… there's not a good way to do it that won't royally piss the guy off. Fucker is intelligent, and he'd likely pick up on anything we did and find a way to twist it to his _own_ advantage instead."

Tails sighed. "Yeah… I know. It just sucks for us." He paused to think about his next question before eventually voicing it. "Aside from some random little things that don't really matter, I think I only had one other big topic of discussion to bring up. See, Cream and Armaris apparently got ahold of some book earlier and dug up some… pretty concerning information." Without further ado, he quickly launched into a concise and yet detailed explanation of what Cream had told him they'd read.

"Almost all of that, if not all of it, is true to my knowledge. Espio, especially now, has and will exhibit those traits, actions, and so on."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Tails murmured, lowering his head a bit. He tried not to let himself dwell, however. "There was one more thing, though. Cream mentioned some stuff about changing eyes, too. From what she told me, chameleons in his position who can go fully Dark but choose not to tend to display shifts in their eye color?"

Something in Steam's eyes changed, a deep concern that hadn't previously been there. "I… didn't really know about that."

Tails's eyebrows shot up. "Really? So it didn't happen in your timeline?"

"If it did… I wasn't around, or didn't have a chance to see it. Which… concerns me," Steam responded, his fingers curling.

"Would… you say that's a _bad_ thing?" Tails dared to guess. He suspected he knew the answer, really and truly, but… Well, as awful as confirmation could be, the scientist in him demanded he receive it regardless.

Steam tapped his foot on the ground lightly. "Not on it's own, but, if I'm thinking correctly, that also means he might be progressing farther in this timeline than he did in my own."

This made Tails tense up. "Why would that be the case?" he asked, though it wasn't because he doubted Steam's words. "Why would it be that different here as opposed to in your timeline? Something would _have_ to be behind it."

"Maybe… something about the relationships he formed?" Steam posed, somewhat unsure. "Armaris and Espio met back up _well_ before this point in my timeline and were part of the larger group. There was also our friend, Rose, who actively did what she could to help, alongside various others. He had more bonds and all that."

"And the extra help certainly would have kept things from getting as bad as they could have…" Tails realized aloud, tone thoughtful.

"Especially because the smallest things can snowball into the largest."

The fox nodded sagely. "You're right about that. I just… If things are already turning out so differently here as opposed to what you dealt with, how are we meant to actively combat it?"

Steam wanted to shrug, but refrained. "If I'm honest, most things here haven't made _huge_ differences yet. To my knowledge, at least. But… whatever comes, I'm damn sure that we'll manage it."

"I don't like leaving this all to faith," Tails sighed. "It just… feels too risky to me, I guess. But I see where you're coming from."

"Personally, I would rather not do that myself, but… just can't avoid it sometimes. I'm not gonna have all the answers, as much as I wish I did," Steam sighed, shaking his head lightly.

Tails was quiet for a long moment as he thought. "On a similar subject… Fighting is a remarkably good way for some people to work out extra aggression and the like, wouldn't you say?" He looked over at Steam. "Maybe one way we could try to help calm this situation down a bit is by giving Espio a chance to actually fight. Aside from the scuffle on Babylon, he's not had any opportunity to do that. He probably _needs_ to, to be honest. All of this sitting around must be driving him crazy."

 _With my regenerative abilities fucked over, it won't be pleasant… but still._ "I'm fine with it. I know he won't kill me or anything, and I can certainly hold my own regardless." Steam shrugged. "Pretty good idea."

Still, Tails hesitated. "You don't think it would make things worse?" he questioned.

"As long as I don't cause a serious flare of his Darkness, it could really help. Just… means I can't use Light or Darkness."

"Yeah, of course. Is there anything else that should also be avoided, or do you think it'll be fine otherwise? Either way, this is gonna be really risky. Fighting seemed to stir things up a lot earlier, even before that big spike of Darkness made itself known. This still has the chance to help, but it just as likely might not."

"I think it _will_ be fine, but… that's just me. You're welcome to pose any other thoughts you have, since it's not a set-in-stone decision."

In response, Tails shrugged. "If you think it'll be fine, then I'll trust your judgement." He looked back toward the village. "Guess I'll help you track his butt down, then. No telling where he went."

Steam nodded gently. "Let's get searching, then." Without further ado, the pair began walking.

 **~保護者~**

Shadow was stirred from his light, restless doze by the slight thump of someone jumping up into the house. Cracking open an eye and shifting against the wall he'd been sitting by, he watched as Sonic trudged into the front room of Espio's home. The blue hedgehog sat down heavily against the wall beside Shadow, muttering crossly to himself about a headache or something. With a frown, Shadow opened his eyes fully and observed his half-brother rub at his temples. After a long moment, he spoke. In an effort to be at least somewhat nice, he kept his voice respectfully low. "If you are done grumbling," he said, "there is medicine here you can take to ease your pain."

Sonic's expression was a complicated mix of unhappy emotions, but ultimately he thought better of the idea of arguing. "What medicine?" he questioned instead. "Thought chameleons are resistant to that crap."

"Not to medicine of their own making," Shadow calmly informed him, "and not to the powerful ingredients for those medicines that can be found in these lands."

"Then how'd you manage to make medicine to use on Espio's wound that one time?"

"Do you think me incapable of learning their methods?"

Silence. Then, eventually, Sonic answered, "...No."

Satisfied with that, Shadow moved on. "Regardless, in this case _making_ medicine is not required. There is a basic herb that grows in the forest which is often used to treat deep aches and pains. A single leaf will likely suffice."

Though herbs had a reputation for being bitter and the like so far as Sonic knew, he seemed prepared to be practical. "Okay. Where do I get one?"

Shadow nodded toward a section of the wall where a faint outline of a wide square could be seen. "That panel is removable. It is traditionally used for food storage but, since he does not eat, Espio tends to use it to keep other necessities instead. Whatever herbs he has will be in there."

With visible reluctance, Sonic stood up. "Will he have _this_ one?" he mumbled, already walking over.

"He has always been one to forage for what he needs," Shadow shrugged, "and he also frequently walks the woods. With this being a fairly common herb, it would have been easy to find them and foolish to not acquire at least some when it requires so little effort to grab them."

Sonic just nodded at that point and carefully removed the panel Shadow had indicated. Looking inside the surprisingly wide and deep cubby, he took in the sight of everything that was stashed here. There were plenty of bundles of what looked to Sonic like simple roots, grasses, leaves, and the like. However, there were also plenty of bottles of varying kinds of alcohol. He frowned at them in distaste. _"Necessities", huh…_ Brushing that matter aside for the moment, he asked Shadow, "Okay, he's definitely got some stuff in here. What's this leaf look like?"

"A five-point star with a deep central crease resembling a smaller star," Shadow answered readily. "Even dried, it will be deeply green in color."

After a moment of searching around, Sonic located another bundle of leaves. They matched Shadow's description and, as Shadow had implied, there were plenty of this leaf to be found. As such, any guilt Sonic might have previously felt about taking from their friend's stores was quickly alleviated. "I just need one?" he asked, picking up the bundle. Shadow murmured a vague agreement. "And… what do I do with it? Please don't tell me I have to freaking eat it."

Shadow quirked an eyebrow at him while Sonic carefully removed a leaf from the bundle. "It is sweet, not bitter. You will survive."

 _Of course I do._ "Yeah, well, if I don't then I'm gonna haunt you from beyond the grave." With his threat given, he reluctantly popped the leaf into his mouth. He prematurely cringed, expecting the very worst, only to immediately relax when Shadow was again proven right. _A sweet-tasting leaf. Huh._ Shrugging to himself, Sonic deposited the bundle back where he had found it, then replaced the thin panel of wood in the wall. By the time he reclaimed his seat, the worst of the pain was already ebbing away. " _Damn_ , this works really fast," he commented.

"That is the idea," Shadow responded. "Given their lifestyles and inherent resistance to other forms of medicine, these people require strong and fast-acting medical solutions to their pain when it occurs."

Sonic inclined his head. "That makes sense." He fell silent for a long moment before sighing heavily. "I don't think the rest of us, at least those who aren't Immortals, can power through most pain and injuries like his people can. Seems like a hell of a liability. I mean… I'm sure you saw how piss-poor we did in that fight earlier. It just… I don't know. It feels like we need more help than we've got."

Shadow gave him a long look before carefully saying, "With all the threats we are currently facing, adding allies to our ranks would be prudent." There was a bit of a pause, then he asked, "What do you intend to do about it?"

"Me?" Sonic blinked, then frowned. "There's not much _I_ could do about it. I mean, best I could do is maybe… maybe revive someone?" His frown deepened as he began to seriously consider this newfound idea. "It would probably be only one person right now, but actually… yeah. I think I might be able to do that. Maybe even bring back more people later on." He turned his head to look at his half-brother. "Is that a stupid idea? Part of me says 'yes', but the rest of me says 'no'."

Black-furred shoulders lifted in a brief shrug. In lieu of answering the question given to him, he said, "Not everyone could be brought back, even pretending you were capable of reviving them."

"Yeah, I know. Vanilla, Cheese, Charmy, and Keiri are a few examples. They were never fighters, and they never _liked_ fighting. Not that most of the rest of us do, either, but still. It would definitely be unfair to them, and unhelpful to us, to bring them back."

At that point, Shadow began to freely offer his input on the matter. "Strictly physical fighters would struggle against the enemies of this day and age," he said. "Being unable to utilize most of your powers, you have no doubt experienced that for yourself."

"It's definitely a liability," Sonic agreed slowly. Then he sighed. "That means Rouge and Storm will definitely have to stay back. Knuckles, too, since his only other power is fire."

Shadow unexpectedly shook his head. "In the case of both Knuckles _and_ Amy, the sheer extent of their physical strength will prove useful in likely more ways than one."

At the mention of _her_ name, Sonic straightened. "Amy?" he asked in a pained voice. "You- Do you think I _could_ …? I mean… I don't want her to get _killed_ , Shadow."

"You will need her," Shadow murmured, looking away, "and her strength is not something to be trifled with. Aside from that, she also possesses psychic abilities and the power to heal. She will be an asset, not another liability."

Swallowing hard past a sudden lump in his throat, Sonic nodded once. "...Yeah. Okay. So those two can be brought back, then." He cleared his throat and tried to even his voice back out. "Who else, then?"

Another shrug, then Shadow said, "Likely everyone else."

"Everyone?" Sonic echoed in surprise.

Now it was Shadow's turn to nod. "Everyone else will have their own ways of aiding us in this war. Marthal, for example, is half-yokai. That grants him access to some unique powers that no one else around us - enemies or otherwise - will have. It will likely prove advantageous in some form or another, despite abilities such as his fire being largely useless here."

Following that line of thinking, Sonic said, "And Blaze also uses fire, but hers is that special form of fire that only burns what she lets it. It's specifically _designed_ to combat Darkness."

"Silver will prove similarly useful," Shadow added carefully. Sonic straightened at the mention of his son's name. "Aside from it being good for the both of you to be around one another again, his presence will help Blaze be able to fight better and vice versa."

"...His psychokinesis will also be invaluable," Sonic said after a long moment. "No one aside from his mother, him, and his direct descendants have and will _ever_ have that power. Which means our enemies definitely _won't_."

Shadow inclined his head slightly. "There is more to it than that. He certainly inherited plenty of Darkness from both you and Father," Sonic winced at the mention of their dad, though Shadow seemed to be trying not to dwell on it, "but he similarly inherited copious amounts of _Light_ from Mother and yourself."

Sonic was quick to agree, despite the pain he felt at the mention of their missing parents. "Yeah, he did. And from what I understand, somehow the amount of Light he wound up with vastly overtook the amount of Darkness he got." He looked at his brother. "We're going need as much Light as we can get, aren't we?"

"That much should go without saying," Shadow responded quietly, almost sighing. Then he pointed out, "However he, like you, will need substantial training to learn how to access and _utilize_ that Light readily and effectively."

Unlike his brother, Sonic actually did sigh. "I know. But we can work on that. Point is that we're gonna need the kid, and that's not just my parental bias talking." For a second, he swore his brother smirked in amusement. Things were quiet for a second or two before he suddenly realized aloud, "Wait, you said that we should bring back _everyone_ else that we hadn't previously mentioned leaving behind. But that includes Vector, and he's got nothing but brute strength to work with in combat. I thought we've established that that's largely a bad thing?"

"His case will have to be the exception," Shadow told him calmly. When it was clear that Sonic wasn't following, he elaborated. "Sonic, how many people do you think that Espio has ever _truly_ considered to be his friend and not just a close ally?"

Just like that, the point Shadow was getting at dawned on Sonic like a ray of sunshine. "Three… yourself, Armaris, and Vector. You think having _all_ of his best friends back might do him some good?"

"More than just some," Shadow answered. "At one time, Vector was the only person in the world Espio nearly viewed as his best friend. Considering how he is, it is remarkable that they became so close. And, despite the fact that his demeanor does nothing to hint at it now, that bond is still there. It even survived the loss of so many of his memories and the loss of his emotions."

Sonic knew what he was getting at. "Because they were so close, chances are he'll actually respond really well to having Vector back again. And, actually, in a lot of ways he might _need_ to have the guy back. We're not the greatest support system for Espio right now, but Vector… he was always pretty weirdly skilled at helping him through most anything. He could very well help out a lot with stabilizing Espio's mental and emotional state. We'd just have to keep him clear of all the combat as much as possible, for his own sake." Another pause followed his words, but he quickly broke it. "I guess now the only thing left to decide is whether or not reviving someone who can fight has more merit."

Shadow quite decisively put an end to that little dilemma before it had a chance to grow. "As things stand now, bringing back a single person to aid in combat will not shift the odds of success in our favor. If you were in a position to be able to bring back multiple people at once, then that would be one thing. Since you cannot-"

"Focusing on Espio is the better option, then."

"Given the inherently uncontrolled and dangerous nature of his situation at the present moment, yes. And if the people we mentioned are not enough when they _are_ brought back, more can be revived at a later time."

 _More… meaning our kids. Like Lia, or Jason, or Emi._ With the decision made, Sonic closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Okay. We'll stick with that option, that. It'll take me a while to get it done, though. I can manage without Ythene - y'know, the person I used to call 'the Voice' - but it's gonna take me a while."

Crimson eyes glanced outside. It was early evening already. "How long?" he asked quietly.

"Few hours, maybe. Trust me, I know revival seems seamless and easy when she does it, but it's actually really fuckin' hard for me. This is the best I can do."

"Calm yourself. I was not intending to give you shit over that."

Sonic snorted in amused disbelief. "Sure." After that, the pair fell silent as gentle light bathed the blue hedgehog and then gradually faded away. The process had begun.

 **~保護者~**

Molten sparks flew off of the shimmering black surface of Kaden's sword as he sharpened it, artfully working each lethal edge until they were so wicked that they could cut through rocks as easily as leaves. Saika was a beauty to behold in this state, shimmering eerily in the firelight and primed for battle. It wasn't for nothing that he had spent so many years of his life crafting the thing. This was one of the seven nearly-perfect blades he had forged eons upon eons ago, and soon… soon, his enemies were going to suffer its dark wrath. He could hardly wait for the moment to arrive when the fighting would begin.

Looking up from his work, the similarly dark hedgehog glanced across the desolate landscape. Though he couldn't see any at the present moment, he knew that countless demons were definitely _there_. Each of them were, in their own ways, preparing themselves for war. Many of the weaker and more eager individuals had already kicked themselves up into a frenzy, even going so far as to frequently begin attacking each other in a bid to prove their strength and their worth. Those that were stronger, smarter, more sure of their places in power, simply and calmly awaiting the order to set out and begin their hunt. Kaden knew that the time would be soon.

And he wasn't the only one monitoring the situation, he knew. Stretching out his senses, he could easily pick out the faint energy signatures of several somewhat prominent Gods and Goddesses, far away and yet not far _enough_ to avoid detection. It seemed that they were unprepared to step in, had resigned themselves to merely watching events unfold and, most likely, report back to their allies afterward. But they weren't a concerning matter, nor did he see them as important enough to focus on. No, that focus was awarded to a different group altogether… and a far more _irritating_ one at that. As with the Gods and Goddesses, the Trokkelar Army was watching and waiting. But, _unlike_ the "divine" beings, the Army was in a position to try and interfere whenever they chose to do so. However… Kaden knew their leader to be no fool. She had _not_ gotten away with slaughtering Immortals and semi-Immortals alike for _so_ long by being reckless and foolish. No, she was smart. Careful. Rather than rushing into something that had the _very_ high potential to go very badly for her, she would likely sit back and watch instead… biding her time until a better opportunity for direct conflict arose.

On that note, perhaps _he_ should resume monitoring _her_. In recent times, enough of his attention had been held by other matters that he had stopped caring too much about whatever the fuck she had been up to and where and when. Even her infrequent meddling in his own affairs hadn't been enough to warrant granting her his focus. Now, however, she was not _only_ getting in the way of the demons and those like them, not to mention getting in _his_ way, but _also_ directly threatening Sonic, Shadow, and whatever small group of friends they had with them at the present moment. That would not do. That would not do at _all_. If she wasn't prepared to back the fuck off on her own, then it seemed it was high time he got in her face again and _made_ her. It had been far too long since the two of them had directly clashed…

A battle like _that_ was certainly a thing to look forward to.

 **~保護者~**

 **9,604 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help, and hope y'all enjoyed! Posted (at about 1:30 p.m.) 11-25-19.**


	43. Vanishing Act

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of tension and change… especially for the one who really did need the gift he was given.

 **~保護者~**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yes, we certainly do! It really is in Espio's best interest. And yeah, we don't want to make things too easy by allowing poor ol' Sonic to automatically bring back _everyone_. And, besides that, sheer numbers alone won't always make a difference, as we saw in both EotS and its sequel. Things, uh... went rather badly for the group back then. D: And yes, Kaden certainly is working himself up into a violent mood, isn't he? He's also gearing up for combat, but with _who_ exactly? Is it Astra, or someone else...? ;) Guess we'll find out!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Vanishing Act"**

 **~保護者~**

Tails and Steam entered the front room of Espio's house together. Part of Tails's mind definitely _expected_ to see Espio here (probably sitting at the table with a book, knowing him), as had been the case for so many years prior to now. But, at the same time, the rest of his mind acknowledged that things weren't exactly _normal_ for their reticent friend these days. As such, he couldn't quite find it in himself to be surprised once it became apparent that Espio wasn't actually in the building. Shadow, Cream, Sonic, and Armaris were, though. "Hey, guys, have you seen Espio?" Tails asked, glancing from one person to the next.

"No, not really," Sonic shrugged. "Guy just up and disappeared a while ago. He's good at that, remember?"

Huffing in amusement at that little joke, Tails waved him off. "Yes, I know. I was just hoping that one of you knew where he might be."

Gradually, every eye turned to their resident ninja-tracker. Seeing all the attention focused her way, Cream blinked. "I do not know where he is," she said innocently. "I have not seen him in some time."

With a sigh, Tails looked away. "Well, it was worth a t-"

Unexpectedly, the bunny perked up and interrupted with a quick, "Wait." Glancing around the group, she out-of-the-blue asked, "What is the date today?"

Shadow and Tails, two of the four people present who might actually know that, traded a vaguely puzzled look. "...The seventeenth of May," the hedgehog eventually answered.

Seeking an answer to this mild confusion, Tails shifted his attention back to Cream. "Why?" he asked.

All at once, Cream looked saddened. "I know where he is, then," she murmured. When no one else seemed to understand, she carefully elaborated. "He never knew precisely when the actual deaths occurred, but the seventeenth of this month was the day he first learned that his mother and father had died. Since then, he has always visited their graves on the same day." Saddened, she shook her head. "He will have gone there. I am sure of it."

In that moment, Tails came to the same realization as everyone else. _This is probably playing a part in his mood._

Cream continued. "Normally I would advise to simply leave him be and allow him to be alone with his thoughts, but perhaps… perhaps he could use the distraction today."

Sonic was quick to agree. "Yeah. I can't say I disagree with that." He looked at Steam. "I'm guessing you're looking for him to get some more sparring done, right?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to so that it might be able to help out with his mood," Steam explained, a small frown on his face.

The bunny nodded, then turned to Armaris. "You lived here longer than I, I would wager. Would Mister Espio's people take any offense to an outsider entering one of the graveyards?"

Armaris was dead silent for a moment, her eyes locked onto something else entirely before glancing at Cream. "I doubt it, but I can go talk to him, or whatever."

A few looks were traded, then Tails piped up again. "That might be good. Seeings as how you were a resident in the past, you'd be the least likely to get attacked or something if someone decided they were unhappy with this idea."

The cat visibly grimaced, muttering a few faint curses in some other language out of irritation. As much as she _liked_ being able to help, she wasn't exactly feeling the best… No, scratch that. She felt like _shit_ , and it showed. "Hm. Fine."

Seeing her face, Tails's ears lowered slightly. "Sorry about this," he sighed, not knowing what else to say to her.

"You've got nothing to do with it, so don't apologize." Armaris broke apart into Darkness, stepping out of the house and dropping to the ground without a second thought.

Stifling another sigh, Tails just turned to Steam. "Guess you may as well follow her. I kinda don't dare, just in case. I'd rather not be cut."

Steam shrugged. "She seems to be in better control of herself than she is in my timeline… Regardless, I'll see if I can ease her mood along the way." _The longer she stays like this, the worse it's bound to get._ Tails nodded to him. With that, the hedgehog dropped out of the house and followed after Armaris, making sure to _not_ piss her off immediately.

Roughly around the time that the two traveled outside the village, Steam sped up his pace so that he was walking alongside the cat. "I've noticed that you're not in a great mood, and I don't want to make it worse by prodding. However, if you want to talk a little about it, feel free."

Ice blue eyes glared at the hedgehog, an intense anger easily visible within. "I _doubt_ you can help, or whatever the fuck it is you're wanting to do-"

"Is it about your mom?" Steam cut in, expression rather calm and neutral.

Armaris paused entirely, surprised about this, before resuming her walk at a faster pace. "What do you know about that?"

The hedgehog shrugged. "Demonic and evil. Awful, abusive, so on and so forth. Absolutely ruined your life and left something in said life that reminds you of it _every_ time you get angry?"

The cat's fists clenched for a moment as she took a deep breath. "Yeah, you hit it on the nail, ass. What about it?"

"I want you to realize that, one, you are _not_ her, nor will you ever be." Steam sighed softly, turning his attention forward. "And two, that you're free to use what she left in you as your _own_ gift, and to use it for what _you_ want to do. Don't let her drag your life down even now."

"...Shut the fuck up…" Armaris dropped into her shadow after this, not offering another word in response. By now, they were approaching the graveyard, and she let that be her focus. Thin barriers surrounded the area to guard it, but an opening had already been cut into them and had been left there. This allowed for easy passage into the quiet grove contained within. Though no energies could be sensed, there was little doubt that Espio was indeed here. Armaris stepped in first, glancing to Steam before motioning for him to follow. "Stay a bit behind me. Just let me talk for a second." A nod came in response from the hedgehog, and Armaris moved along to the center of the graveyard.

Though he sensed their arrival when they walked up behind him, Espio didn't bother turning around or saying anything about their presence here. He remained seated where he was, cross-legged in front of the pair of worn graves in silence. True to what he had said to Cream earlier, he had changed out of his ruined kimono. He now wore his old boots and gloves from the days of Ivo's reign of terror and before, making him look as though he was ready for combat even though, for once, he wasn't exactly. Sitting here quietly paying respects held more importance to him at the moment.

Armaris walked up to Espio and quietly knelt by her old friend, glancing out around them. "So… Shei and Aniko are really… dead?" Still saying nothing, Espio just inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. Actually hearing someone say their _names_ after so many years made him frown vaguely to himself. A small tightening in his chest indicated the return of an emotion, a _pain_ , that he hadn't felt in countless years. He strove to banish it with extreme prejudice. "Kind of hard to believe," Armaris continued, voice digging into his darkening thoughts. "They always seemed so… indestructible, and more. I just… don't know."

Not feeling particularly inclined to speak yet still, Espio just blinked slowly, looking at the graves but not exactly _seeing_ them because his thoughts were wandering so far away from this moment in time. _Drop it,_ he found himself silently replying. _Just stop. Stop talking about it._

"Hey... Espio." The cat's head turned to face him, a flicker of her own pain entering her eyes. "Can you look at me for a second?" After a long moment, he dragged his gaze away from the graves and looked at her like she'd asked, though he still wasn't entirely paying attention to her. At this point, a part of him was trying _not_ to.

"As much as I want to do this and be here with you… I don't think we should stay. It's not good right now. Not for you, not for me, not for anyone else. It's just… best we go, you know?" In response, Espio frowned a little again and looked back at the graves. However, after giving himself just a couple more moments, he obediently (a rare thing, for him) did as she insisted and stood up to leave. Armaris stood up with him and motioned for Steam to go on ahead for now, which he did. The moment he was out of earshot, Armaris glanced to Espio once more. "That Steam guy wants to help you distract yourself from everything for a bit. I don't know how you feel about it, or if you even wanna bother… but if you think it'll help, I'd like you to try it."

His tone and expression were devoid of emotion when he finally, verbally, responded to her. "I was under the impression that the aim was to _avoid_ riling things up further."

Armaris shrugged. "I mean, even that Tails guy seems to think that it could help. I also didn't hear Cream or the two hedgehogs say anything directly against it. They know more of how you are recently, so… _I_ am somewhat willing to trust that, too. Not saying that you have to, or whatever." Espio let out a small huff of breath. As if he would actively avoid a fight if he didn't have to… even when the fight in question was just a mock one. The cat cast him a small smile. "I hope it helps somehow." With that last statement, she began leading the way back out of the graveyard.

After a few feet, Espio took the lead instead and walked to the entrance he had created in the barriers. He waited silently for her to exit so that he could close them. Armaris slipped out quietly, stepping aside to watch for now. With her and Steam both out, Espio turned his attention to the knife (the very same one he had used on the larger barriers earlier) he had left embedded in the grass. He kicked the knife up out of the ground, causing the barriers to close again instantly, and caught it by the tip of the blade. With that done, he simply began walking away toward the training grounds, giving the weapon an idle couple of twirls between his fingers as he went. This action, though seemingly harmless, was a _sign_ when coming from an assassin who had been _highly_ trained to handle weapons such as this. The motion was restless, agitated, almost bored, even. And in these parts, nothing was more dangerous than an armed and unhappy shinobi.

Armaris' faintly intense gaze fell on the chameleon as he did this, growing restless also as a result. _That can't be any good… Steam, do you even know what the hell you're getting yourself into?_

A slight eyebrow raise came from the hedgehog in question, as if he knew what she was thinking. "It'll be fine. I know what I'm doing."

"...You say that now…" The cat let her gaze fall to her right, idly twirling the blade she kept sheathed on her hip. "Don't be a fucking dumbass, got it?"

Steam rolled his eyes. "My friends would argue that it's my job to be one." Struck with confusion, Armaris didn't even _try_ to respond to that and instead left it at that.

By now, Espio had completely vanished somewhere ahead of them. He was probably there already, knowing him. Steam teleported the rest of the way there, Armaris grabbing hold of his back at the last second to force him to take them both. Sure enough, Espio was waiting there, perched on a thin and swaying branch as his eyes surveyed the very mild damage left as a result of Steam's last fight. He said nothing about it, looking supremely unconcerned overall. If nothing else, at least this seemed to hint that none of the other villagers would care, either. That was probably a good thing.

Armaris glanced from the battlefield, to Espio, then to Steam. "Like I said. Don't be a dumbass."

Steam rolled his eyes again, walking over to the battlefield and unsheathing his sword. "Whenever you're ready, which I assume is now." Amber eyes flicked to Steam without comment. It appeared Espio was sticking to his usual tactic of letting his opponent move first. Such a strategy was often useful when facing a new foe, after all. Raising an eyebrow, Steam sighed and planted the tip of his blade in the ground and watched for a moment. _Physical rush is a shit plan, anything long range won't really work, and the two best abilities I've got literally will cause a shit show. Lovely._ The hedgehog resigned himself to this and cloaked the battlefield in a layer of small flames before launching himself directly at Espio.

With his impossibly fast reflexes, Espio nimbly jumped out of the way. As he shot out of Steam's path, he kicked Steam's sword with enough force to make the metal vibrate and cry out as it was violently shoved sideways. In the split second that all took, Espio landed on the side of another tree, effortlessly adhering to it in another crouch. As with before, he left himself deceptively open and seemingly unguarded for whatever reason. Steam kept a firm grip on his weapon, so used to intense vibrations running through the sword that it hardly fazed him. Regardless, that didn't stop the blade from being moved aside, Steam spinning in the air to launch the weapon at Espio while letting his body dissipate into the flames below.

As with before, a single fierce kick sent the sword flying away from its intended target. Espio didn't even bother to dodge this time, seeing the simple counter as an adequate enough response. Though he likely didn't intend for it to be seen, the boredom in his gaze rapidly increased. All of a sudden, the flames roared to life and spontaneously exploded around the battlefield, Steam calling his blade back to his hand with a teleport before once more throwing himself at the chameleon. All of this, of course, forced Espio into motion. He rapidly dodged one explosion after the next and then retaliating mildly by hurling a storm of shuriken at Steam. This wasn't a tactic that he expected to _work_ , of course, but it would still be useful to see how the hedgehog might react to such things.

Steam's perception of time slowed just long enough to register where the shuriken were and how many, allowing him to quickly slash with his sword and create a shockwave with a burst of flames that sent the shuriken flying off in other directions. When many of his weapons were inevitably flung back at him, Espio huffed slightly under his breath, took a stance, and then spun so rapidly for a split second that it created a shockwave of wind around him in a sort of defensive sphere. The shuriken were caught for a second or two, then were sent flying away. By the time the wind died down, he was already gone, drawing a dagger and blurring across the landscape with so much speed that close to a dozen afterimages were left behind.

The hedgehog watched the afterimages for a long moment before spiraling a wall of flames in the opposite direction while attempting to lead it where he thought Espio might _actually_ be. One after the other, each image seemed to seamlessly blur out of the way, then all at once they all rushed in to attack from all directions. However, it was clear from the way they looked (however _subtly_ off they looked, ultimately) that none of them were actually him, somehow. He was moving somewhere beyond the speed of even these. Suddenly, Steam decided to grow still, not bothering to move or actually attempt to counter whatever might be coming his way as his body glowed a bright gold color for a moment.

Naturally, the attacks rained down upon him regardless of his sudden lack of motion, resulting in numerous shallow cuts being inflicted upon him in a matter of a second or two. A layer of glittering gold appeared directly where the last of the cuts was inflicted, before the blade could be retracted. It surrounded the weapon in its entirety and held it there with an immensely powerful grip. Espio was quick to relinquish his hold on the dagger and leap back, not at all inclined to get his arm or something more trapped with the weapon. Steam's sudden change of tactics was mildly surprising and required a quick reassessment…

Steam took a quick melee stance, watching the chameleon for a long moment while keeping Espio's dagger suspended in the air. "You've not met someone with such… unusual tactics, eh?" he asked, edging closer with every passing second. Espio landed on the side of a tree again with a slight frown. A single, vague huff served as his only vocal response to the question as he closely watched Steam's movements. The hedgehog took a quick survey of the trickling blood seeping from the wounds all over his body. _Damn it. Of course this is when I needed that regeneration…_ His eyes glowed a bright gold as he prepared himself, shifting his stance to ready a strike.

Still watching Steam's every slight movement with razor-sharp focus, Espio drew another long knife and twirled the blade in his hand so that it was pointed upward, ready to strike when need be. Steam suddenly jumped a few inches off the ground, turning in such a way that he was able to throw a powerful punch into the ground that left a sizable crater. A pulsating wave of his magic surged from the impact, quickly covering the space of the clearing they were in. Following the rules of engagement for a sparring match, Espio diligently remained in the clearing (despite being surrounded by plenty of trees that could have protected him), though that meant taking the full brunt of the hit whether he wanted to or not. The moment this wave of magic made contact with him, it all came surging together into a quick yet powerful strike.

The blunt-force behind the attack was enough to knock Espio into a tree back-first. He hit hard enough for the wood to splinter and groan, and some of those splinters promptly cut and scrape up parts of his skin. Gritting his teeth in sudden and irrational frustration, he regained his feet… only to notice that, by the time he did so, the mild stinging from his injuries had ceased. He glanced to where a cut had just been on his arm and saw that it was simply… gone. Steam's eyes widened for a moment in realization. _Ah, shit. That's… bad. For me, especially._

 _Regeneration…? That's a pretty quick pace… even for such small wounds. Must be a result of this Darkness of his rising up, just another ability granted by the energy._ Armaris thought to herself, a visible frown on her face as she watched.

In the silence that followed, Espio stood up and very briefly glanced at his knife. It had been nearly shattered by the attack, so he carelessly tossed it aside before blurring away to a safer distance from where Steam now was. From his new vantage point, he flung several kunai knives at the hedgehog. Tied to the handle of each was a tag that was rigged to explode with violent force the instant the knives embedded themselves into… well… anything, really. Steam _quickly_ realized that this wasn't a "normal" tactic of Espio's. The hedgehog burst off, throwing himself against a tree so that he could launch himself into the air before any of the kunai hit him or exploded.

The first of the ensuing explosions successfully uprooted the very tree Steam had only just been beside. The rest of the explosions blew said tree to smithereens, sending sharpened and fiery splinters, branches, and so on flying just about everywhere. If that wasn't proof of the ninja's irritation from moments before, nothing ever would be. And it wasn't as though letting on to that had been a good decision on Espio's part, nor had it been exactly _intentional_. Lately, it had just been so hard to act and _re_ act _rationally_ as opposed _emotionally_ , and the latter course of action could be followed through with so much more _easily_ sometimes…

Fuck this. Fuck all of it. He hated it. Officially hated everything _about_ it. What "it" specifically was at this moment, he didn't know. There were so many things pissing him off lately… anything and everything about his Darkness in general, the fact that he'd broken his sword, the fact that everyone felt the need to constantly monitor and worry over him now, Nakea and everything about her, the fact that they were apparently expecting a goddamn _child_ that she was going to be dumping off on him, the fact that he hadn't had a decent fucking drink in _days_ despite _needing_ one, the fact that it was the seven-fucking-teenth _again_ and the date had somehow managed to sneak up on him and he wasn't prepared for it this time… There were so many potential culprits behind his anger in this particular moment in time. He didn't know which it was, didn't even care. He just knew that he was angry again, and the easiest way to deal with that emotion had _always_ been fighting. This hadn't been much of a fight at all so far and he hadn't really been bothering, but Steam and Armaris seemed so insistent on him "distracting" himself from his problems by participating…

Maybe he'd just found some motivation to do just that.

Steam landed on the ground and immediately noted the difference in Espio's mood. _This is either really good, because he's actually attempting to distract himself, or really fucking terrible because I might've actually pissed him off._ For the time being, the hedgehog maintained a more defensive stance, watching the chameleon quietly. Espio, however, took it upon himself to force Steam out of that stance and into motion by flinging more exploding weapons at Steam again. Some were rigged to explode upon impact like the knives from earlier had been, but others instead exploded after a certain amount of time had passed. And, unlike before, most of the weapons honed in on Steam as opposed to just flying straight the way they had been thrown.

A barrier flew up around the hedgehog as he quickly threw up a geyser of flames to cause the vast majority of the kunai to explode. For any that remained, he teleported to the opposite side of the battlefield and used his magic to stop them in the air before flinging them directly at Espio. The ninja vanished without even so much as leaving a vague blur behind. A split second later, a thin metal wire shot up and coiled around Steam's ankle before it was pulled taut, forcefully yanking Steam into a tree foot-first. He landed rather well for this surprising attack, using his fire to let off a series of propulsive blasts so as to drag them both into the air.

Wisely, Espio released his hold on the wire the instant Steam began doing this. Another barrage of sharpened knives flew up at Steam, purely because there was an opening for it. At this point, it wasn't as though Espio actually expected it to work. It was just easy. Rather than attempt to dodge, Steam opted to teleport after the chameleon, swiping out with his leg to strike the other male. A short backward flip removed Espio from the small range of Steam's attack, but half a second later he was right back there and delivering several sharp kicks of his own to Steam's torso. The hedgehog crossed his arms to shield himself from the majority of the attacks, finding a chance with one of the kicks to push back quickly. Again, Espio backed off before he could get hit.

Flames cloaked the hedgehog's hands, a slight glint of agitation in his eyes as he moved forward and threw a punch that resulted in a powerful explosion and shockwave aimed for Espio. This attack happened just suddenly enough that Espio got caught up in the shockwave for a second. Ultimately, this wasn't long at all. It was, however, _just_ long enough for him to hit his bad leg, and that surge of old pain through that limb was enough to tick him off. With a burst of incredible speed, he rushed in and kicked Steam (using his good leg, of course) hard enough to actually send the hedgehog flying.

Steam let himself land on a tree, his legs scuffed when he landed horribly and slammed into it. Disoriented though he was, he still was able to drop to the ground and put himself into a ready stance. Watching this all occur, Armaris was quick to stand up straighter than she would normally. Her concern was obvious in her eyes, and she readied herself to step in should she need to. Luckily for the hedgehog, he managed to regain his bearings and launched two quick waves of flame at Espio. Some agile jumping was all it took for the chameleon to dodge this attack, and he retaliated by once more rushing in close and slamming Steam backward with a hard physical strike.

The hedgehog was forced back again, this time protecting his back with a magic barrier while attempting to throw out a punch in retaliation. His fist was met with another harsh kick, and the impact was enough to create a small shockwave that sent the weaker branches surrounding them quaking. The moment that Steam instinctually let Darkness rise within, Armaris raised her hand and let her own Darkness pull him away rapidly. At the same time, Espio leapt back from Steam in an effort to avoid the energies he'd suddenly sensed rising up in the hedgehog. " _No_ ," she said simply, voice resounding with an unseen level of authority.

Steam realized what he had been about to do and went silent, turning and walking some distance away from the training grounds. Before anything else could happen, however, an entirely different aura made itself known off to one side of the grounds, dragging Espio's attention that way instead. Sonic arrive on scene a moment or two later, looking tired and yet - frankly - quite pleased with himself. With emerald eyes surveying the trio before him, he said, "So I'm not even gonna ask what the fuck just happened here," Espio's gaze narrowed irritably, "but I have some good news if anyone gives a shit."

Armaris raised an eyebrow at him, slowly coming out of her commanding mood. Just… not yet. "Speak."

Sonic waved her off a little, but did proceed regardless. Although, he focused his attention solely on Espio after that point. "Actually, guess this affects you more than anyone else. Not gonna go into details because I'm fucking _tired_ , but Vector's back."

In a fraction of an instant, everything about the ninja's demeanor shifted. The negativity he had been displaying seemed to momentarily blip out of existence and, for a few seconds, he just stared. When he did speak, it was not at _all_ with his usual cool collectedness. Not that he could be bothered to care right now. "You- What?"

Oh-so-helpful as ever, Sonic just nodded. "You heard me. Come see for yourself." It seemed the words had barely left his mouth before Espio had dropped out of his newest tree perch and was just up and gone.

With one glance spared at the perturbed Steam, Armaris vanished after Espio to see what was happening. _Who the fuck is Vector?_

 **~保護者~**

To be perfectly truthful, Espio wasn't sure what to think or believe when Sonic shared his little surprise. His mind briefly went blank with a rare sense of soul-crushing confusion, confusion that was not at all abated when he tried (admittedly in a weak manner) to press for more information. Sonic's reply? For him to go and see for himself. He couldn't have agreed more. Just before the hedgehog even finished speaking, Espio took off. He left Sonic, Armaris, and Steam behind in a fraction of a second, coming to a dead halt on the porch as though he didn't have permission to enter his own damn _house_. But the feeling of that familiar energy signature in his front room had made him stiffen and walking was suddenly difficult - but he _did_ it, because he would be _damned_ if he let emotion get the better of him _again_.

Stepping inside almost felt like a mistake. The source of that energy was _right there_ , after all, and Espio wasn't sure how to _feel_ about that. But Vector was _very much_ real and in his home, standing there as if he had never been gone at all in the first place. Never been dead. But Espio knew better. Vector _had_ died. When Charmy had died during a case, Vector's vendetta to find the killers and bring them in had resulted in his own swift death. Espio had been among the first to find out. He hadn't been able to feel anything at the time, not the slightest twinge of emotion, but something had brought him there to that scene regardless. _Something_ had prompted him to close Vector's still-open eyes before he'd vanished, leaving others to handle the task of burying their comrade. That very same something had driven him to later track down the responsible parties, _all_ of them, and punish them himself.

Whatever that mysterious _something_ was, it still eluded him. But he was aware of pain now that he hadn't noticed before, faint and dull though it was, and he supposed that it was that persistent ache that rendered him momentarily incapable of speech. But, of course, he'd always been able to leave most of the talking to Vector. The larger male had certainly never minded being the only one providing any chatter when they interacted. That proved _mercifully_ true here, and Espio was grateful for it. If he didn't have to risk showing his sudden weakness, then he wouldn't. Just... leave it to Vector to always provide him with an out like this. A compromise, in its own way. He took care of the talking, and in return... Espio listened. He had always, always listened, no matter how ridiculous the man had often gotten when rambling on about this or that. Vector had always expressed gratitude over that, too, and why was Espio suddenly remembering all of this?

"Espio!" the booming croc's voice exclaimed, shattering Espio's train of thought and forcefully wrenching his attention back to the present moment. Vector walked over as quickly as such a tall and bulky individual could, a toothy grin on his face as he approached. Off to the side, Cream was smiling widely and Shadow was just watching with his usual moody silence. "Ya really are still livin' here!"

Well, that was... an odd sort of greeting. But this _was_ Vector and, as Espio was starting to recall, oddness was often his version of normality. He'd always been a touch... eccentric, perhaps? Maybe that wasn't the right word. Maybe it didn't even matter. He wished these random thoughts and memories would stop invading his head. "...Yes," he answered eventually, once it became clear that Vector very much wanted a reply. Then, if only because he knew Vector would appreciate a better answer than just that one word, he slowly added, "There is no other place I could have gone."

Vector vigorously shook his head in adamant denial of this statement. "Pshaw! That ain't true!" His voice certainly was loud, wasn't it? Espio couldn't exactly recall if it was normal, but this certainly _felt_ normal and familiar. Sort of... comfortable, even, leaving him with the sense that he had sort of missed this. Maybe he had. He didn't even know anymore. This was all hitting him too fast, and he didn't trust himself to handle it with so many prying eyes around. "You coulda stayed at the agency! I left it all to you, remember?"

He didn't. Not fully, at any rate. But he _did_ remember never being able to force himself to actually enter that building after Vector's passing. Aware of the pain though he now was, back then he had very much still been numb. But, perhaps... only superficially? How possible was it that he had still been _subconsciously_ feeling things? It would certainly explain some matters he had never been able to make sense of before, this included. Now wasn't the time for that particular bit of contemplation, however. Vector likely wanted some sort of an answer and so, for now, Espio opted to go ahead and be honest. "...I... couldn't," he admitted after a long moment's pause.

Thankfully, Vector seemed to understand, and he didn't press the matter further. Though, his smile did drop and he asked, "Whatever happened to the old place, anyhow? You go ahead and sell it?"

Now _that_ had never actually crossed Espio's mind. He rather doubted he would have been willing to let go of the building even if it had, though. And, by now, the payments he'd been having to make to maintain ownership had become such an ordinary part of his life that he'd stopped thinking about it _long_ ago. But, similarly, he hadn't thought about the building _itself_ in a very long time, either. Part of him suddenly wondered if the damn thing could somehow even still be standing. He really doubted it. "No," he answered. He found that it was easier to speak this time than it had been before. Good. Maybe his stupid fucking emotions were finally retreating again. He really wanted them to. "It is still there." _In theory._

All at once, the croc's broad grin returned. "I knew it," he stated triumphantly. "I knew I could count on you."

The fact that he wasn't following was immediately a bit irritating, though Espio was quick to kick that emotion to the curb this time around. He would _not_ snap at Vector. He fucking _refused._ "What?" he asked instead, hoping the smug arse would explain himself.

"I always kinda thought that if I ended up kickin' the bucket before you and Charmy, I'd leave the business to the two of ya," Vector answered, happy as could be. "Then ya sorta lost interest in it because of other stuff in your life, which was fine, so I figured I'd leave it all to the kid instead. Then he... well, you know." He cleared his throat, grin fading a little, and Espio immediately decided that he didn't appreciate the change. Vector wasn't the sort to be _sad_. Espio didn't like it now that he _was_. Vector soon recovered himself, however, and continued, "Anyway, goin' in to the mess of trying to find who'd done that to him, I sort of figured I might not make it back. Guess it was stupid of me, but I didn't care. I did still care about your well-bein', though, and I knew you were still just as attached to the agency as I was and that you didn't have a job back then, so I'd thought... Well, I'd thought maybe you be the best person to take care of it for me, even if you didn't wind up taking on cases anymore or nothin'." His arms crossed. He was smug and triumphant all over again. "Looks like I put my faith in the right person again, huh?"

Leave it to Vector to be so damn _nice_ , even when pissed off about a _murder_ of all things. Espio huffed and looked away. _You ass..._

Stepping closer, Vector clapped a large hand down on Espio's bad shoulder. Espio couldn't feel the impact itself, but the non-paralyzed parts of his body felt the shift in weight and pressure on that side instantly, dragging his gaze back over to his old friend. The smugness and triumph had left Vector's smile, replaced by something kinder and more... genuine, somehow. "It's great to see ya. Honestly. I can't even tell ya how much I've missed bein' able to talk and stuff like we used to."

That... struck a bit of a chord. All at once, Espio realized that some fairly distant and mostly dead (having been smothered by numbness for who even knew how long anymore) part of himself had missed this, too. The idea of this _going away_ again hit him in the same moment, bringing forth more of the pain he had been avoiding this whole conversation. Both were reactions he strove to ignore, and yet... he couldn't quite keep himself from giving in and responding in kind, anyway. It really was good to see Vector again, too, somehow... and voicing that simple truth admitted to more than he was willing to articulate right now, least of all in front of an audience. But, as always, Vector understood the way he was thinking and how he felt and asked for nothing more from him than what he was prepared to give. Having this, his _friend_ , back was... good. Better than he might ever be ready to admit.

It really had been far, far too long... hadn't it?

 **~保護者~**

It was dark out by the time Shadow finally accepted Espio's unexpected (but not unappreciated) offer to help him into the house's only spare bedroom so that the hedgehog could properly sleep. Despite having been largely physically inactive for obvious reasons, mentally he was drained. Taking control of so much machinery had did a number on his energy reserves, and he could no longer convince himself that he _didn't_ need to lay down. Espio even went so far as to openly call Shadow a "stubborn idiot" for fighting it for so long. While Shadow resented that remark, he did inwardly relax a bit with the knowledge that Vector's arrival seemed to already be lightening Espio's mood somewhat. That was certainly a good thing. He'd just needed something to _really_ snap him out of the negative mood he'd been towing around as of late.

Still, one good thing wasn't enough to lighten _Shadow's_ mood as he was helped into bed and then left alone. As much as he did appreciate the aid he'd been given, a part of him also detested it. A large part of him did, in fact, because he felt useless _enough_ without having to be practically carried around everywhere. Wasn't it bad enough that he couldn't even fire a gun anymore? Wasn't that punishment enough? Why did he have to suffer quiet humiliation at every turn as well? _God_ , he was about as weak and helpless as a baby right now. But babies, at least, grew and got stronger. The solution to his problem could never be so simple and straightforward. Above all else, he found that his situation was proving to him something that Gerald had frequently told him as a child, long ago.

Flesh was weak, could be made weaker, but machines… seldom had such easily manipulated limitations. Machines did not bleed. They did not tire. They did not feel pain. In Gerald's mind, they had been perfect and superior in virtually every way conceivable. He had believed that combining flesh _with_ machine would only make the latter even _more_ perfect. And, while Shadow certainly knew that much of what the mad doctor had believed to be true had always been utterly _wrong_ , some truth behind his words inevitably echoed back to Shadow even all these years later. Now wasn't even the first time he had had these thoughts, thoughts about trying to dig up some of the old plans for the work already done on him to then use those plans as a guide for further work that could possibly be done. He was already about sixty-two percent machine. He was more _robot_ than _person_. Would further cybernetic augmentation necessarily be a _bad_ thing? Surely some artificial enhancements could help offset the physical weaknesses he was being forced to contend with now.

And yet…

And _yet_.

There were so many reasons to scoff at such a crazy plan, not the least of which being the fact that Gerald had been the one to start all of this and Shadow had always _loathed_ him for it. But then there were other, smaller reasons as well. Like the simple fact that the more metal and tech that was placed into his body and the more reliant he became on all of it, the less of a _person_ he would be then than he already was now. Add to that the increased risk electricity would pose to him, coupled with the potential scorn of the idea from those around him and, honestly… none of that seemed worth dealing with. He could already vividly picture the sad disapproval in Tails's expressive eyes, the pinched expression of anger on his brother's face. Those imagined reactions were surely not ones he wanted to deal with in real life.

Still, curiosity managed to get the better of him. Not for the first time, Shadow conducted a full scan of himself to see if his body could even _handle_ further work being done to it. The results produced seconds later varied only slightly from that of the previous scans. It seemed that even now, in his current state, he could very easily handle a _lot_ of work being done on him all throughout his body. But that still didn't make him want to do it. ...And yet… if he wasn't in _some_ way actually interested, then why was he even _thinking_ about any of this?

Huffing at himself under his breath, Shadow (with way more effort than should have been necessary) turned over onto his side and closed his eyes, determined to sleep and forget about this whole train of thought. Maybe he would be less stupid in the morning.

 **~保護者~**

 **7,302 words this time. Vector's _back_ , guys! Whoo! Really, really hope you all enjoyed! And, as always, many thanks to Blazing Winds for all his help! Posted (at about 2:15 p.m.) 11-27-19.**


	44. Whispers

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this dreadful time… especially for the one whose strength is his greatest vulnerability.

 **~保護者~**

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 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, Vector's been a huge help already. Thanks, my dude! XD**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Whispers"**

 **~保護者~**

Things were relatively quiet now, Wave reflected, starkly contrasting the chaotic sounds of battle from earlier in the day. Walking through the heaps of corpses, most demonic but some not, she couldn't help but shake her head in dismay. These had been mere, rank-and-file, low-level demons. Once upon a time, she and Jet could have easily wiped them all out with scarcely a thought. The amount of destruction left behind on this day, however, proved to her beyond any shadow of a doubt that times were changing. More than that, their _enemies_ were changing. Growing. Evolving. The demons, in particular, seemed to be growing exponentially more dangerous with each passing day. How was it that demons that had once been considered so strong were now seen as the weakest? Did she dare imagine what the more powerful beasts were now like? And what were they supposed to do when those more powerful demons inevitably came? And then there was the matter of that woman…

With Jet out of commission, it seemed the only available option was to wait.

The problem was, she wasn't very good at that.

Not when so much needed to be done.

Neatly stepping over a still-moist puddle of blackish demonic flesh and blood, she approached the young queen Saraya just as the woman sent away some soldiers with firm orders pertaining to clean up. Seeing the swallow approach, the teenaged hawk crossed her arms loosely. "Look if you're here to rub in the fact-"

Wave held up a hand to stop her. "No. I would never be so childish and petty. Especially not now." Saraya huffed, but simmered down a degree. "I assume you've only sent people after the demons that _don't_ have black blood."

Another huff. "Obviously. I may not know a ton about these creatures like you and Pati, but I know fucked-up substances when I see them." She glanced over some of the nearest bodies that littered the once tranquil landscape. "Shit looks hella toxic to me."

The old, familiar word of " _pati_ " caused a smile to tug at the corner of Wave's lips, but she was quick to resume being serious. "You'd be right about that," she said. "To any non-demonic entity, that blood is so toxic that it's effects are worse than acid. The second even just a drop it makes contact with any sort of flesh, you're pretty much a goner. ...Jet learned that the hard way quite a while back."

Saraya actually winced at the idea. "Guess that explains why those particular carcasses are festering so much already," she grumbled. "I'll send some of the better aura users after them. They've got enough ability and control not to let anything drip or whatever."

Content to let the queen take charge, as was her right, Wave offered no complaints. "That's a fine idea. Just be careful where you dispose of them. Teleporting them out of the system would probably be ideal so that no one accidentally comes into contact with anything."

"Yeah," Saraya nodded, eyes still surveying the landscape. It was such a shame, really. These gardens had once been so _pristine_ … truly the pride of some of the people living here. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Not as many of our people died here as I'd feared," she admitted quietly, "but people _did_ die because of my idiocy. It's my fault." Not one to indulge in pity-parties, she fixed Wave with a dire look. "What all can I do to prevent more death? Obviously staying away from certain regions of space is one thing, but this," she gestured with an arm to the visibly wrecked barriers far above the sky, "is beyond anything I now how to fix. Even you and pati couldn't fix them."

"Not in such a short span of time, no," Wave agreed, "but I do actually have a surprising bit of good news. Remember the man your pati always used to tell stories about? The guy with super speed who could control Chaos?"

Now openly confused, Saraya slowly nodded her head. "...Yeah… we all do. He told us lots of stories about his old friends."

"And do you remember the blue hedgehog who was here for a bit a while ago?" Wave asked. Saraya thought for just a second before her mouth dropped open. The Hexan's mouth quirked up in a smile again. "Yeah, that was him. Not just a descendant of him, but _actually_ him. See, the unique thing about Chaos is that it can sometimes be used alongside copious amounts of Light to bring people back from the dead. Lady Chaos herself might be mostly sealed away, but her sister's not. That sister revived Sonic a while back. Similarly, one of them revived Kath during that fight earlier today."

Apparently, it was possible for Saraya to look even more stunned. " _Kath_?" she demanded when she finally found her voice again. " _The_ Kath? As in, _Queen Laralei's_ husband?"

Wave nodded. "The very same. And considering he's the one who _constructed_ these barriers to begin with, he happens to have some pretty intimate knowledge about how they work and how to fix them. The few schematics he actually left behind can only help Jet and I learn so much. Most of the intel is still in the guy's head, for better or for worse." She turned her gaze upward. "Anyway, good news is that he's back and, knowing him, he's probably already gone up there to deal with this little problem… even though I _did_ ask him to stick around here a little longer. Always so stubborn, just like Jet."

After a few seconds of contemplative silence, Saraya spoke up again. "So the barriers should be functional again soon, in that case… but you mentioned something to me a few hours ago about something 'big' coming." She met Wave's gaze with a worried frown. "My first concern is what the hell you were talking about. And secondly, will the barriers _hold_?"

All at once, Wave's vaguely good mood vanished. She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know all the details, Saraya. I with I did, and if I learn anything more then I'll tell you, but right now… Right now, all I know is this." Saraya waited expectantly as Wave took just a second to gather her thoughts. "Word came from my friends on Mobius that three young girls somehow wound there with the group. As you can imagine based on the circumstances, they're not just some random person's kids. They're the daughters of the Demonic _God_ , and… well… he's not exactly happy that they've seemingly been kidnapped. They _weren't_ , mind you, but from the outside looking in, it's really easy to understand why he or others might see it that way. And, unfortunately, he has no way of knowing right now if the girls are there… or here."

The young queen lowered her head, eyes squeezing shut in an expression of dismay. "Meaning he's just as pissed at us as he is at _them_ ," she surmised quietly. "Which also means… we're going to be attacked again."

Unable and unwilling to lie, Wave could only incline her head in silent agreement. "Jet and I have long been expecting, and _warning_ about, a huge attack due to occur here regardless," she murmured. "This just… provides the God with added motivation to carry out such a thing. And, considering the _source_ of that newest bit of motivation, we've probably also been given a timeframe for the first time. 'Soon' was the best estimate Jet and I could up until this point, but now… I think I can say with certainty that we have a matter of days, if not mere hours."

Turning her head away, Saraya cursed under her breath in their native tongue before saying, "Then I'm done wasting time chatting. If it's going to be _that_ soon, I need to get people mobilized."

"Of course," Wave answered.

There was a brief moment of hesitation, then Saraya looked back to her. Her normally moody or otherwise carefully controlled expression was almost tragic. "But Pati, is… is he okay?" she asked, voice oh-so-quiet.

Wave had been anticipating this question. Of course Saraya would ask. It was true that Jet had been less involved with these kids than with other in the past, but he still had had a hand in raising _every_ descendant of his and their friends up until now. Saraya, having been orphaned while so young, had been especially attached to him growing up. _She needs him still… and not just for this fight._ Doing her best to smile, she answered sincerely, "He will be."

With a slow nod, the queen turned away again and disappeared.

 **~保護者~**

"Demons, huh?" Sitting at one side of the circular table in Espio's front room, Vector crossed his arms and frowned at the floor in thought. By now, Sonic, Shadow, Tails, and Cream were all in the spare room asleep. Steam and Armaris were… wherever the hell they were. Who really knew. "I gotta admit… when I asked ya what everybody's so tense over, that wasn't what I was expecting."

Espio offered a vague, one-shouldered shrug in response to that. As he listened to Vector talk, he idly traced the rim of his glass with a finger. Regardless of how much he wanted a _proper_ drink, he had promised Cream he wouldn't have anymore today, so water it was. Not that it was good enough, but still. _A promise is a promise,_ he reminded himself, albeit unhappily.

Vector continued without pause, paying no mind to the slight air of sullenness coming from the ninja. "That reminds me," he said, suddenly straightening and looking straight at Espio. "Those Hollow things you've mentioned before, they're demons too, aren't they?"

His question made Espio blink, then he inclined his head in a vague approximation of a nod. "Yes. A very old and largely forgotten species of demon, but they are demonic nevertheless."

"And why ain't they with that God or whatever you said he was?" Vector questioned. Espio had no idea. Maybe the God saw fit to leave them here to do as they pleased because it caused constant problems for Espio's people? Maybe he just didn't care for these demons and was leaving them to someday die? Who really knew? He certainly didn't, and so he didn't attempt to provide an answer. This prompted Vector to ask a new question. "So even if ya don't know why they're stuck here, do ya know how they got to be here at all? It doesn't seem right."

At this, Espio stifled a sigh. He'd managed to nearly forget how much he was sometimes required to talk in the presence of others. It felt rather draining, but by now he had resigned himself to put up with it temporarily. At least until things returned to some semblance of normal. "In truly ancient times, perhaps mere eons after this world was born," he answered slowly, "my people came here from the depths of space in search of refuge, fleeing some sort of massacre. We have always known that we were followed."

Vector's frown deepened. "Where the hell were yer people livin' that allowed _demons_ to stalk them _here_?"

Previously, Espio hadn't had a clue. But knowing now what he did about the origins of his race, their deeply rooted ties to Darkness and its realm and the vast Garden it had created within this realm… Reluctantly, he answered the question. "It has been discovered recently that Kaden and his family were not the only ones in the group with Darkness," he told Vector. The croc's frown morphed into an expression of surprised confusion. "It would seem that it exists within my people as well and that our race came to be within a place known as 'Zyr'. Some also know it as the 'Garden of Darkness'. It is the place where the Realm of Darkness is physically linked with this realm."

Not enough people gave Vector enough credit where it was due. He was a smart man. It wasn't for nothing that he had been able to create and maintain a business as a _detective_ of all things. As such, he caught on quickly. "And yer people ain't the only ones to come outta there," he deduced. "Others did too, right? Like demons?"

"Not every creature of Darkness first emerges from the Garden," Espio corrected carefully, "but in this case… that is precisely what occurred with the Hollows. From what I understand, we have lived alongside these creatures since the beginning of our existence."

"Which might be why they hunted all of ya down when ya came here."

"Perhaps."

Silence ensued while Vector took the time to process what he'd been told. Espio, meanwhile, gave up trying to convince himself to drink his water and just pushed the glass away. No sooner than he did that, Vector's eyes were on the cup. Or, rather, the deep stab mark in the wood of the table just beneath it. He scooted the glass aside, drawing Espio's attention to the damage as well and making the chameleon internally curse. He had already dealt with all the knives by now, but there was no real way for him to deal with the _holes_ they'd left behind, at least yet. Vector then asked, "Y'know, I thought ya stopped damaging crap outta anger when you were a teenager."

His assessment may or may not have been accurate (Espio refused to admit to the truth out loud), and the ninja huffed. "This was not my doing," he muttered. Maintaining this building was difficult enough when he had Hollows, extreme weather, enemy shinobi, and other such matters to deal with, only made worse by the fact that he could only use _one damn arm_ to get any repairs done. So, no, he most certainly did _not_ make a habit of breaking his own house. There were other ways to vent anger. That was part of what combat was for.

Vector gave him an odd sort of look, then abruptly stated, "Sonic kinda mentioned somethin' about a girl messin' with ya."

 _Of course he did._

"She do this?"

What were the consequences of admitting the truth here? Surely there were plenty. It was why he'd been so reluctant to talk with Armaris earlier in the day, he knew. But, then, his mood had been so much _worse_ earlier… She had only been trying to help, though, as was Vector in this moment. Part of him managed to somewhat regret his negative treatment of the cat, despite regret not being something he'd ever felt much of throughout his life. But, for now, he had no choice but to brush that matter aside. He was expected to respond to the question, after all. "...Yes," he eventually relented. "She did."

"Seems a bit messed up t'me," Vector groused, frowning again. "Who goes around wreckin' other people's homes?"

 _Sadistic murderers who currently don't have anything better to do than incessantly torment others._ Needless to say, that was not a thought Espio voiced aloud. Instead, all he said was, "Coming from her, this behavior was rather… mild, so to speak." He propped his chin up on his hand and gazed past Vector to the open doorway leading outside. Inopportune though the timing was, he suddenly found himself wondering where she was right now, what she was doing, if she was still nearby… But such a line of thinking was potentially dangerous, so he distracted himself by continuing the conversation - no matter how reluctant he was to share too many details here. "She is prone to far more destructive acts on a regular basis."

Something about his demeanor must have been unintentionally revealing, and Vector's focus zeroed in on it in an instant. " _Oh_ , I see what's goin' on here," he declared triumphantly, though he was courteous enough to keep his voice down so as to avoid waking the others. "You like her, don't you?"

Unintentionally, Espio stiffened. _Must everyone feel the need to talk about this?_ Shifting his gaze back to Vector, he demanded in a now neutral tone, "Does it matter?"

The croc nodded once, almost sagely. "Absolutely. If my pal has a crush again, then it's a big deal to me."

That pulled at a vague memory or two from years past, reminding Espio of what he had been told about another girl long ago that he apparently had had some sort of little… " _crush_ " on. But from what he'd been told about her, about _them_ , that had been about as far as it had ever gone. Which meant that this situation… This was different. _Vastly so._ But Vector didn't need to know that.

As always, he deduced it for himself, anyway. His eyes going a touch wide, he said in awe, "Unless… don't tell me you think she's the _one_?"

Espio understood what Vector was implying with that statement. The same truth that Vector was speaking applied to both of their species, after all. Individuals from either one did sometimes develop small crushes and whatnot, the same as any other person might, but when real _love_ got involved… Their people rarely, if ever, _genuinely_ fell in love more than once. Love amongst their kinds bonded people for life, whether they necessarily wanted it to or not. It was a hugely important part of the reason why Espio had been so completely unable to separate himself from Nakea for all these years… and why he sincerely doubted he ever _could_. "I don't know," he mumbled, looking away again. It wasn't the truth. It wasn't _exactly_ a lie. The full truth was that he strongly _suspected_ that he might have fallen into the trap of truly becoming bonded with her, but he had yet to fully and decisively say for _sure_. He wasn't even convinced that he wanted to put himself through the hell that properly looking into the truth might bring upon him.

Vector was _mercifully_ unaware of Espio's thoughts at this particular moment and time, it would seem. He just looked happy, almost elated even, at the idea of one of his friends _seemingly_ experiencing something so wonderful. If only he knew. Except, Espio preferred that he didn't, at least for now. Wasn't it bad enough that everyone _else_ already knew? He believed so. "I bet ya do," Vector declared with a grin. "But, whatever. It's best to accept that sorta thing in yer own time." His words had some merit, but… it wasn't as though Nakea ever _gave_ Espio time to sort his emotions out before she was rushing him along yet again, far too fast for him to recover or to cope or to do _anything_ that hindsight told him he probably should have at some point done. If that wasn't proof of his weakness in regards to her, nothing ever would be. But Vector continued, not at all paying attention to the way Espio's mood was beginning to shift. He did his best to hide it before the larger man _could_ notice. "How long've you two been together?" the croc asked.

The idea of them being " _together_ " made Espio nearly want to choke on his own breath. It wasn't as though they were _dating_! She regularly tried to _kill_ him, for fuck's sake! It wasn't as though he never immediately tried to return the favor, but even _still_. They were _not_ some sort of a fucking _couple_. "We _aren't_ ," he finally managed to force out after a few seconds.

But, even as he said that, memories both old and fairly recent hit him in a small tidal wave. There were images of her taking over his bed sometimes so that she could sleep, of her behaving downright _happy_ once or twice when he gave in to brief bouts of weakness and gifted her with her favorite food during a couple of her visits, them somehow winding up taking walks together every so often, her fiercely cutting down a Hollow that had tried to lunge for him once when he'd been lounging on his roof (not that he'd been in any _genuine_ danger)... And there were other, littler things, too. Her sharpening his favorite knife for him once when she'd snuck into his house yet _again_ while he'd been away. Him keeping safe the belongings she begun to keep in said house throughout the years. Her nearly always managing to actually _smile_ when they interacted, even when so many of her enemies got little more than a cold and murderous grin. Him taking her in when she'd been seriously injured once, stubbornly refusing to let her take off with how high of a fever she'd had. There was more, but… _damn it all_ , now was _not_ the time to be thinking about any of it.

And now, of course, Vector chose to be perceptive again. "Uh-huh," he chuckled, clearly not believing what Espio had told him. "Sure ya aren't. How's datin' and all that stuff work for ninja, anyway? I don't really see a shinobi date involving goin' to the movies and crap."

Espio gifted him with a small scowl. "Would you _stop_?" Vector just laughed. And, somehow, Espio couldn't find it in himself to remain angry. At least… not this time.

About this time, Armaris had climbed her way back up and into the house, a look of bewilderment on her face at the sight of Vector. Instinctively, her hand rested on the handle of her sword while she tilted her head. " _What_ the fuck are you?"

Twisting around to view her, Vector blinked dumbly at the cat for a second before asking, "Uh… what now?"

Internally, Espio nearly facepalmed. Externally, however, he just said with exaggerated patience, "Crocodile, Armaris. He's a crocodile."

"The fuck is a crocodile?" she asked, her confusion morphing her facial features to almost seem disgusted, despite only not understanding.

Vector _oh-so-helpfully_ raised a hand. "That'd be me. I mean… yer lookin' right at me." Though tempting, Espio decided not to shut him up and just let the two of them work it out instead. It was too much hassle to get involved.

For a short moment, Armaris' hand closed around the handle of her weapon as if tempted to draw it, then decided otherwise. "Uh… y-yeah… That's uh… real helpful. Totally didn't figure that out like, when Espio said it." Said ninja shot her a small look over her attitude, but he didn't comment.

There was another short pause, then Vector turned back to Espio. While it initially seemed like he _wasn't_ going to make any other stupid remarks, his words soon dispelled that bit of hope. "So," the croc asked very casually, "this is the little sister, huh?" Espio frowned at him, not following for just a second because of the gaps in his memory. When everything clicked seconds later, his frown deepened disapprovingly.

Armaris blinked a few times, her gaze flicking to Espio. "You talked about me?" She sounded somewhat hopeful, almost happy at that prospect.

"Yep," Vector interjected easily, broad grin on his face. "At least a few times. We got to talkin' about his life before we met a few times, and he _definitely_ mentioned a kid matchin' yer description. The sass is the same, for one thing." He laughed to himself.

The cat deadpanned at Espio, as if disapproving of that. "Oh, is _that_ what you said about me?"

An amber eye openly rolled toward the heavens. "Considering how you behaved as a child, how could it _not_ be mentioned?" he huffed. Vector looked between the two of them quietly, body shaking with the effort it was taking for him to stifle his laughs.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe I could talk about your incessantness and how agitating you were as I grew up." She crossed her arms and huffed at him, almost glaring in amusement.

"You only ever called me such because your actions _forced_ me to essentially parent you much of the time."

"Yeah, yeah. Go on. Not like I couldn't handle myself like I did on _several_ occasions."

Espio gave her a deadpan look of his own. "I seem to recall," he drawled, "you nearly getting yourself stabbed on at least one of those occasions."

Throughout him talking, Armaris mimed his words with her mouth and stuck her tongue out. "Could've handled it, easily, but you got involved."

At this point, Vector gave up trying to hold in his laughter. "You two are somethin' else," he chuckled.

"Oh, you're one to talk, foreign species… thing. Crocodile, whatever." Armaris huffed, practically smirking. More laughter ensued in response to her words.

Unable to resist the urge, Espio shook his head. _This went better than it could have, all things considered…_ he inwardly reflected.

The cat raised an eyebrow. "Whatcha thinking about?" Armaris prodded, crossing her arms a bit tighter. "Being an ass?"

In response, Espio reached over to a little bowl near his arm, grabbed a peanut out of it, and flicked it at her forehead at high speed (but, naturally, without any real force). "Nothing. Stop being a brat."

Armaris snatched it out of the air and instead flicked it at Vector in a similar manner to how Espio had. Vector rubbed at his head with a small complaint of, "Hey, what'd _I_ do?"

"Exist, just like everyone else who asks that question," Armaris answered nonchalantly.

Unexpectedly, Espio took her side for that moment. "Perhaps you should consider it karma for how you often flicked things at Charmy at the table," he mused, barely resisting a smirk.

"Hey, don't gang up on me!" Vector laughed. "Whose side are you on, anyway, Espio?"

A shrug. "Whichever is currently winning, I suppose."

The cat raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" In response, another peanut sailed toward her forehead before Espio went ahead and got up to put the bowl away. Armaris growled playfully as she caught the peanut, tossing it back into the bowl.

Espio started to remove the panel in his wall to put the little bowl of food away, only to pause when he felt a low vibration rumble through said wall - not to mention the rest of the building. Outside, Aku had certainly felt it, too, if his loud answering growl was anything to go by. Releasing his hold in the panel, Espio stood still for a moment with all of his senses on high alert, waiting for something else to happen. When nothing did, he frowned and turned to head outside.

Only, the fact that he has guests over who would want to know what was going on had managed to briefly slip his mind. Vector sure wasn't going to let him take off without an explanation. "What's goin' on?" For the moment, Espio ignored him. His primary concern was that he needed a sword. Preferably… one that wouldn't break. He suspected that if he wanted to find one before all hell broke loose, though, he'd need to think and then _search_ fast. But Vector interrupted his train of thought. "Some kinda trouble comin'?" Then he thought to ask, "I know ya kept it stored away when workin' for me, but don't ya have some kinda sword? Maybe ya should-"

His earlier irritation suddenly returning, Espio cut him off. "It broke." Not to mention the fact that it was currently embedded in some demon's carcass. Though, Vector didn't really need to know that bit. He'd always tried (and generally succeeded) to keep the violent parts of his life separate from the life he'd lived with Vector and the others. After the way he had first _met_ Vector, Knuckles, and Charmy, it had just seemed the best course of action. Despite not caring as much about it lately, it still seemed prudent to maintain some of that separation as much as possible… at least for Vector's sake, and if only for the time being. He headed for the door in order to leave, tossing a calm order of, "Stay here," over his shoulder as he went.

Naturally, being the one used to directing others and being directed himself, Vector didn't listen. He followed Espio to the door, his eyes inevitably falling upon the slowly moving mass of scales that was loosely coiling around the building in a protective matter. This time, when the owner of those scales growled, the sound was so close that there was no conceivable way for anyone inside to not be aware of the noise and the vibrations it produced. The croc looked rather stunned by the sight of the dragon once said dragon's head slithered into view, but mercifully refrained from popping off a million and one questions about it. Instead, he offered a weak attempt at a joke. "He's, not… gonna eat us or nothin', right?" Espio huffed at the notion. As if Aku would ever eat someone… But he chose not to say that right this second. It was a little entertaining, watching Vector squirm despite being in no real danger. Or, at least, no danger from _Aku_.

The dragon turned a harsh eye on the three of them. _"Cease your cowering, crocodile. I have no interest in whatever tiny meal a creature your size would afford me."_ His words did not appease Vector at all, and he took a small step back from the doorway for protection. However, Aku paid him no further mind. Turning his attention to Espio, he warned, _"You sense it, do you not?"_

"Sense what?" asked a sleepy voice. Glancing back, Espio watched Cream walk into the front room with Sonic at her heels. The blue hedgehog helped Shadow get to a seat at the table, then set him down.

 _"The barriers are being prodded at,"_ the dragon answered, visibly displeased. _"The incessant poking cannot do it any harm, but whatever is response for the action is strong enough to resist being disintegrated by the energies the barriers contain. That is no small feat."_

Blue ears perked straight up just as Tails stumbled into the room, still looking half-asleep and yet somehow also generally alert. "Is it alone?" Sonic demanded.

Espio chose to answer this time. "For the moment. Others will come."

"It's likely a scout," Tails yawned, scrubbing at his eyes. "We've seen this sort of behavior in some demons before. A select few are trained to resist barriers and their effects so as to test them. You know, to work out their composition, their strength, that sort of thing. They usually have partners with telekinetic powers, who they relay their findings to. And from there, the intel gets communicated to the rest of the forces or specific generals or, at times, the God himself directly. All without the stronger demons having to risk themselves or lift a finger. It's terribly efficient and… most likely means rest of the demons are gonna be here _real_ soon."

Upon hearing that, Sonic rounded on Espio with all the righteous fury of a crack of thunder. "Your people are ready, right?" he demanded sharply. "They know what's coming?"

As if they _wouldn't_ be aware… "Yes."

Sonic wasn't done with him quite yet. "And how long will the barriers hold once the demons get here?"

Although a rough estimate was difficult to give, considering how many unknown factors they were dealing with, Espio was confident in saying, "Against a force such as this, it will be a matter of minutes… if we are fortunate."

Tails's twin name sakes swished in repeated up and down motions, an expression of restlessness seldom seen in the easygoing fox. "We need to start getting ourselves ready now, then. For one thing, I _have_ to get back outside of the barrier. The ship's out there. If it's destroyed, it'll make it harder for me to help fight."

That… was a problem. After all, Espio was the only one who could _open_ the damn barrier to begin with in order to let Tails out. But he still needed to get a damn sword, as well… It was hard to say which matter truly took precedence, but for now he decided to screw his own plans. He would deal with the matter of replacing his weapon after Tails was in the Tornado-Z and securely up in the air. "Whatever you need from here, grab it now," he responded with a touch of frustration. "This is wasting time." Nodding, Tails ran off to the spare room to grab what few things he had brought with him into the house.

Armaris was growling by now, an intense fury flaring into her eyes as her body broke apart into Darkness. The cat moved past Espio, passing along some quiet words before heading off to find Steam. God only knew where that hedgehog had gone off to by now… And it was going to be all hands on-deck if they actually wanted to survive.

 **~保護者~**

The God of Demons knelt atop a rocky outcropping on a sheer cliff overlooking the ruins of a mortal city that had once stood on his world. Though he was partially watching the countless demons writhing amidst the smoke, fire, and general hell down below, most of his thoughts were elsewhere. Or, rather, they _were_ … until he took notice of a presence behind him. "What do you want?" he asked coldly, not bothering to turn around.

"You are planning an attack on Mobius, correct?" Astra asked in a slight murmur, as if trying to mask her emotions for now. The God chose to ignore her question as stupid, considering the fact that there was no way she _wouldn't_ know the answer to it. "Right, so. I want to be involved in the downfall of that planet," she continued easily, crossing her arms. "Lots of unwanted memories with that place."

The God's eyes narrowed and he straightened as he turned around to face her. "No," he answered shortly without allowing her the chance to fully explain herself. "I don't give a shit what you want. You will remain here."

The cat raised an eyebrow, faintly irritated. "And _why_ is that? I am damn sure you could find _some_ way to get what you want out of me being there, regardless of what I want." Despite who she was speaking to, she remained very obstinate.

For now, the God allowed her attitude to persist… if only because she had earned her keep so recently. If she continued, however, he intended on beating said attitude out of her. "You will remain here," he reiterated firmly, but not yet angrily. He was feeling fairly calm at the moment, even downright _pleased_ that he would get to experience the excitement of war soon enough. It would, for once, take more than simple back-talking to convince him to dole out any punishment here. "Your presence there will only complicate matters."

"And _after_ you've finished with your plans? I can't go and cripple the planet further, as well as potentially bringing back some very powerful minions?" Astra frowned faintly, as if confused as to how her presence afterward could complicate things.

Her insistence caused his head to tilt slightly in thought. His mind ran over her proposal for a moment before stating in a slow, dangerous tone, "Get in my way… and I _will_ kill you." He turned and began walking away. "Once I am done there… do what you will. Lay waste to the whole damn rock if you feel the need. I don't give a fuck about the state of the planet once I leave." He mostly just wanted to crush some certain _people_ there, after all…

"I have _no_ plans to get myself killed, by you or otherwise. I'll make sure that… the ending results are gratifying." The corrupted cat smirked faintly, lips quivering. _Been a long time coming, assholes. You'll get what you deserve._

Almost as though in response to her sudden anger, the ground below them rumbled deeply and then gave a violent and planet-shaking boom. The God stopped walking briefly, glancing down just as impossibly massive cracks split the rock around them. Peering down into the fiery depths, a wild grin spread across his face. It seemed one of his favorite pets was getting ready to play. _This certainly changes things…_ he inwardly reflected with dark glee. _Rising to feed already again already, are you?_ His excitement only growing, the God turned away once more and vanished from the scene.

Astra glanced past where the God had been standing and tilted her head. _Oh dear. Someone is bound to be utterly fucked. Not me, so, meh._ Turning to head back off to the makeshift home she had crafted, her attention fell back on the crevices leading to where some demon had long been slumbering. _In truth… I cannot wait to see it come forth. It shall be… interesting to watch the death bells toll._

 **~保護者~**

 _"Life is pain. Pain is power. And power is… life.  
_ _All destruction is creation… and all creation is destruction.  
_ _Within destruction and death, there is infinite beauty and Truth to be found.  
_ _Yet, within this random pain and this beauty, there is a purpose.  
_ _Infinity awaits us all. There is nothing else.  
_ _We all await the End, bound by Eternity as we are.  
_ _You think yourself capable of preventing it… of stopping all of this death.  
_ _And yet, to die is to have existed, is it not?  
_ _Answer this, then, little Immortal.  
_ _If existence is nothing but pain and death, wrapped up in thin blankets of beauty and love, and to die is to have existed at all…  
_ _Then tell me… why do any of you live?  
_ _Eternity is close at hand.  
_ _Can you feel yourself slipping?  
_ _They are bringing the End upon us, upon all that you claim to love.  
_ _And yet the love of all things is death.  
_ _If you care for something, you will let it die.  
_ _For dying is to have existed, and existence is death itself.  
_ _But if you truly love something…  
_ _If you cherish it…  
_ _You will destroy it yourself.  
_ _Now you say that this is wrong… that by your own hand those you hold dear will continue to live.  
_ _So quickly do you forget the Truth she brings upon us all.  
_ _You fill yourself with the Lie that she will be defeated, no matter the odds.  
_ _And yet, you know your own Truth.  
_ _During autumn, when everything is dying, the beauty of the life it once held remains preserved in many quiet ways.  
_ _There is beauty in death… You simply and willfully refuse to see it.  
_ _What is your answer, then… when the question is and always has been extinction?"_

Jet awoke with a terrible start in an unfamiliar room. Though he was groggy and disoriented, a keen sense of danger and terror coursed through him like lightning. But just as quickly as all of this hit him, he became aware of hearing a woman's voice talking to him, saying his name and some other things he couldn't really make out. It wasn't until several long moments had passed that he was able to put a name and a face to the voice. It was his mother. Somehow, despite only barely knowing her, the knowledge of her presence managed to bring some measure of comfort.

Through that comfort, Jet was able to gradually calm down and work out what was going on. He was definitely in the palace and in a spare bedroom no one normally used. There were people here with him, but he wasn't one hundred percent ready to open his eyes and face them yet. He was starting to be able to calm his breathing and pulse down, though. That was good. Focusing on that was good. Not… whatever it was that had happened leading up to him being here. He had the distinct sensation of having deeply suppressed his memories of something or other again, a thing which he had done numerous times throughout the years as a means of coping with life when it became unbearable. If that was the case, then so be it. Better for things to remain buried as opposed to in his face, raw and festering and threatening to tear him apart.

A bit more breathing, and the spike of anxiety he had been contending with seemed to finally ebb. With it gone, he was able to better take note of the auras he was sensing. His mother's was definitely there. He hadn't been imagining that. And, naturally, his father was also present. No real surprise there. And, in fact, it almost helped him to relax a little further. But they weren't the only ones in the room. Or, at least, they _hadn't_ been. He could definitely sense the residual traces of Wave's aura from perhaps a couple of hours ago, if not longer. Aside from hers, there were two others. Two awfully, _painfully_ familiar others that he couldn't mistake for _anyone_ but who they actually were. The trouble was, any hope or excitement he might have felt was suspended by the subtle differences in those auras from what he had previously known. _Not them, then. Not exactly._ That knowledge _hurt_. The best explanation for why this was even _happening_ was alternate timelines being at play. Not that that made things any better. He just didn't feel like dealing with that matter right now. Not when he had this horrific, _splitting_ migraine and those ominous, lingering whispers in his head…

Trading a worried look with Sein about their son's overall lack of response to their presence and words, Alana tried again to get his attention and coax him into opening his eyes. "Jet?" she asked softly, simultaneously reaching out with gentle waves of her aura. Despite how well he had reacted to their auras earlier in the day, no response came still. Jet remained sitting where he was, head in his hands and seemingly focused on his breathing and little else. Leaving him be might have been the best option usually, if not for the fact that he very clearly needed to take some medicine for what was turning out to be a very severe headache. Wave (whom Alana was almost certain had mental powers of her own) had apparently - and wisely - anticipated this result, and she had left suitable medicine for her friend on the bedside table. It was just a matter of getting Jet to respond to them enough for him to be able to take it.

When she was unable to get him to react to her yet still, Alana turned to Sein for help. The man stood and quietly walked over, watching Jet closely for a long moment. "Can you hear us, Jet?" He asked in a soft voice, trying not to worsen the obvious headache. Jet's jaw clenched visibly at the noise but, finally, he responded. Said response was little more than a tiny nod, but it was _something_ , at least. "Jet. We've got something you can take for the headache, but I need you to take it. Can you do that for me?"

The thought, _Won't help,_ instantly filtered through Jet's mind, but ultimately he thought better about saying that. Doing so would require an explanation he did _not_ feel up to giving. Best to just play along for now. So, with great reluctance, he stiffly sat himself up into a proper sitting position. When he felt Alana gently press a small glass into his hand, he took it. However, he didn't drink the medicine contained in the glass until the pounding in his head became bearable enough for him to move again. He drank the medicine as quickly as possible and then shakily set the cup aside. Thanks to his headache, he did _not_ feel well…

That thought suddenly evoked another thought, a slight memory of part of what had occurred earlier. He couldn't recall details due to having buried said memories, only bits and pieces of a plight he had witnessed, and at that point he finally forced his eyes open. "Where's Sonic?" he demanded, voice weaker than he'd intended. That wasn't an issue he tried to correct just now.

"With most of your friends on Mobius. A safe place, from what Wave told us," Sein answered in a gentle tone.

Their son's continued concern for his friend was touching, and Alana sought to soothe his worries further. "He is alright," she said before he could even ask. "He will likely need rest, the same as you, but he was not in serious condition. He was conscious and able to function without difficulty."

"And from what I could tell, he's actually doing fairly well considering all that happened. You got a tough friend." Sein smiled gently to his son. _All that happened_ was a vague statement, but honestly Jet was thankful for it. If he'd gone to the trouble of suppressing today's events, then he did _not_ want any further reminders or details. So he simply accepted the explanation as it was and let the matter go.

Sein cast a glance to Alana, as if asking permission to do something risky. She returned his glance with a look that clearly said, _"I trust you, but mind yourself."_ Or, at least, something akin to that. As they did this, Jet wound up resuming his earlier position with his head in his hands, eyes squeezed shut as he rode out the waves of pain in his head.

The blue hawk looked back to Jet for a moment, frowning. "Would… you be okay with talking about what happened earlier, with us?"

Immediately, Jet shook his head. "No," he nearly whispered, voice tight with pain. He didn't bother to explain his own answer to the question, hoping for several reasons that the matter would be dropped.

Sein's eyes faintly teared up with concern, but he set that aside for now in hopes of working on this. His voice softening even more than it had, he spoke again. "What did that woman drag up that hurt you this badly…?"

A flicker of confusion managed to force its way through the pounding pain, and Jet frowned to himself. _...Woman…?_ Sensing this confusion in his for once unguarded and unhidden aura, Alana glanced at her husband.

He returned the glance, eyes wide. _"Coping mechanism?"_ he mouthed in question.

Now frowning herself in thought, Alana inclined her head. _"Possibly…"_ she mouthed back. Then she privately recalled, _Mother did this same thing before… did she not?_

Sein's right fist clenched, but not in anger. A single tear rolled down his face as he thought, What the hell have people put you through?

After a few more seconds of silence, Alana thought it best to steer the conversation away from this a bit. "Is the medicine helping at all?" she murmured. Having recognized the type of medicine it was, she knew it _should_ have been at least vaguely kicking in by now.

Jet shook his head once, though he immediately regretted the movement. _Shitty idea,_ he reflected after the fact. _Fucking shitty idea._ But his answer had been honest. No, it wasn't helping. He'd known that it wouldn't, and the continuation of those damned _whispers_ in his head were proof alone of that… _Fuck off!_ he silently snapped at them, knowing the source of said whispers could hear him. _Fucking go away…!_

Sensing this agitated shift in his aura, Sein found his way back to reality and focused on Jet once more. "Jet… what's wrong?"

The younger hawk gritted his teeth and, upon realizing his mistake, promptly hid his aura away. " _Nothing_ ," he bit out, not _trying_ to sound harsh but also not quite able to keep that tone out of his voice when he was hurting so badly.

Needless to say, Alana wasn't buying his answer. She wasn't looking for an argument though, of course, so she kept her tone gentle and unaccusing when she said, "It is not _nothing_ , my son." He didn't answer her. Struck by a sudden idea, Alana motioned for Sein to stay with him while she teleported out of the room.

Sein blinked once and looked to where Alana had been before turning his attention back over to Jet. "So…" As with before, no reply came. Sein cleared his throat, unsure of what to say or do. Seconds later, Alana reappeared in the room, all but dragging her father in along with her by his hand. He looked frustrated in a way that indicated he had been working on something he'd not wanted to be pulled away from, but one look at Sein and Jet and he simmered down a bit. It was, after all, clear to anyone with half a brain cell that something was wrong here. It was just a matter of determining _what_.

Walking over to her partner, Alana gently took his hand into her own and, using a higher-level Immortal power, opened a mental link between herself, Sein, and Kath. With this established, she briefly explained what had been going on, ending with, _"Is it possible for you to try to speak with him?"_

Glacial blue eyes slid over to Jet contemplatively before Kath finally answered, _"The 'me' that he knew is dead. I am a stranger to him. Few people open up to those they do not know."_

 _"A different you or not,"_ Alana responded slowly, _"it was still you, in a way. That may be enough, at least for now."_

 _"It's one of the best chances we've got,"_ Sein added.

It took a second, but Alana soon realized a mildly surprising truth. It seemed that, despite having managed to raise two children somehow, her father was still uncomfortable around them (even when the "child" in question was more a "teen"). Which seemed to imply that part of the motivation behind his argument was, perhaps… stalling? How very unusual. But, then, few things about this day had been especially _normal_. _"Please, Father, will you try?"_ she asked, putting on her best pleading tone. Even as a child, she had virtually never used said tone unless she had _really_ wanted something. And, as she recalled… he'd usually caved to it in the end.

Hearing that tone caused Kath to instantly give her a disapproving frown. _"Alana-"_

Feeling stubborn, Alana crossed her arms and replied in an definitely _not_ manipulative manner, _"Daddy."_ The flicker of emotion that passed through his face told her that that teensy little bit of well-meaning manipulation very nearly broke his will to argue any further.

A long minute and a harsh staring contest later, and Kath finally broke eye-contact with a short huff. Knowing she had won, Alana let the stubbornness bleed back out of her all at once. She turned her attention to Sein for the moment as Kath walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Unhappy though he was, the tone he took with his apparent grandson (wrapping his mind around _that_ little detail was going to take some time) was rather gentle. His words were so quiet that Alana didn't manage to catch them, but Jet apparently heard. The younger hawk vigorously shook his head in adamant refusal to something, an action he no doubt swiftly regretted.

Frowning slightly to himself at the display and the clear pain, Kath glanced at the empty glass beside the bed, then back to Jet, then back to the cup. His mind worked quickly, coming to a conclusion in mere seconds. Something about this situation was abnormal, strangely so, and he already had several guesses as to what that _something_ was. Prying wasn't something he enjoyed doing, least of all when dealing with someone who so clearly did not want to talk. He normally wouldn't bother. These weren't his problems, after all. But… in this case… it seemed an exception would have to be made. This boy was (as it happened) _family_ , after all, and he'd always found himself to be ridiculously soft around said family.

Damned emotions.

Smothering a sigh, Kath forced himself to forget the two-person audience behind him and focused entirely on Jet. Pretending they were alone took the edge of awkwardness out of the situation, making it easier for him to try again to do what Alana (and, to some extent, Sein) had asked of him. They wanted to know what was going on with their son, and hoped Kath would be able to dig up some answers. Why they seemed to believe that he was in any way equipped to undertake this task was beyond him, but it was a little late for second thoughts. He'd already agreed and, _damn it_ , he did _not_ need to be given more of those stubborn, pleading looks today.

So be it. With a bit of silent work, he slowly coaxed trace amounts of Jet's aura out of their confines so that he could better keep track of any shifts in the younger hawk's thoughts or mood. Once he was sure Jet was more or less calm for the moment and that the impossibly thin tendrils of foreign energy he was detecting were indeed real, he spoke. Saying his own thoughts aloud wasn't something he normally did, but it could prove beneficial here, he supposed. "Your pain is tied to this energy… isn't it." Technically, it was a question. He wound up saying it more like a statement, however.

Silence answered him. Long, suddenly tense silence. Then, out of nowhere, Jet let out a huff. It was a derisive sound, but one he curiously seemed to direct at himself. "...Stupid to think you wouldn't be the one to notice…" he mumbled, almost as though talking to himself. It didn't even appear like he'd noticed he'd spoken just then.

It wasn't _exactly_ the answer Kath had been looking for, but he would take what he could get for now. It would do. Mind running through the shrinking number of possible explanations for what was going on, he directed the conversation with a new inquiry. "The energy. Its name." He wasn't being eloquent or whatever, no. But, again, it would do. He was thinking too much to want to talk to begin with, so those four words being spoken at all felt generous.

Another silence, followed by another breathy sound. This one was more a sigh, and a heavy one at that. "Dunno," was the nearly inaudible reply. Pain and emotion together were keeping Jet's voice very low. "Only know what… what it calls itself."

This admission (and the fact that it was given to him, of all people, to begin with) made Kath's eyebrows raise in rare surprise. The implications of the detail Jet had shared were not at all lost on him, and he replied slowly, "It… speaks."

Initially, a nod was Jet's only response to that. After a few seconds, however, he seemed to reluctantly give in to the idea of _properly_ answering the question… such as it was. "Whispers," he corrected in a soft and almost defeated voice, "almost inaudibly. But, yeah, it… _talks_."

Everything about Jet's demeanor suggested that the circumstances at play here were drastically worse than he was letting on. Kath strongly believed now that he knew why, but thought better of directly pointing it out just yet. Answers were finally forthcoming, albeit only somewhat, and it would do no one any good to push too hard and ruin things. "Is it speaking now?" he asked instead, falling back on his earlier decision to focus on rooting out the precise cause of Jet's headache.

"...Sort of," was the mumbled reply.

Alright, so perhaps a _bit_ of pushing would be necessary, after all. It was just necessary to be mindful enough to not push too _hard_. Gentle it was, then, though that wasn't exactly Kath's strong suit usually. He was well aware of how deserving he was of his cold and somewhat harsh reputation amongst most. In this situation, though… well, he supposed he could try to play the part of a man opposite to himself for a very short while. He just needed to be patient. That he could do. "Explain," he told the emerald-colored hawk, albeit without any real commanding or authoritative tone in his voice. However, the other male suddenly seemed determined to hold his tongue. Yes, patience would definitely be required here… if only because the boy had apparently maintained their family's ability for stubbornness. It wasn't showing too much now, but… "Jet."

The sound of his own name following that brief silence almost seemed to make Jet jump, as though it had somehow startled him. More silence followed after that, but now he seemed to be mulling over his options here. Kath let him think, knowing that he himself appreciated being afforded the same courtesy, and soon enough his decision to wait was rewarded. "It's…" Jet began to say. He trailed off for a moment or two, then tried again. "It's still… whispering," he finally said. An apparent spike of pain made him briefly wince, then he mumbled, "Just… too quiet to understand."

Kath had a mini revelation in that instant. Honestly, he felt stupid for not having concluded this beforehand. He blamed it on being so strangely fatigued after having been dead for… however the hell long it had actually been. Hopefully that would wear off soon, because he hated it. "Normally you _can_ understand it?" he questioned. Perhaps such a direct question, one that bordered on an accusation depending on how one looked at it, was risky. But, well, he always _had_ had a bad habit of facing risks _before_ taking the time to adequately assess them. ...Which was no doubt why Sein had always ignored his attempts to correct that same behavior when the (at the time) unruly child had displayed it.

Although with extreme reluctance (which was more readily detectable in his aura as opposed to his expression), Jet soon relented. "When it wants me to," he said quietly. He shifted his head in his hands so that he could press the heels of his palms into his temples in an effort to ease his pain. Then he admitted, "...Which… is almost… every time it speaks."

Pushing more was possibly a bad idea. If Jet was too much like Kath or Alana, then perhaps he would just stop talking entirely. But, considering that he _was_ talking right now, it was also possible that pressing just a little harder might yield more valuable information. The odds seemed fairly even for this scenario to go either way. Maybe it was just the long-buried and neglected daredevil in him talking, but this was another risk that seemed worth taking. So, not hesitating in the slightest, he dared to ask, "What does it say?"

Miracles were _not_ a thing Kath believed in, but those who did might have immediately considered this moment to be one. Jet didn't bother to resist answering, didn't stall, didn't try to redirect the conversation, nothing. He volunteered a couple pieces of the requested information within seconds of Kath asking him. Though, that wasn't to say that he _completely_ answered the question right off the bat though, because he definitely didn't. "It… depends," he said slowly, still pressing his hands against his head. Somehow, it seemed as though his headache was actually easing all of a sudden. "There are… multiple recurring themes, but…" He trailed off, frowning to himself.

At this point, Alana went ahead and walked back over, tugging Sein along with her. She sat down in a chair beside the bed and quietly asked, "What 'themes' are you referring to?" Now Jet hesitated again. Alana nudged Sein, suspecting his interjection could help keep their son talking for at least a _little_ while longer.

"I'd really like to know so we can understand," Sein said softly, having finally shifted out of the mental fogginess he'd just endured.

Judging by the subtle shift in his aura, Jet appeared to feel like that was asking for a tad too much. It took him a moment to reply, but when he did he finally let one of his arms drop back into his lap. He was clutching at his head a lot less now. "Understanding is… dangerous," he eventually said, not offering any explanations as to why this was so.

Sein glanced to Alana, eyebrows raised as if cautious to say more. She held the same reservations, but nevertheless proceeded after a small moment's hesitation. "You are not explaining _why_ , my son," she gently pointed out. Jet just shook his head.

Kath, who had been primarily focused on reading complicated shifts in Jet's aura for the past minute or so, suddenly spoke up again. "...It speaks of death, does it not?" he asked, basing his assumption off of some of what he'd sensed.

His question made Jet tense up a little, but he didn't deny it. Though, it did still take him a moment to answer. "Yeah," he reluctantly admitted. Ultimately, he decided that he didn't see too much point in denying it or refusing to share information here. Wave already knew about this. This situation had the potential to get _very_ dangerous again _very_ fast. It was probably for the best that other people knew. And these people… they could be trusted, couldn't they? "A lot. ...Among other things."

"Can you tell us more of the themes?" Sein prodded lightly, hoping to glean more information if possible.

With a heavy sigh, Jet gave in and relented, "Death and destruction are the biggest and most frequent ones. Also power, extinction, the concept of living, pain…" He trailed off, almost uncomfortable, before adding, "...Sometimes love, of all things."

Sein was quiet at this, unsure and somewhat contemplative. "Can you tell us anything of what it says about these things? How it seems to view them, especially."

Jet shrugged. "It equates death with creation, love, and life," he said slowly, "and often touts its belief that killing is the ultimate _act_ of love. It sees pain as a condition for the strong, sees the strong as being the only ones worth keeping alive. It calls destruction 'beautiful', and often asks what I intend to do about some 'extinction'."

One piece in particular stood out. _Killing as an act of love… It… has some merit. Fighting to protect a loved one would be an act of love, wouldn't it?_

Sensing where his thoughts were turning, Alana nudged her husband's shoulder. "I highly doubt such a force would view a matter like this in such a… righteous light, Sein," she murmured. As she spoke, Jet shifted a little and lowered his other hand. A second later, he dared to finally open his eyes (and did so with minimal wincing). "It would seem that it views this in a darker, more… _murderous_ light."

Taking a moment to soak in that information, Sein nodded. "Right, right. Sorry for uh… thinking on that one so hard."

"You do not need to apologize. It is alright." When she finished speaking, Alana glanced to her father, who had gone suspiciously quiet again. Part of her suspected he was just grateful for not having to shoulder the brunt of this conversation anymore (she was surprised, yet grateful, that he had caved to her will and done it at all), but looking closer she began to suspect something new. To most anyone else, he looked to be his usual calm self, but to those who truly knew him it was apparent that he was getting antsy in that certain way that indicated he really wanted to be out _doing_ something. And she knew what that something was in this case. _He worries over the state of the barriers… and rightly so._

Much to her surprise, Jet beat her to the punch, speaking before she could even open her mouth. "Kaicha," he said quietly, avoiding eye-contact. Kath immediately straightened and turned to look at him in mute surprise at having just been called 'grandfather'. "You can go. You don't have to stay here." Kath almost seemed to hesitate before just answering with a curt nod and moving to stand. Jet, however, had one last thing to say. Fidgeting ever-so-slightly with his fingers beginning to uncomfortably drum an unheard rhythm on his thigh, he mumbled a single, simple request. It seemed today's events had left him feeling surprisingly… vulnerable. "Just… come back when you're done."

The _please_ that he so clearly left unspoken had Kath murmuring an agreement before he could even stop to consider whether or not he could _be_ done anytime soon. Still, his agreement had been given regardless. A sort of promise had been made, one he intended to keep to the best of his ability. _So be it._ And, with that, he disappeared from the room.

Sein watched Jet and Kath quietly during this exchange, something lighting up in his eyes for the briefest of moments. _It's good to see them both a bit… different, even if this is the shittiest situation for it._ After realizing that the room had gone silent, the man took it upon himself to continue the conversation. "Now that Kath has gone… should we change subjects?" His question was largely directed at Jet, not wanting to pressure him to do something when Kath was so obviously one of the reasons that the green hawk had begun speaking in the first place. Apparently feeling supremely helpful in this moment, Jet just shrugged in response.

Alana opted to be quiet for the present moment, focusing most of her attention on the world outside this room. She very much wanted these two to be able to continue talking, but she also refused to be caught off-guard once their enemies finally arrived. _I refuse to suffer a needless death here today. I refuse to let them do so, either._

Sein coughed, resisting the urge to cut in with his usual conversation starter of "so" (considering someone had told him that it never really helped matters), before glancing out the window. "Well, I'm not gonna let this be completely silent. I'll go and ask more questions, unless you really just… don't wanna answer, Jet."

After a long pause, Jet glanced away and sort of sighed, "...It's fine." At about the same time, he seemed to notice what he was doing with his hand and forced himself to stop.

"What else do you know about the Void?" Sein asked. "Anything else, outside of the stuff we've talked about?"

Jet suddenly straightened and looked right at Sein. "How did you know that?" he asked sharply. A split second later, he clarified, "The name."

The blue hawk blinked once. "Ylden told us about that. Ya know, black cat, scythe, spooky and all." Jet was silent for a long, long moment before simply giving a slight nod and looking away again. "Well… since you just confirmed it… _do_ you know anything else about the Void? Or has it just been… mysterious and unhelpful in understanding it?"

Despite being very reluctant, Jet let out a breath and answered the questions. "There are some things I was able to learn during the first few eons it was active," he admitted. "I was able to work out the source of its birth, for one thing, but… overall, little that can be useful in combatting it."

"What about the source, then? Let's talk about that, then.

"The Realms of Light and Darkness are still touching one another, as they have always done, but over the course of existence their energies have started to violently blend within the sight of that connection. The more this happened, the more volatile the blended energies became. When the violence became too much, it essentially burst like a bubble, forcing the two realms apart. The energies came together further as a result of that explosion, birthing the Void's realm." Jet gave another shrug. "Even after that, more Darkness and Light continued to pour in for several million years, with vastly more Darkness than Light entering the realm. Only within the last six or seven million years has it completely separated itself and become sentient."

Sein slowly nodded as he took in this information. _So… Aura, Chaos, Light and Darkness… then Void. Five existential energies, huh? Crazy._ "Well… that's interesting. Does it… have a living embodiment, like Eona and Zenith?"

On the inside, Jet's response was more on the snarky side. _What else would have been talking all this time?_ Externally, though, he kept his demeanor the same and said, "Yeah. It's never revealed itself beyond its voice, however. I don't know if it's ever left its realm."

"I'll lean on the chances that it hasn't. Yet, at least." Sein shrugged, smiling faintly. "Outside of that, have you learned anything about what can be done to combat it?"

The younger hawk shook his head. "It doesn't seem to have any weaknesses. Aura energy and Chaos both produce violent reactions when used against it, and Darkness and Light obviously have no effect. Unless an opposite sister energy comes to be, it seems unlikely that anything _can_ be done."

Although Sein would have no doubt continued asking questions, Alana suddenly stood up and effectively stopped him in his tracks. "It is time to go," she warned gravely, taking her eyes off of the window. She met each of their gazes in turn, expression dire.

"They are here."

 **~保護者~**

 **11,856 words this time. Whew, this was long and heavy on the details, but I hope you all enjoyed it regardless! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 9:30 p.m.) 11-30-19.**


	45. Death's Own Shadow

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this curiously abnormal assault… especially for the one who must hold his tongue.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Those are some really insightful thoughts you had on the matter! Thanks for sharing them! It was fun to read. :) And haha, yeah, _most_ of us don't get to be brought back to life... unlike _some_ people. XD**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Death's Own Shadow"**

 **~保護者~**

With Tails, Espio, and Armaris now all gone, Sonic and Cream busied themselves with quickly preparing for the upcoming battle as much as possible. But - and this was important - Vector noticed that Shadow wasn't doing the same. Now, that just didn't sit right with the crocodile. He knew his friends, and he knew them well. He also knew that Shadow did not willingly just _sideline_ himself from combat. Something had to be wrong, and now Vector was determined to figure out what it was.

A couple pointed questions rather quickly rooted out the answer he sought. "We were attacked," Sonic explained to him, a deep frown set upon his face. Shadow seemed to almost scowl before visibly tuning them out. "Him, me, this guy we recently met named Steam, and Espio. That girl I mention that Espio's involved with - she's behind this whole mess. Don't ask me how, but she got ahold of some weird sewing needles that were imbued with some kind of magic."

Cream piped up to help explain at that point. "We aren't privy to any specifics as to how any of it worked or how the magic did what it did, but we rather quickly discovered that it had a different effect on each victim. In mister Steam and mister Sonic's cases, they appear to have lost the ability to use one of their powers. Mister Steam can no longer regenerate. And we fear the attack blocked mister Sonic's access to one his greater powers, though we don't yet know which one."

Apparently it was possible for Sonic's frown to grow even deeper. Who knew. "Tails suggested it could be one of the big ones, like Light or Darkness, since my normal abilities seem to be in tact. We don't know, though, like Cream said."

Vector crossed his broad arms, worry coursing through him. "...What about the others?" he asked.

Sonic nodded to his half-brother. "Well, as you might have seen when I helped him in here, Shadow can't really walk anymore. At least, not most of the time. He can sort of limp for short distances once in a while, and he can occasionally manage to stand, but that's about it. He's also got trouble with fine and gross motor skills with his arms and hands. Kinda screws up his ability to do much of anything - hence the bad mood."

Turning her head, Cream looked at the blue hedgehog. "He said it was one of the chips implanted in his brain, did he not?"

"Yeah," Sonic growled. "He did. But, like Tails pointed out, even with all of his know-how, we just _aren't_ gonna be able to fix that chip, more likely than not. We'd need a healer present, not to mention a _highly_ trained surgeon, if we were to ever even attempt it."

"Is… all of this the reason behind those weird marks on Espio's arm?" Vector found himself asking after a short pause. "I kinda thought he got himself some sorta tattoo or somethin' at first, but that's not the sort of thing he'd do."

Sonic sort of snorted at the tattoo comment, but his amusement rapidly bled away. "You'd be right about that," he responded with a sigh. "It's definitely not a tattoo, but it is somewhat related to that attack." He grew quiet for just a moment, thinking, before continuing on to say, "I heard a bit of what you and him were discussing earlier. He mentioned to you how he kinda has Darkness and all that."

Now that he had the opportunity to feel surprised about that revelation, Vector certainly _did_. "Yeah… now that you mention it, he did bring it up when I asked about those Hollows."

Cream dropped her gaze, looking at the hands she had been keeping in her lap this whole time. "I would wager that he did not go into detail. Is that correct?"

"Yeah," Vector agreed. Then, taking in their concerned expressions, he slowly asked, "...Why? Is somethin' the matter?"

"You… could say that," Sonic hedged. He cleared his throat, also looking away, then heaved a heavy sigh and met the croc's gaze again. "Look… this is hardly the ideal way for you to find out, but I don't know that he'll tell you and us doing it is better than you finding out some other way."

 _Not tell me?_ The concept was so foreign as to nearly be laughable. Sure, Espio was never the talkative or trusting type. That much was true and would always be so. But he trusted Vector, didn't he? He'd said so more than once. There was no way that had been some sort of a lie. Vector refused to believe it.

"Oi, I didn't mean it like _that_ ," Sonic huffed, grabbing Vector's attention again. "He does trust you, don't get me wrong, but this… this is something he's still coming to grips with. I don't know when - or if - he'll ever get to a point where he's ready and willing to accept it, let alone share information about any of it with people who aren't already in the know. It's just… one of those kinds of situations."

Slowly, ever-so-slowly, Vector let go of that piece of concern and nodded his head. "Yeah. Yer right. I shoulda known it was an unusual set o' circumstances." He gestured with a hand for Sonic to proceed. "Go on, then. What's this all about?"

"For the record, I'll apologize in advance for the history lesson," Sonic started off, managing a small and fleeting smirk. "It's just necessary. See, as you might've learned over the years travelling with my weird-ass family in particular, Light and Darkness have some nuances to them. Light generally reflects good and purity and all that, but even then it's still possible for those with Light to feel and do negative things, such as getting angry or attacking another person or creature. It doesn't go far enough to affect how genuine or… whatever the Light is, but still. Light's all about being able to overcome that sort of thing, after all. Making sense so far?"

Another nod. "Yeah, I'm followin'."

Sonic returned his nod, almost on reflex. As he spoke, his ears remained perfectly still and straight, listening for any sign of the brewing danger outside. "Right. Well, Darkness is a whole other can of worms. Those nuances that I mentioned before run deeper with Darkness than with Light. 'Cause, see, for the sake of balance, there can't _just_ be good and evil. There's also neutrality. That's where dad's brand of Darkness comes in. It's neither good nor evil, it just… is. The alignment of the energy has no bearing on how he chooses to act, though. Unlike those with Light, for example, he's not predisposed to acting pure or the like."

Vector was definitely getting the picture now, though he tried not to think about where Sonic was going with this. "That makes sense," he agreed thoughtfully.

"But there definitely _is_ evil Darkness," Sonic continued, now wearing that frown again. "From what I can gather, that energy is part of what birthed Malevolence, if that tells you anything. And it's not the only evil being of Darkness out there. Every single demon in existence, along with their God, falls under this category. But so do some miscellaneous creatures and people here and there… along with at least one distinct and separate race of people."

Realization dawned like a ray of sunshine… only it was nowhere near as warm or comforting. "You _ain't_ serious," Vector gaped. His mind refused to wrap around this concept in the slightest.

"He is," Cream murmured, voice oh-so-soft. "Please believe me, we all wish this was not so. But after everything that we've learned, sensed, even directly _seen_ … We simply cannot deny the truth."

It was difficult now to keep this conversation going, what with how deeply in shock Vector now was, but he had to gather more information. Information was a detective's greatest asset, after all… "And… the marks on his arm?"

"Miss Wave had a theory about them," Cream sighed, "and I regret to say that it seems she was correct. I very recently was allowed into the archives Espio's people keep, detailing their history and the like, and there were several books that I read. One of them almost exclusively discussed markings. The markings are visual representations of the clans various individuals are from. There were three clans who were more powerful than the rest, only two of which are relevant here."

"Right. His mother was from one and his dad from the other." Sonic idly tightened and loosened his grip on his sword at regular intervals. "Even before we knew about this whole mess, Espio was aware of that detail. He mentioned it once or twice in the past."

With a small incline of her head, Cream continued. "One of these clans, his mother's, was represented by a dragon - much like Aku, the dragon outside right now, Mister Vector - coiled into a spiral with its head in the center. They were also well-known for their amber eyes, which could turn gold when an individual had enough Darkness flowing through them to ascend into a Dark Form but did not do so. The other clan was his father's. It was represented by a sort of four-point star, one that took on a simple diamond shape."

Judging by her grave tone, this story wasn't going to get any better. Vector wasn't real pleased with that. _Ain't this bad enough without her piling more bad news on top of the rest? he silently lamented._

Thankfully, the bunny didn't appear to be reading his thoughts right now. She continued talking, no doubt aware of his dismay but also clearly intent on getting this done and over with. "The state that his markings are in now," she said, "are a sign of the immaturity of his power. It's only just been awakened, after all. But as it emerges more and more and likewise continues to grow in power and ferocity, essentially 'maturing', the markings will also grow and change. Considering that he hails from two clans, the final appearance of the marking will almost certainly incorporate the dragon and star together somehow. But…"

When she trailed off, Sonic looked to her in open confusion. "But what?" he asked. "I thought that was it. You didn't mention anything else to me."

"There is one more thing," the bunny admitted quietly. "I meant to tell you, but we wound up falling asleep, and…" She trailed off again, but quickly drew herself up and pressed on. "So I will tell you now. All three of you."

Vector glanced at Shadow. _So you are listenin', huh?_

"It is true that individuals from these clans sported markings that they were famous for," Cream told them, "and it is true that they seemed to outsiders to _always_ have those markings. However… those with power that had fully matured were distinguished from their kin by no longer being branded in the same manner as the children and other weaker members living within their clans."

Sonic's emerald eyes went wide. "You're saying that their marks _disappeared_?" he breathed. She nodded once. His dismay only grew. "If Espio Darkness ever reaches that point, then… then we won't _know_ what sort of state he'll be in at any given time, especially since he tends to hide his aura and other energies from people's senses. We'd have to _constantly_ watch how he behaves in order to be sure if he's his normal self, or…"

Cream nodded grimly again, and Vector winced. He looked at Sonic with imploring eyes. "You don't think he'd ever… _get_ to that point, do ya?"

There was a long and uncomfortable silence. "I… wish I could say that I know that he wouldn't," Sonic finally answered, "but… Vector, we barely have any grasp of the forces he's contending with right now. Despite apparently being in an immature and 'weaker' state, it's powerful enough that he's had next to no control over its influence on him from the start. Honestly, it's a miracle that he hasn't had a full-on outburst yet. It seems to me that nothing more than sheer stubborn willpower is preventing him from losing it completely, sometimes." He looked away, another unhappy scowl marring his features. "If things continue to progress at the rate they have been, if things _miraculously_ improve at some point, or even if nothing changes and things remain the way they've been this whole time… I hate _saying_ it, but it's… virtually _guaranteed_ that his Darkness will still find a way to grow and worsen eventually, regardless. It's too powerful, even as it is now, for it to go back to laying low at this point. That just… isn't going to happen." He stood up, gripping his sword tightly and shooting a dire look at Cream. The sudden shift in focus was a welcome distraction from them all. "Anyway… not to be rude, but we've gotta go. Sounds like our guests are starting to knock at our door, so to speak."

Cream also stood, glancing first at Shadow and then at Vector. "Please remain in here, both of you. Aku will defend you as best as he can, and so will we. You will be safest inside." Shadow let out a soft and indelicate snort, but offered no further input.

Vector, meanwhile (having never been one to enjoy fighting beyond punching the snot out of general thugs or a robot here and there), agreed fairly readily. "Yeah… Yeah, yer right. We'll stay put. Don't you worry 'bout us, little lady." His use of his old nickname for her made her giggle - and just like that, she and Sonic were gone. Now, there was nothing left for him or Shadow to do but wait.

 **~保護者~**

Armaris traveled the animal trails quietly, on the hunt for Steam. He'd disappeared at some point earlier, and she wanted to make sure that he knew what was happening. Only when she neared the internal border of one part of the barrier did she find the Balancer. Her fur stood on end at the large amount of Light flooding throughout the hedgehog's body, a faint hiss escaping her despite her not wanting it to. This sound attracted Steam's attention, his eyebrow raising. "What's up, Armaris? You getting ready as well?"

"Don't act so nonchalant, Steam. You took on a leadership role then _vanished_ from the group. _You_ can't do that, especially when we're all in danger," Armaris snapped lightly, an agitated expression on her face.

Steam sighed softly, emotions buried so that he wouldn't let them take control. "Armaris. As soon as the threat arrived, I needed to step away. As the Neutral Balancer, the balance of all of existence takes its toll on me. More evil fills me with Light, and more good fills me with Darkness. With you, Shadow, Espio, and the _countless_ other chameleons in this place… I _can't_ stay nearby, lest I hurt someone."

The cat's eyes widened momentarily in realization before she huffed indignantly. "Could've _said_ something first. Regardless, I'll let the others know that you're nearby and ready. Don't be a fucking dumbass, got it?"

"I live for it," the hedgehog snorted, turning away and returning his attention to the barriers. With that response given and an eye-roll from her, Armaris headed off to return to the group.

High up above, a crack suddenly split the barriers with a resounding and thunderous _boom_. As if one cue, more massive cracks began spreading up from the ground around the barriers all across the Highlands, splintering and stretching more and more with each passing second. Enough of the barriers' collective integrity was lost that the demons became visible outside of them all at once. Countless roars, yells, snarls, and so on created a jarring cacophony that began to filter into the once silent and almost peaceful wilderness, a testament to just how many demons were actually outside. And more were no doubt coming.

Armaris spun around to witness all of this, her eyes visibly widening before she bolted, letting her Darkness carry her back to where Sonic and Cream were as quickly as possible. "Who all is where?" she called out as she approached the duo, sliding to a stop nearby to them.

Upon hearing her voice, Sonic whipped around. He and Cream were standing in the middle of the middle of the village, each waiting intently for the demons to break through. "Vector and Shadow are still in the house," he responded quickly. "Dunno where everyone else is. Tails is probably in the air by now, then."

"Which means that Mister Espio will be looking for a sword while he can," Cream murmured. "He will not willingly go into this fight without one."

Sonic frowned slightly. "You're right… but there's no telling where the hell he went to get one." He shifted his gaze to Armaris. "Think you can track him down, and maybe stay with him? Fighting together, you two should be completely safe."

"The thing that worries me about that is… well, our Darkness. If mine reacts to a demon's, then… well, god knows what would happen if Espio's _also_ reacts to mine or a demon's," Armaris muttered, visibly bothered by this idea.

"That may be so," Cream agreed, "but at the same time, there is no promise that that will happen. And if he begins to get out of hand on his own, you may be just about the only one who could interject and prevent it from escalating too far."

Armaris fidgeted faintly, her mouth shifting as she tried to think of something to counter that argument. She did _not_ like taking risks like that, but it seemed that the pros outweighed the cons in this particular scenario. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly. "I'll do what I can."

Relieved, Sonic nodded. "Do you have any idea where he might have gone? I mean, I can't imagine that this village is hiding a damn armory or some shit."

"It isn't," Cream helpfully supplied.

The cat gave a sigh. "He's likely looking for something that was in his family. Something he was given or was passed to him, or whatever. His family was a bit particular about the quality of their weapons, and said weapons often showed that. So, it makes sense for him to go for something that wasn't made as a 'common' weapon," she explained simply, glancing off into the distance for a moment. "I don't see him doing anything else."

Sonic answered with another nod. "Maybe you should go find him now, then, while there's still a minute or two of safety on our side."

"Alright. I've got a good idea of where he should be, then." Without waiting for a response, Armaris teleported to the site that used to be her adoptive family's home. Her mood noticeably worsened at the fact that it _wasn't_ there, a flicker of anger present in her eyes before she began walking in search of Espio. A rather short distance away from the location of the former home, at the outskirts of where the old village of Hyale had once stood, a sizeable tree suddenly fell away with a deafening sound. It had been standing where a small meditation room had once stood, one built and used by Espio's mother. The building was no longer there, however, and now… well, neither was the tree. _That seems like a good place to look._ The cat quietly walked forward, her eyes roaming the area as she recalled what used to be the surroundings in this place. _It's… too different._ Deciding she didn't want to be reminded of pain, she turned her attention to where Espio was standing. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked rather casually.

Temporarily ignoring her, Espio shifted and kicked down another tree before launching both huge trunks out of his way. He then made quick work of dislodging the trunks (also via harsh kicks) and sent them flying away as well. With the area where the building had once been sufficiently cleared, he knelt down to grasp at the handle of a heavy steel-like hatch that had once been covered by the building's floorboards. Inwardly, he found himself reflecting, _I did not expect it to still be here._

"So, I see you're not speaking. I'll do the honors, then. Find something?" she asked, walking closer to inspect whatever it was that Espio happened to be looking at.

Still not saying anything, Espio took hold of the handle. He had to really dig his heels in as he pulled, forced to put considered strength into the action of yanking the hatch open due to the particular material it was made out of. When he finally got it open, the door slammed backward into the ground with a painfully loud sound. _Damn thing…_ he mentally cursed before dropping into the dark space below. Armaris dispersed into the darkness of the space, following behind Espio quietly.

Almost as if of their own accord (but really by virtue of a common ninja trick), several ancient candles suddenly lit, illuminating the narrow weapons-filled space. There were, naturally, all manner of blades present: knives, shuriken, short-swords, hand-axes, and so on. He, however, ignored all of these, gravitating instead to a particular katana at the very back. Like many weapons crafted out of Darkness, its blade was pure black… not unlike the infamous Saika. However, the handle had more color to it thanks to the intricate gold vine like patterns woven into it. This sword was very clearly no ordinary sword, and he would never have considered it to be such. It had been his mother's favored weapon, after all… and she had been no pushover. Reaching out, he took the sword and its off of the shelf it had been laid on so long ago and push the sheath in the thin string-like black strap he had been wearing around his waist to hold the sword when he'd inevitably found it. After that, he simply returned outside. This was all that he had come for.

Armaris followed after him, but only after grabbing a dagger that she had once taken a liking to as a child. "Do we need to close this?" she asked. Up above, more cracks again began to appear on the barriers. The demons weren't making too much effort to gain entry yet, but they certainly were making their presence known.

Finally, Espio decided to verbally answer her. "Yes." Saying nothing more, he used a foot to lift the hatch and swing it shut again with great force, resulting in another painfully loud rush of sound. Dirt flew around them, and he grimaced very subtly in response to it before focusing on the task of properly guarding the hatch and the chamber hidden below. Taking the knife he normally used to cut open barriers (considering it to be useless for such a task as of this point), he stabbed it into the ground, creating a barrier around it that more than encompassed the area in question. With that done, he turned to leave before any more dirt could get into his lungs. He _hated_ that shit, especially since it already felt like he needed to cough rather hard in response to it.

Armaris watched this for now before motioning back toward where Sonic and Cream were. "We should start heading back that way, unless you've got somewhere else in mind," she stated as she walked after him.

Having no intention of being near the others _or_ staying in one place in general for the duration of this fight, Espio simply shrugged. A single cough escaped him before he jumped into one of the higher trees, both for the fresh air and the useful vantage point it provided. As he crouched on the branch he had chosen, he felt the need to stifle a few further coughs but, much to his confusion, the irritation in his lungs wasn't actually as bad as it would usually have been, even in response to such a thin cloud of dirt. Then his mind flashed back to the incredibly accelerated healing he had experienced when fighting Steam and he found himself wondering… was it possible that other, older damage done to his body was somehow also healing…? ...No. That was ridiculous, not to mention too much to reasonably ever hope for. So, rather than dwelling on it, he put the matter well out of mind and focused instead on the barriers… as well as the demons beyond them. _They are taking their time to force their way in. Why?_

Within a moment, Armaris was on a branch mere feet away, investigating the situation as well. "Is there any reason they aren't just tearing their way in?"

Espio answered with a small shrug. "There are potentially multiple explanations." That much was true. However, it was also true that only a couple of those explanations were at all likely to be correct. The most likely one he could think of was that they were waiting for stronger demons to arrive on scene or something.

"Think it has to do with those kids?" Armaris ventured to ask, her gaze briefly falling on Espio. "This could be drawing our attention, since it's pretty obviously gonna work."

"Unlikely," Espio responded. He gave his newly acquired weapon an idle, almost thoughtful twirl before continuing. "If Tails is correct and the God is truly _that_ protective over his children, he will come here himself to retrieve them. With his strength, he has no need for diversionary tactics. He can simply force his way through any obstacles."

Armaris briefly thought over this piece of information. "If he's not diverting our attention… and he is coming straight here, isn't he likely to come straight for us?"

This made Espio's expression sour very subtly. "Not _us_ … no. He may, however, go after a couple of the others." He left it at that, plainly refusing to say anything more about it. And, after a second, he added, "Regardless, in the beginning, he will go after the children before dealing with anything else."

"And that means we've got our own shit to handle in the meantime before we can even _possibly_ try to deal with what he's coming at us with." Armaris muttered, her body readying itself to jump at a moment's notice.

"Stay away from the seal," Espio muttered to her, still eyeing the ruckus up above. "Regardless of what he intends to do afterward, it is in our best interest to let the God retrieve his children. It will only make matters worse if we stand in his way." Armaris nodded lightly, watching Espio for a long moment before blending in with the shadows around her.

At about the time she finished nodding, another massive crack split part of the barrier open high above them. Smaller demons were finally able to force their way through and began all but raining down upon the land below. With a mildly annoyed sound, Espio suddenly went invisible and took off. Armaris followed after him quickly, wind stirring wildly about the two assassins. And all around them… the barrier came crashing down.

 **~保護者~**

Steam faintly felt the wind stirring in the air, his gaze following the source momentarily before he glanced back at the crack. By now, the demons had begun filtering in. Many had _certainly_ sensed his overflowing Light and careened in his direction, causing the hedgehog to frown faintly. _Odd timing… Definitely the same in that regard. Hm._

Raising his hand, Steam let out several high-speed orbs of Light that easily erased some of the small-fry. When this wasn't enough to curb the flood, the hedgehog left the ground in a leap and let loose a massive wave that tore through the sky as the barriers promptly fell. He quickly launched himself out of the way of a horde of demons that had definitely not appreciated his large scale attack. With no hesitation, his sword was drawn and he promptly slashed out to unleash several blades of Light that tore through this horde as more came upon him.

 _Large scale it is, then._ Waiting until the last conceivable moments as the demons hoarded around him, Steam let out several massive explosions of Light to quickly tear apart the forces now focusing on him. A demonic fist connected with his back and threw him to the ground. The hedgehog chalked it up to luck that he was able to save the landing with a roll, spinning around as a noticeably stronger demon clashed swords with him. "Like _hell_ I'm letting you get by with that one." In one swift motion, Steam spun around and cut clean through the demon and it's sword with Light flowing through his blade.

Steam's gaze fell on a demon that was certainly stronger than what he had just faced approaching rapidly, muscles tensing rapidly. _Keep the attention on yourself, Steam,_ he told himself. _Keep it away from them, no matter what._

 **~保護者~**

In the dimness of the unlit front room of Espio's house, Vector shifted his gaze away from the outside world in order to check on Shadow… and noticed something peculiar. "Hey, erm, your eyes are kinda glowin' there, Shadow. They s'posed to do that?"

The moment Shadow blinked, the vague glow Vector had been observing vanished. "...Only occasionally," he answered in a vague manner that did not at all satisfy Vector's newfound curiosity.

"Such as… when?" the croc inquired.

His question earned a somewhat annoyed huff, but Shadow chose to indulge him for whatever reason. "Such as when I am in a dark space, or when I am scanning my surroundings."

Vector wagered that the latter explanation was the most accurate one for this situation. Said situation dragged his attention away, however, before he could comment on it. Cautiously, he peered outside. Seeing no immediate serious danger right by their position, he pulled his head back out of the doorway. Best not to make himself so easy to spot, after all. "Yeesh… How long's this gonna go on?" he found himself asking. "It looks like hell out there, and it feels like we've been listenin' to it for ages."

The black hedgehog frowned slightly. "An attack such as this by the God of Demons… is motivated. There is a _purpose_ behind it. Unless his goal is strictly to kill us all, which is unlikely, then I do not think it will last long. Not initially, at any rate."

Vector looked at him. "Initially?" he echoed, dreading the explanation he was about to get.

"Our enemy is no fool," Shadow told him, voice suddenly and worryingly devoid of inflection and emotion. "As much as demons enjoy toying with their prey, he understands that the longer this drags out, the more likely it is that something will occur which prevents him from finishing whatever task he's set out to accomplish. His goals, whatever they may be, will be met quickly and ruthlessly. After that, however… After that point, he may well decide to stay and cause as much death and destruction as possible."

Though he didn't intend to, Vector audibly gulped. "Why… would he do that?"

"Over the years, we have given him _many_ reasons to be pissed off," Shadow muttered, frowning to himself. "He does not take kindly to annoyances, people who get in his way, situations which result in the loss of strong demons, and so on. And, aside from that, he _himself_ is a demon. Death and destruction are among the chief things they live for."

Once more, a commotion outside drew Vector's attention away before he could reply. He turned back to the doorway and poked his head out again just in time to see the large dragon (he thought Cream had said it was named "Aku"?) rear up and release a beam of energy from its toothy mouth. The attack tore straight through the chest of a large and bulky demon… but failed to kill it. In fact, it seemed to only piss the creature off. He quickly ducked back inside before he could be spotted. "Man!" he exclaimed quietly. "Those demons are nothin' to laugh at! I don't think I've ever seen a livin' thing be able to take a hit like that and keep on fightin' like nothin' ever happened to it."

Shadow shrugged and answered, "That is part of why they are such a severe threat to us, and to everyone and every _thing_ else. As you said, they are not to be trifled with."

"The, uh… The dragon out there'll be able to keep them outta here, right?" Vector found himself asking. A creeping dread started to fill him, closely followed by memories of how useless and vulnerable and endangered he had been during the war with the Nocturnians. And these enemies promised to be vastly worse than _they_ had ever been. What if-

"Aku may be old," Shadow said calmly, cutting into Vector's thoughts, "but he and Espio trained together from their youth, learning from one another and pushing each other to greater feats of speed and strength all the time. If one is not weak, then the other certainly will not be."

That was… actually… surprisingly effective at comforting the croc. _Huh. Never woulda pegged him as the soothing type._ He thought on that for a moment, then sort of smiled. _Guess having a kid'll change a person like that. 'Specially when the kid used to be all lovey-dovey and whatnot._ Returning his attention to Shadow, he let his smile fade away. "Guessin' there's not much we can do to help, is there?" he sighed.

"If there was," Shadow replied evenly, "then I would not be in _here_."

Just like that, Vector decided not to press the matter. He allowed the subject to drop and resumed his wary watch of the battle raging outside. That Shadow was deeply perturbed (or maybe even just pissed off, who could really say) was clear. Vector thought it to be in his best interest not to do anything that might cause that anger to shift toward him. True, it did seem as though Shadow took his emotions out on people a lot less nowadays than he once had, but even so… Vector _had_ only just been brought back to life. He decided he would rather not get into a spat with any of his old pals if he could help it, especially not so early on. And also… he really didn't want to _die_ again. Not so soon after finally being given back his life.

 **~保護者~**

In the heat of the moment, Sonic felt that he was justified in his immense sense of regret over having sparred earlier as opposed to sleeping. The mental attack Astra had executed on him had left him with a severe headache earlier, after all. Sleeping as much as he had earlier certainly helped him now, but it was starting to rear its ugly head again. God, he hated it. Like any normal person, he hated pain and strove to avoid it. How was he supposed to do that when he was already in pain? For that matter, how was he meant to avoid _future_ pain when his headache was making it so hard to focus?

Focusing. Yeah, that was probably a good idea. He could do that. He could ignore his headache. It wasn't _that_ bad, right? Surely he was just being dramatic or something. Not that he was dramatic. Absolutely not. He def- _Aw, crap! Not cool!_ Leaping backward, Sonic quickly looked down to his side where a demon's claw had just neatly shaved his fur down to a shorter length. It had damn-near cut him, purely as a result of his inattentiveness. Because of course it was caused by that.

A wave of psychic energy blanketed the area, reducing the demon to little more than dust within seconds. Cream walked up to him as the wave receded, a worried light filling her eyes. "That was too close, Mister Sonic," she very gently admonished. "What is the matter? You are not paying attention as you should be."

Sonic heaved a heavy sigh. "It's nothing," he grumbled. He quickly cut down a rather puny demon that lunged for them, barely sparing it a glance. He tried not to think about the fact that it might have been some sort of a baby.

Her usually kind and happy expression shifting into a small frown, Cream responded, "Do not lie to me, Mister Sonic. I can sense it when you do."

He winced. _Right… I forgot about that. Plus, she's never exactly appreciated lying… not that most people would._ Another sigh escaped him. At about the same time, she unleashed a somewhat violent explosion that briefly deterred the demons that had again started to rush at them. If nothing else, she had probably bought them another few seconds. "You're right… sorry. I've just… had an awful headache since that attack on Babylon, and I guess it's kinda messing me up."

Unexpectedly, the normally sweet bunny actually _huffed_ at him. "Why did you not say so sooner?" she asked him. Without warning, her energies began to cloak him with a soft light. "I may be _able_ to read minds, but it is not as though I am always doing it."

"Um, I-"

She tutted at him, blasted away a few more demons, then allowed the psychic energies around Sonic to dissipate. "There. The damage done to you was minor, and therefore it was easy to repair." Finally, she managed to smile like her usual self. "Your headache should fade away now. And next time, please, do _say_ something when you are in pain. Some of us are capable of helping, you know." With that, she turned and calmly walked away, leaving him alone to resume taking care of his part of the fight.

 **~保護者~**

This all seemed too easy. Too straightforward. Too… _simple_. For all the warning Jet and Wave and everyone else had been doing about the hell doomed to descend upon this, this fight was… going ridiculously _well_. To Sonic, nothing about any of it made any sense. Surely they were about to be fucked over, right? This _couldn't_ just be a case of him worrying too much. None of his friends, not _one_ of them, would have made such a fuss about this God and his demons if the threat they posed wasn't in at least one way severe.

Maybe it was best to put it out of mind, he reflected as he dodged a spiky arm that had just thrust itself toward his person. It damn-near knicked the special scarf he was still borrowing, ticking him off enough to create in him a small burst of unexpected strength. In using that strength, he was easily able to kill his attacker - despite the trouble this demon had been causing him before. Had that been the only enemy around him, he might have allowed himself to celebrate that little victory. As things stood, however, that was likely a terrible idea.

His idea that taking his focus away from the frantic rush of battle was emphasized when a sudden explosion sent one of his friends flying at incredible speeds through the air… and then straight through Espio's house. He winced sympathetically (and also out of a teensy bit of concern over how the chameleon might react to the damage later on), then started to move toward the scene of the crash. After cutting down a demon that moved in his way, he spied his friend blur away from the impact sight so fast he could barely see it. _So that was actually Espio himself, then. What the hell could have knocked him back like that?_

There was no time to dwell on his thoughts. All around him, countless demons continued to swarm. His sword could only kill so many of them so fast. He was forced to temporarily let go of any worry he had for his brother and Vector (reasoning that Aku was still protecting them and Espio would not have left them alone if they were in real danger) and focus on the fight at hand. Somewhere nearby, psionic blasts rocked the ground and missiles screamed through the sky in pursuit of airborne foes. Heads and limbs were removed from enemies with frightening speed and ruthless precision. Explosions aided in shattering the former tranquility of this place. His friends and the many villagers were doing well… he couldn't let them down by not doing the same.

More slashing and stabbing ended the lives of a few more demons in rapid succession. His worries bleeding away, he began to lose himself in the flow of the battle. Slash, dodge, stab, kill. Dodge, Dodge, kick, kill. Stab, slash, kill. Kick, dodge, kick, kill. On and on it went, seemingly for a veritable eternity, before something… _something_ started to draw his attention away. A dark aura started to filter into the area, one reminiscent of some of the stronger demons around him and yet… different. In fact, it was arguably _worse_ in every conceivable way. _Drastically_ so, he soon realized. Seconds after the first distant waves of that aura reached his senses, it dawned on him all at once that he had felt this aura before… and that had been the one time he had witnessed the direct aftermath of one of Jet's confrontations with the God of Demons himself.

All of a sudden, he felt breathless as the full-force of the single most _malevolent_ and heavy aura he'd ever detected blanketed the forest almost as though with full intention of smothering _everything_ it touched. He spun around, eyes frantically searching through the mass of writhing demonic bodies. Time almost seemed to slow as the battle raged around him, though he was no longer taking part in it. Seconds that felt more like years passed before his eyes finally landed on a black and formless shadow moving at an even pace through the chaos, passing terrifyingly close by him but, by some insane _miracle_ … never _toward_ him. Instead, the shadow almost rather calmly passed him by without pause, heading deeper into the trees and ignoring everything around it. And, in that moment, all Sonic could think was, _Holy fuck…_

It was only a few seconds later before Steam landed on the ground not far from the other hedgehog with a quick, yet small wave of Light accentuating his appearance. His eyes were intently locked on the direction the shadow had gone, seeming to ignore a demon attempting to behead him in favor of treating it to a simple bash his sword hilt. "Sonic, stay _close_." He gave no warning or time to respond before stepping past Sonic and cutting down a demon behind the other hedgehog.

Well that was _not_ an issue. Sonic felt rather frozen from sheer _dread_ at the moment. It was still difficult to breathe, much less try to _go_ anywhere. "That- Was that him?" he managed to force out after a moment of complete silence on his part.

"Sonic-" Steam almost snapped at him, catching himself before he could and sighing. "Yes, now _please_ try and focus. We don't need to go into this fucked up more than we already are."

Yet another explosion very nearly cut off Steam's command. This time, it was accompanied by a small shockwave of dying magic. Sonic immediately took it to mean that the seal containing the three demon girls had just been broken. Then, all at once, that oppressive aura lifted and Sonic finally felt like he could fucking breathe again. _Did he just… leave? Just like that?_ Something about all of this just screamed to his instincts that it was wrong, all wrong. It _had_ to be.

Steam was forced to drop his sword by an armed demon. The hedgehog quickly launched two punches that blasted holes in the offender's body, then turned and kicked mere inches from Sonic's head to behead another of their enemy. "Sonic, _please_ , try to focus. I _promise_ that we'll come out of this okay, but I need you to not get fucked up before anything even happens," he pleaded in annoyance, reclaiming his sword and impaling the closest demon.

Sonic started to do what he was told, he really honestly did, but that plan was quickly derailed when yet _another_ explosion rocked the area. This one sent poor Cream hurtling away from the source of the blast and caused her to crash right into the two of them, thus knocking Sonic over with her in tow. Surprised though he was, Steam managed to keep from falling over completely and was quick to shield the two. His eyes shifted in time to watch as Armaris was sent flying into him, tumbling as he tried to catch her. With a groan, Sonic sat up, gently shifting Cream into a sitting position as well. "The _hell_ ," he complained, now nursing a badly bruised elbow. He noticed with concern that Cream looked pretty bruised up now, too.

Steam was fast to help Armaris stand, glad that she wasn't terribly hurt from the landing. However, she noticeably was clutching at her chest and stomach. Steam himself was already looking worse off, body scraped and bruised noticeably. _Damn Nakea, fucking with my regeneration…_ "Are you guys okay?" he asked quickly, less concerned with his own wounds in favor of theirs.

Given that they weren't hurt beyond their bruises, Cream and Sonic didn't hesitate to nod. Armaris took a moment, catching her breath from the obvious blow she'd taken. "Might have a broken rib or something, but otherwise fine."

A crash dragged Sonic's attention away from the conversation and back toward Espio's already badly damaged house. Much to his dismay, more than half of it was now gone… and his brother was being rather violently dragged out of the wooden ruin by the leg. A demon sank its teeth deep into his thigh and then none-too-gently flung him toward Steam and the others… _of course_ ending with him crashing into Sonic upon landing. Because who else would work as a landing pad? _Fucking hell…_ Despite his irritated thought, however, Sonic sat up and immediately helped Shadow do the same. Much to his relief, it seemed that only one of those demon's rather large teeth had actually punctured Shadow's leg, but even so… the bite wasn't exactly shallow. "Why the hell are we all being tossed together?" he found himself demanding as he helped put pressure on the badly bleeding wound. Shadow, after all, couldn't put much strength into his arms or hands still.

Steam, seeing that the demons were no longer directly attacking them - for the rest of this encounter, he was hoping - and focusing instead on the Chameleons and Espio where he was, dropped down to help Sonic in placing pressure on the wound as his hands glowed golden. _Come on… At least slow the bleeding…_ Magic flowed from Steam's hands and around the wound on Shadow's leg, slowly attempting to mend the damage done.

Once the wound was healed enough that Shadow could no longer see metal amongst the bloodied flesh, he waved Sonic and Steam off, no doubt just wanting to let be. He'd never liked being taken care of, so Sonic reluctantly obliged and removed his hands. "Seriously, why were we all tossed here?" he asked again. He glanced to the house, where Vector thankfully still seemed to be taking shelter with Aku still close at hand. Unlike the rest of the group, those two were still in danger. But why weren't they _all_? "...And why are we not being attacked anymore?"

There was a long moment of silence from Steam, the hedgehog obviously trying to figure out just how to say what he knew. "The demons are pulling us together for _something_. The best we can do is get ready for it, because any attempt to avoid it will lead to us being harmed _much_ more."

Sonic was ready to call him out for withholding information. He really was. The words were there on the tip of his tongue, but they promptly died when an entirely new dark aura began to seep into the area. "Oh, what _now_?" he groaned.

Concerningly, Shadow's ears fell back. "Shut up," he hissed angrily. "Piss it off, and it _will_ kill you, no matter what its orders are." Cream looked on in dismay.

Armaris glared off into the distance for now, obviously not in the mood to really be listening to that. Luckily, her sense of self-preservation took care of that much for her. "Got it."

"Just let things go how they will. We can get out of this alive if we _don't_ piss things off," Steam murmured, primarily to Sonic.

"He is nowhere near that merciful," Shadow muttered, almost under his breath. "Enough has been done already to ensure many attempts on our lives today."

"It's not about _him_. It'll make more sense soon, but I can't say anything about it," Steam responded in kind, slowly managing to grow quieter until he seemed keen on staying silent.

Interruption came in the form of Cream standing up and, with a face blank from fear, pointed and whispered, "...Look."

Turning around, Sonic was alarmed to see another shadowy figure seamlessly floating across the battlefield. Unlike the first one he had seen today, this one had a shape to it. Its whole body seemed to be comprised an almost ethereal cloak with no legs beneath it, though it certainly did have arms. One of its hands was currently clutching a vicious-looking sword that was also comprised of nothing but shadows. Its helmet, too, was made of the same black energy, and the crowned and horned appearance of it only made this faceless entity look all the freakier in Sonic's opinion. "The hell is…" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"The Messenger," Steam muttered lowly, an unusual level of anger filtering into his eyes as he regarded the figure. _No. Not fighting it now. That will fuck up way too much._

No further time was given to them. The shadow reached them without so much as the slightest sound. Then, right before Sonic's eyes, it grew and grew until it effortlessly towered over them. Before he could even think to try to run, it flew directly over them, blanketing them in shadows, and for a second… it was like everything ceased to exist.

 **~保護者~**

 **8,665 words this time. For the record, yes, this is supposed to be fairly lackluster. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 11:27) 12-04-19.**


	46. Eyes of a God

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this horrible confrontation… especially for the one whose identity is finally revealed..

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, and we've got another cliffhanger here as well, haha! _And if you thought you hated us (but mostly me) before, then you're really gonna hate us (me) more after this because of what I've just revealed_! XD And yeah, poor Shadow... poor guy isn't much help right now and he's _not_ okay with it.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Eyes of a God"**

 **~保護者~**

Reality returned slowly. The first sensation to filter through the mind-numbing darkness was… heat. Untold amounts of searing, _deathly_ heat. It was like fire or magma, except… somehow worse? Impossibly hotter, too, even. Or at least it _felt_ that way. Recalling what Tails had told him about the demonic varieties of fire and the like, Sonic supposed this was just natural. That just didn't make it any more pleasant.

Next, Sonic became aware of feeling dirt and rocks beneath him. It didn't take a genius to deduce that he was laying on the ground for some reason. So, with a groan, he shifted his arms to push himself up. The ash-laden dirt wafted up around him in a suffocating cloud, causing him to cough uncontrollably for a few moments. Hearing other coughs, he called out quietly, "Everyone okay?" A couple choked replies met his ears, but that was all. There were other sounds, however. Worse sounds. More terrifying sounds.

The low roar of flames both distant and close by was what first prompted Sonic to straighten his ears and listen. Through this constant noise, he quickly detected others. There were the apparently normal sounds of demons (namely snarls, screeches, thunderous roars, and so on), the sounds of erupting fountains of magma and the coinciding lava flows, the hissing of countless vents of smoke and steam, the constant rumbling of minor earthquakes and landslides and such… It was so _loud_ in some ways, and yet so curiously _quiet_. Maybe it was just the pumping of blood in his ears, as a result of fear, causing him to go somewhat deaf.

Finally daring to open his eyes, Sonic looked at his friends. Everyone was covered in dust-like particles much like he was, leaving them rather filthy, but no one seemed to be injured any more than they had been earlier. They looked dazed like he was, but everyone was apparently recovering well enough. Waving some of the dirt away from his face, he asked no one in particular, "Why were we just… dropped here?"

Steam huffed faintly, walking up closer to him. "We're about to find out, I presume," he muttered in irritation, briefly checking to make sure he still had his sword.

Cream stood on mildly shaky legs and brushed herself off… for all the good that did. "Where are we?" she asked quietly.

"One of the God's worlds," Shadow muttered. He allowed Sonic to help him up without complaint. "He created this one, along with several others. This is his favorite, and the one he lives on."

"Which means he's got some sort of plans for us, I assume," Armaris answered, her eyes roving the landscape with disdain. _She better not be here._

A sharp cracking sound was quickly accompanied by a spurt of lava shooting out of the ground by Sonic's foot. He recoiled in alarm, then moved away from the spot with Shadow and Cream in tow. "If he does, he's taking his sweet time getting to it," he groused. "What's the point of stranding us here if he's got something he wants to do with us?"

Steam slowly unsheathed his sword and began walking, ignoring the question for a moment in favor of forcing his Light down so as to not attract attention. "We need to get moving. Standing still is a bad idea."

"Going anywhere else isn't gonna be any better!" Sonic retorted, though he was mindful to keep his voice down. He, too, was not keen on drawing any attention to their little group.

The green hedgehog almost rounded on Sonic, tension painfully obvious as he stopped moving and took a breath. "Sonic. Whatever happens, the longer we sit still, the more likely shit is going to happen and get worse than it needs to be," he muttered, not bothering to turn. "Keep your guard up and your presence _down_."

The faint glow his eyes gave off showed that Shadow was busy scanning the area as he said, "It is too late for that to matter. We are being surrounded."

Hearing this, Sonic began looking around rapidly. "What? I don't… see anything."

Armaris' ears folded down as she attempted to keep her Darkness from being noticeable (as if that would be possible with the danger she felt she was in). The _thought_ of being surrounded by these things was stressful enough, but knowing they were surrounding you? That was an entirely different story. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

"There is no way we can fend them all off," Cream murmured. Glancing around at the others, she asked, "What should we do?"

Steam shifted visibly, letting the tip of his blade rest in the dirt and ash that laid around him. "Stay calm, as best you can. _Don't_ act rashly."

"That's _great_ and all," Sonic growled, "but what do we do? Like she said, we can't fight them off."

"Let them come," Shadow growled back, the glow in his eyes fading away. "It is the least likely way to get us all killed, presently."

The cat of the group was almost ready to give an outburst at that seemingly ridiculous plan. "What the hell do you mean 'let them come'? Are you insane?" she snapped quietly, gritting her teeth.

Shadow chose to ignore her in favor of watching the first of the demons rise up out of a nearby lake of lava. Soon, others began making their presence known. Some emerged from dark crevices in the ground, some flew down from above, some burrowed their way to the surface by creating their own holes from far below… And, sure enough, they were soon totally surrounded. Yet, despite the murder in their many eyes… none of them made a move to attack. Sonic's brain did not quite compute. "The hell is going on?" he whispered under his breath to the others.

Steam kept a firm grip on his sword, but never raised it off the ground. "If they hurt us, the likelihood is that they'll piss of their God. He probably gave strict orders regarding that… or, at least against killing us."

"Why would he do that?" Cream asked, nervously eyeing one demon as it edged closer to them. It looked wild and jittery, almost as though it was too wound up to follow its potential orders to _not_ attack.

"In all honesty, there are some in the group I can imagine him not wanting killed or hurt. He may have other plans." Steam watched a demon directly in front of him without fear, staring it directly in the eyes for now.

One of the stronger demons in the group, one that walked upright on two legs like a person, walked over to them. Before Sonic could react, the demon grabbed him, wrestled him away from his brother and the rest the group. It began to drag him off, wrenching Caliburn out of his hand and tossing it away as they went. Before he could even protest, the demon began flying off with him squeezed tightly in its bulky arms.

Cream started to bend down to help Shadow, but the pair of them were soon also grabbed by a couple of strong demons who began to haul them away in the same direction as Sonic's captor had gone. Steam managed to step back long enough to sheathe his sword before another demon snatched him off the ground. Armaris received similar treatment, but she struggled against her captor violently and angrily with no intent on letting this happen if she could stop it. The demon responded by striking her harshly in her face to force at least temporary compliance. She and Steam were soon being carted off after the rest of the group.

Their demonic captors began rushing across the landscape at great speeds, not allowing any of their victims a chance to really make out where it was they were going until they were unceremoniously dumped (and quite painfully so) on another rocky outcropping. This one was just beside a sheer cliff overlooking the vast ruins of some sort of a city that looked like it had suffered a brutal and fiery end many, many years ago. But looking the other way, Sonic spied a sight deeply more concerning to him. There was some sort of a second cliff that rose up even higher than the one they were on, and from where he was sitting he thought he could just make out a part of a building of some kind… and a very dark aura was emanating from it. That wasn't even the worst of it, however, for somewhere beyond that… he could sense it. _That_ aura. _The God's somewhere up there… Not in that building, but… nearby._

Steam was noticeably tense, ignoring the pain all over his body as he moved to stand. _Is this… going to go the same way as last time?_

It was Cream who was the first to speak up. "We should move," she warned softly. "This rock is not stable, and there is… a great deal of lava down below."

Though Sonic was not at all keen on the idea of willingly climbing up _toward_ that horrible aura, he recognized that there wasn't much choice. Not everyone here could exactly survive falling into molten rock, after all. "Yeah… okay. Fine. Let's just go, then." It occurred to him after he spoke that literally climbing probably wasn't necessary, so he instead hoisted Shadow back up and jumped to the higher ledge instead. Cream soon flew after them using her large ears. Armaris faded into Steam's shadow as the hedgehog leapt after them.

Almost as soon as they were on solid ground again, Sonic realized they were in the middle of a few more ruins reminiscent of those in the city far below. But it was what lay _beyond_ these ruins that concerned him. Up on a high hill overlooking this flatter area stood a dark and ominous crumbling citadel of sorts… and it was from their that that aura was reaching his senses. _Oh, there is no way in hell that I am just waltzing in there._

Despite this thought process, Steam began walking up the hill. He didn't bother saying a word, and this action was enough to prompt Armaris to bail out of his shadow quickly and look to the group. "What's wrong with him?" she dared to ask.

Unable to come up with an explanation, Sonic stammered out, "I… Uh… I don't… know?" With this weak response given (one he mentally kicked himself over because he sounded like a moron), he glanced at his three remaining friends. "Do we… _follow_ him?"

"I can't imagine that staying out here is safe," Cream hesitantly responded, "but… going in there is arguably a far worse option." Shadow remained stubbornly silent, lips pressed together in a thin line of unspoken anger and other negative emotions.

Armaris racked her brain for ideas or _anything_ that might help her understand the situation better. Ultimately, she only had one good idea. "If we were dropped this close to the building… chances are that we're gonna… get forced in there regardless…" Her voice died out at the end, a tinge of fear entering her voice.

Oh, how Sonic _wished_ she hadn't said that. "You can't be serious," he murmured, dismayed.

"I wish I was fucking with you," she practically mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself.

Seeing that he was already a fair ways ahead of them, Cream let out a heavy sigh and said, "We should follow Mister Steam. He seems to believe we must go, as well." She walked after him without waiting for a response, practically forcing Sonic to give in and start doing the same. Shadow didn't exactly have much of a choice in the matter.

Armaris sunk down into Sonic's shadow this time, trying to keep herself under control. _It won't happen… it won't happen…_

Walking up toward Steam, Sonic took note of Armaris's presence in his shadow. He chose not to gripe at her about it, instead focusing on asking Steam tensely, "The hell are we _doing_ going _in_ there?"

"Avoiding what happens if we don't." Steam thought for a long moment, realizing that what he said was useless and instead attempting to give a proper explanation. "The God is waiting for us. Whether we want to be there or not, he's going to make sure we get there. For our own health, it's best if we comply for now and try to figure everything else out soon," he glanced to Sonic, then to Sonic's shadow for a short moment. "I know it's not what either of you want to hear, but we've got to roll with this for now."

Almost as though to emphasize how correct he was, a demon suddenly appeared behind them and very roughly used its massive head to headbutt them into the open doorway leading inside. This naturally caused Sonic and Cream to both trip, pulling Shadow and Armaris down with them. There were a couple of growls and complaints, but soon they got back up again and resumed unhappily following Steam as they had been before. It was pitch black and _ungodly_ hot inside, but finding their way through the wide halls was surprisingly straightforward and easy. This building wasn't at all the maze inside that Sonic had been picturing… though it _was_ larger.

"Where exactly are we going?" Cream asked, voice softer than ever. She looked around with wide, fearful eyes at what few bits of crumbling wall and whatnot that she could see.

Steam glanced around, continuing to walk. "There's a room, somewhat central in this building. The God frequents it."

 _Lovely,_ Sonic inwardly replied, absolutely dismayed yet still. Then he reflected, _This feels like such a fucking trap._

"Whatever happens, _don't_ piss him off. We may still have a chance to get out of this," Steam murmured to the group, a sigh escaping him. He didn't like doing this, but it was the _only_ way he knew to keep them safe.

 _This is not ideal. He should have been told before this. Long before this._ Unexpectedly, Shadow let out a short sigh. "...Try not to think too much," he muttered to Sonic specifically, "about any of this. Not right now. There will be time later, once we are no longer here. For now, you have to remain focused on survival."

"What are you talking ab-" Sonic cut himself off abruptly when the corridor they had been walking through all at once opened up into a pitch-black cavernous space right before them. If the hall had been dark, this was something at least ten times worse. Even with his strong night vision, he couldn't make out _anything_ ahead of them. "Aw, hell," he whispered to himself. "The fuck…"

Steam let a fire form around his hands to light the area around them as best he could _without_ using Light. In response to the sudden influx of _non_ -existential-energy-related light, a figure in a lone and worn stone seat shifted slightly. They were reclined sideways in the chair, legs kicked up over one arm rest and head on the other with their arms behind said head as a sort of cushion. They were facing away from the group currently, in such a manner that had they been standing their back would have been to the small group. The demon in question then tilted his head back to look at them with one glowing, malevolent eye cracked open… and Sonic's _entire_ world came crashing down around him.

"Kaden," Steam muttered lightly, eyes narrowing faintly as he stared intently at the demon before them. Hearing that name about made Sonic's heart stop.

His gaze sliding briefly to Steam, Kaden shifted and stood up. His annoyance with the green hedgehog was apparent, but for the moment he chose not to address Steam. He focused instead, and quite suddenly, on Sonic's shadow. With the vaguest motion of his hand, he all but ripped Armaris out into the open and flung her to the ground. Armaris hissed loudly at Kaden, rolling to her feet quickly and grabbing at her sword in an act of defiance. Kaden responded by suddenly appearing in front of her, wrenching her sword out of her hand, and flinging it away. "None of that," he warned quietly. "Unless you _want_ your arms broken."

The fact that he actually _spoke_ only further cemented Sonic's state of shock. It was, after all, further proof that this _was_ real. Yet… he didn't want to believe it. _This can't be true. It… can't be…_

Armaris' show of defiance wavered somewhat, trying to relax herself despite the immense turmoil she felt. _God damn it..._

Apparently satisfied with her lack of retort, Kaden turned away from Armaris for a moment. He seemed to ignore his sons for the moment (much to Sonic's immense relief and deep pain) in favor of giving his attention to Steam. He said nothing to the green hedgehog, merely took out his earlier annoyance on the younger man by effortlessly putting him through the nearest wall with a blast of _deeply_ corrupted Darkness. There was little doubt that the attack was too weak to kill, but it was certainly strong enough to leave most people in a daze. Sonic's mind could barely process what he was seeing, still stuck in a loop of, _This can't be real,_ and _This can't be him!_

"Mister Kaden…" Cream breathed in alarm, eyes wide as she looked at the spot where Steam had been standing seconds before. "W-Why did you-"

"Save your concern for yourself," Kaden murmured, suddenly turning to her. Before she could even ask (assuming she actually wanted to), he icily elaborated, "You are not worth the effort of corrupting… your life is useless. If you want to keep it, regardless… I suggest you earn yourself the right to." Without another word and with no further warning, he hurled her through a wall as well. This time, the attack was severe enough to send her all the way back outside… where a multitude of demons were now gathering. Demons strong enough to aid in sufficiently guarding this world even while many of the usual legions were away. Demons she was now forced to face… alone. The goal for her in this moment was clear.

He intended to let her die, torn apart by beasts born of pure _evil_.

And Sonic… Sonic couldn't _handle_ that. " _Dad_ …!" he managed to choke out. Those same glowing, malevolent, _demonic_ eyes turned on him then, and his breath caught in his throat. Remembering everything Tails and the others had told him up until this point made his nauseous with fear and pain and _god_ only knew whatever else. But the memories wouldn't stop _coming_.

 _"We know that Jet has been fighting two separate wars," Espio told him frankly, ignoring the second question Sonic had asked. "One is against a former student of his, an Immortal who turned to darker influences and succumbed to their lure. That student commands armies of his own, armies of a race known colloquially as the 'Tel'or'."_

 _Sonic felt his frown deepen. 'When I was revived, and I heard those voices… the voices were Jet's and Cadora's. ...Assuming Cadora is actually real. And Cadora… he mentioned that Tel'or being "here" just before Jet told him to take shelter. Then I was revived, and when we were talking… Cadora mentioned there being trouble that Jet was off taking care of. Was he fighting them?' Shaking free of his thoughts for now, he asked, "And what about the other enemy?"_

 _Tails and Shadow traded a long, heavy look. "That threat… is a bit more complicated," Tails eventually said. "And it's the one we know the least about. But we do know the threat is a demonic figure. …Well, the literal god of all demons, actually."_

 _Choosing to ignore for the moment the fact that he hadn't even known before (so far as he could recall) that demons existed, Sonic found himself questioning, "Who… or what… are they?"_

 _Once more, the pair traded a look. Shadow's gaze had taken on a very harsh quality again, and it took no time at all for Tails to relent. "You're really, really better off hearing it from Jet than us. He can explain it far better than we can. It… It might make the news a bit easier to bear."_

(-)

 _"Immediately upon spilling the blood of the current god or goddess and ending their life," Jet murmured, "the killer is elevated. They become the new ruler, gain all of the special abilities that come with the role, and so on. This is how the current god came to be god. He grew vastly more powerful than Amnikaribah, slaughtered it, and claimed the proverbial throne. Now, when comparing him to other evil entities in existence, he is second only to Malevolence itself."_

 _Sonic thought for a moment, then asked, "You mentioned that not all demons are born demonic. Does the god or goddess of demons have something to do with that?"_

 _"Yeah, actually," Tails responded. He pushed his glasses up again, almost anxiously. "See, one of the unique abilities that only the god or goddess has is the power to turn other people, animals, and so on into demons at will, even ones that were never beings of Darkness before. That's what happened to the current god, actually. He was a normal person, once. A semi-Immortal, but otherwise normal nevertheless."_

 _'A semi-Immortal?' Sonic thought in surprise. 'There aren't a whole lot of those out there, right?'_

 _Tails continued. "Now, normally when a person or whatever is turned, it's done when they're alive. This means that, overall, their bodies and whatnot remain the same. Their powers are unchanged aside from becoming corrupted, demonic versions of themselves - such as a normal fire power becoming Demonfire or Hellfire. The most important thing to take away from this, though, is that they get to keep their own body."_

 _"When it happens to someone who is dead, however," Jet stated quietly, "it is a different matter. The freshly deceased are the only ones who are at risk of being turned, but because they are dead their newly corrupted, demonic souls are often put into the bodies of lesser demons who lack the power to resist these souls taking control of them. Generally, the only exception to this comes when some necromancy is used to reanimate the person's corpse for their soul to reinhabit, thus allowing them to keep their own powers and whatnot."_

 _"'Generally'?" Sonic echoed. "There's another exception?"_

 _"The current god wasn't a mortal," Tails reminded, "and the death he experienced wasn't one of the kinds that could have permanently killed him. As such, he revived, but… Amnikaribah captured and corrupted his soul long before then. So, when he revived, he got to keep his own body without the aid of any black magic or anything. He got to keep all his own powers and whatnot, too, which definitely played a role in him being able to so easily kill Amnikaribah later on down the road." The fox indulged in a heavy sigh. "And… it ties into why we haven't been able to stop him yet."_

(-)

 _It was Shadow who answered this time, though it took nearly a full minute for him to do so. "Father lives."_

 _The answer made Sonic sit up straight. 'He's… he's… alive?'_

 _"But… Sonic… It's not so simple," Tails cautioned. He was pleading for understanding again, this time through his voice, though he didn't outright explain what he wanted Sonic to understand. Instead, he told Sonic, "And, before you ask, no… we can't go see him or otherwise contact him."_

 _"Why not?" Sonic demanded, voice almost breaking. He was already feeling emotional, though he was doing his best to curb it. He suspected he was nearly on the verge of failing._

 _"Because he doesn't have a communicator anymore, or anything else we can use to contact him," Tails murmured._

 _"And the world on which he now resides," Jet added simply, "is so vastly dangerous that venturing there for any reason at all is a fool's errand." It honestly startled Sonic to his his friend's gaze suddenly so distant… and so dark. He spoke, it seemed, from experience… awful, awful experience of a sort that was often better left unexplained. "Setting foot on that world would be the only way to contact him, but to do so would be to invite death itself to try its hand at ending you."_

 _"But why?" Sonic heard himself blurt out. "Why would he be in such a horrible place, let alone live there? It doesn't make sense."_

 _"Let's just… say he lives for danger these days," Wave answered with another sigh. "Trust me, it doesn't bother him at all."_

 _Sonic didn't understand. Not fully, not yet. "How could you know that if you can't get anywhere near him?"_

 _"We have run into him a few times," Espio suddenly said, speaking up finally. "We know enough from those encounters."_

(-)

 _Sighing, Sonic slowly asked, "You said that Dad thrives on danger now… but why? Why would he live like that?"_

 _"If anything, you should know that people change," Wave told him, voice soft. "He's no exception to that. As I'm sure you recall, he's always been drawn to the darker sides of life. He's always been drawn to combat and struggles and mortal danger and the like. Without your mother around to help keep him safe and away from such a lifestyle…" She shrugged and turned away fully. "Let's just say that that, among other things, had an impact on him."_

(-)

 _His aura full of as-of-yet unspoken concern, Sonic reached out and took his sword. Then, before he could even ask, Jet said, "Kaden is alive. His injuries are mild at worst. He is fine."_

 _Relief flooded Sonic's aura, but more concern soon filled it. "So how did you get so beat up, then?"_

 _"I was forced to aid the God of Demons, very briefly." A slight pause. Then, "He did not take kindly to the assistance."_

 _"Why in the hell would you have to help him?" Sonic demanded, all mingling concern and confusion._

 _"Doing so was the only way to help your father."_

 _"You're not telling me why, Jet."_

 _"Let's just say it's due to proximity," Jet eventually said._

 _" Proximity?" Sonic echoed in disbelief. "Are you telling me that Dad lives near that thing?"_

 _"...Near enough."_

(-)

 _"I know what you guys said about the trouble with going where near Dad is and all, but…" Ears lowering, Sonic looked away. His voice was quiet now, his aura so full of pain… "Isn't there some way that I can see him?"_

 _"In all likelihood…" Jet responded, a sigh in his voice, "you will see him again at some point, regardless of whether or not you yourself go to him. It may take time, but word will spread to him that you are alive now. He will seek you out."_

(-)

 _Sonic crossed his arms, mostly in a subconscious effort to maintain body heat. Though, he hardly needed it with the magical scarf he was still wearing. "I need you to try to explain something for me." Tails blinked. "The fact that Jet interfered in a fight or whatever with that demon god… that's not the only reason why they might go to war, is it? I mean, there's the obvious 'good versus evil' reason and similar ones, but… aside from that."_

 _For some unfathomable reason, Tails smiled. A very sad, regretful smile. "The God of Demons wants to replace Malevolence as the most powerful evil entity in existence, remember. He can't very well do that when a stubborn-as-hell Immortal keeps butting in, now can he?"_

 _Not for the first time since he'd been revived, Sonic was struck by a strong feeling. 'There's something I'm not being told… something I'm not supposed to know, maybe?' He pursed his lips together, debating. Should he pry, or leave well enough alone for now?_

 _That was a decision Tails made for him. "Hey, guys!" he called out loudly to Shadow and Espio, who were already heading back over..._

(-)

 _"You look at things too simply, Sonic," Jet murmured, gaze growing more distant again, "ever still trying to see existence as black and white, good and evil… everything either existing one way or another and never in between. Years ago, it took you too long to accept even something as simple as a person being a thief and a good person at the same time… remember?"_

 _Something in Sonic instantly softened. "...Yeah." He looked away, then sighed. "Yeah, I remember."_

 _"A similar situation is at play here," Jet told him. "We can no longer trust everyone we should. Likewise, many whom we normally could never trust are now among our best allies. You can try all you like to look at these matters in simple terms, but there is nothing simple about this war and all those involved."_

 _'Including you.' Gaining another frown, he turned back to face Jet. Eventually, he asked, "How does this apply to the God of Demons?"_

 _Finally, he shifted and braced his hand on his knee in order to stand up. "You know not the forces I contend with in facing that man." Jet stared deeply into the flames, catching glimpses here and there of melting buildings, massive demons, signs of his recently lost fight that were rapidly being obliterated… and amidst it all, he saw the one ultimately responsible for it all. A dark shape appeared and stood on a nearby rise in the ground entirely engulfed in fire, staring at them and not moving. Their visage was constantly distorted and shifting due to the flames. Sonic saw the figure soon after Jet did and all but leapt to his feet, eyes wide. No doubt he, too, could sense the nearly impossible levels of malice and power that were now flooding the area once more._

 _Eyes wide, Sonic muttered, "It… looks like… a person…" Jet inclined his head in answer. Emerald eyes swung around to face the hawk, pleading for an answer Jet could not give. "It looks like a person, Jet," Sonic said, voice strained. "I thought-"_

 _"That demons cannot be anything other than monsters?" Jet looked at Sonic out of the corner of his eye. "Make no mistake. Aside from their eyes, a demon can look as ordinary as you, or Tails, or even Cream. Demons may be monsters in most regards, but many of them are also people. There is no black and white… even in regards to evil."_

 _Shaken to his very core, Sonic snapped his gaze back to the not-so-distant form of the God of Demons… only to find that terrible stare now focused solely on him. The amount of fear this focus instilled in him was unlike anything Sonic had ever felt before, and it caused his knees to buckle beneath him. He fell into an awkward sitting position, unable to look away as the dark entity below took a slow and ominous step forward. Though he wanted to, Sonic couldn't stand up. He felt weak, breathless, paralyzed._

 _At his side, Jet snapped his sword out of its sheath and pointed it at the God he had already earlier faced. "That's enough!" His voice was powerful, carrying a deep and unquestionable authority that Sonic had almost never heard his friend actually exercise. It echoed across the space separating them from their enemy, and said enemy came to a stop. Looking up at them once more, they slowly grinned… and then vanished within the flames._

(-)

 _There were a lot of questions Sonic could have asked in response to that, he knew, but for now he opted to settle on just one. "I won't press you on too much since you don't seem to want to want to talk about any of it… but there's one thing I want to know about." He looked Steam straight in the eye. "No one else is telling me shit so I don't expect you to, either, but do you know what's going on with my father?"_

 _Pain entered Steam's eyes and he looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. "...I do know. I'm just…" He scratched at his head forcefully, breathing growing labored. "It's a lot to take in and explain…"_

 _Eventually, Sonic also looked away. Silence filled the space between them just as the barriers flashed into existence and roared upward into the sky. The roar was felt rather than heard, but his ears nevertheless flattened purely on instinct. Only after he straightened them again did he decide to reply. "Thanks for being honest," he mumbled. "I prefer not being lied to, even when I can't be filled in on details."_

(-)

 _Sonic was stunned. "Wait, hold on a minute. You don't want to kill the God of Demons?" he demanded._

 _The fox's hands raised in a placating gesture. "I'm getting to that, just let me explain," he pleaded. Sonic simmered down reluctantly, and Tails let out a heavy sigh. "Look… the God is this huge, powerful, vast evil. Okay, we get that. We can't not know that. But, the thing is, he used to be a person, Sonic. A good one. And when he was corrupted, the goodness that was in him held out against that corruption for as long as it could. That 'light', if you will, inside of him has slowly been consumed over the years, but a tiny sliver his goodness, his past self, is still in there. Jet and the rest of us… we want to use that 'weakness' to save him. Not to end him."_

 _None of what Sonic had been told made any sense at all. There was no way, no way that any of this could be right. "Tails, why in the hell would you want to save a monster like that? It isn't right!" In his anger, he found himself standing up, letting his blanket fall to the floor in the process._

 _Slowly, Tails lifted his solemn gaze from the floor to look at Sonic. Very quietly, he stated, "Because, these days, the one sustaining that tiny sliver I was talking about… is your mother. She's trying to save him, too. Isn't that enough?"_

 _Too shocked to speak, Sonic fell utterly silent and sank back down into his seat. "Mom… Mom is?" he whispered faintly._

 _Tails looked down again. "Yeah. We don't know how long she's been doing it or how she even is doing it, but… it's her energy. There isn't any doubt about that." Silence fell again. It threatened to persist for a long while and likely would have, had Tails not persisted. "Look… I know you aren't thrilled about this, but eventually you'll understand why. Please, you're just going to have to trust us. If not all of us, then at least your mom. Okay?"_

 _Slowly, very slowly, Sonic gave a slight nod. "...Okay."_

(-)

 _"Okay… so one last thing. Is anyone planning on telling me who the hell this guy is?" He thought for a second. "Oh, and why in the hell my dad apparently lives somewhere near to him?"_

 _Tails hesitated, visibly wracking his mind for an explanation. He opened his mouth to speak, faltered, then let out a gusty breath of air. "Like Wave said… your dad basically lives for the danger these days. That's about all I can say for him. And as far as who the God is, I can't… tell you that. I just can't." He looked up at Sonic. "But I do know who can."_

 _Frowning, Sonic replied, "Then please tell me that, at least."_

 _"Jet," Tails answered with no further hesitation. "You still trust him, right? More than you trust just about any other person in your life, alive or dead?"_

 _Quashing his frustration at the change of subject, Sonic gave a curt nod. "Yeah. Of course I do."_

 _"Then you can trust him not to be lying to you about this."_

In this moment, Sonic reflected how much he wished that this _was_ all a lie. He also wished that he had _never_ been exposed to this truth… no matter how hard he had been fighting to learn said truth for so long. But looking at the man standing before him, looking into those _eyes_ … Pain and shock seemed to be all that he was capable of feeling as he looked on. Stared, really, because he could barely _think_ , let alone react… And yet, somehow, he realized he could hear himself talking. "W… Why did you bring us here?" he whispered. His voice was little more than a choked and pathetic whimper, even to his own ears.

The initial response he received was a thoughtful hum. That was a sound that was burned into Sonic's memory already, for it was a sound that Kaden had often made when he had been normal. Back when he had been _himself_. But this man… This… _demon_ … This was _not_ his father. It… _couldn't_ be. The man's voice, however… it was the same. He responded to the very same name as always. His appearance was unchanged, apart from his fur seemingly permanently taking on that blackish hue that it always had when he'd been filled with Darkness, and his eyes were now fiery and glowing and oh, _so_ wicked…

 _What have you become?_

Too late, Sonic realized he had spoken those words aloud. His father's head canted slightly, regarding Sonic with a dark mellowness that sent chills down the younger hedgehog's spine. "Become?" Kaden echoed slowly. Then he turned away, glancing toward where he'd flung Steam as a few loose pieces of rubble clattered to the ground. "That much should be obvious." As he spoke, intense Darkness gathered around Armaris and slammed her into an undamaged wall, pinning her there. Tendrils of it began slowly forcing their way through her, injecting potent taint into her own energies in an unhurried but relentless and forceful manner. The cat screamed in agony, trying her damndest to call upon her powers, _any_ of them, to force Kaden to lose focus. Despite every last inch of her body screaming for it to stop, nothing responded. Her mind numbed at the pain, and her powers seemingly refused to work, to help her protect _herself_.

Call it instinct or mere reflex, but _whatever_ the reason Sonic began trying his damnedest to conjure up some Light for protection (whether just of himself or not, he wasn't even sure). Only, it became apparent that he _couldn't_ … that this energy (of _all_ the ones that could have been chosen) was the one that he had been blocked from accessing by that magic attack seemingly so long ago. Yet, despite his inability to tap into even the vaguest trace of the energy, Kaden apparently took notice of what he was doing. Sonic wasn't sure what exactly what his father _did_ , but the next thing he knew he was sitting against a wall with a pounding pain in his head and shoulder blades. Had he been slammed backward? It seemed likely.

Kaden, meanwhile, lowered his arm and issued the same nonchalant warning he had earlier given to Armaris. "None of that." Stifling a soft groan, Sonic forced his eyes open just in time to see Kaden kneel down in front of him. A fresh wave of fear hit, and Sonic _hated_ that he had cause to feel this way about his own father. They were so _close_ , Sonic loved and trusted him so _much_ … What the hell had _happened_ …? But Kaden spoke again before Sonic could blurt anything out or pull anymore stupid stunts that went against his better judgement, his voice a touch lower and somehow vastly more threatening. "Light cannot help you here, Sonic," he murmured. Something about the way his name was said in such a cold tone made Sonic tense up further. "It cannot _save_ you. If you wish to remain _alive_ , I suggest you refrain from calling upon it from here on."

Tails's comments about how protective demons were over their children, how the God was no exception to this rule, and how said God simply _wouldn't_ kill his own kids hit Sonic all at once. Faced with this threat _so_ close to his person, however, made all of that seem like a lie. Or, at the very least, little more than wishful thinking. It didn't matter that Kaden had always been extraordinarily protective of his own accord even when _not_ a demon. The fact remained that he now _was_ a demon… a demon who looked prepared to injure or kill anyone and everyone present at the _slightest_ provocation. Sonic's heart pounded forcefully in his chest.

Glancing around, Sonic located Shadow, who had somehow managed to pull himself up enough to sit against a separate wall after Sonic had been thrown aside. He didn't look hurt or like he had been flung as well, so the blue hedgehog allowed himself a small breath of relief. His relief was short-lived, however, when he suddenly realized that he could _definitely_ hear the sounds of a violent struggle outside. _Oh, no... That's Cream!_ Being so bold was likely one of the worst ideas he'd had so far since coming here, but he nevertheless found him asking, "Why did you send her out there? Why are you trying to _kill_ her?"

Those glowing eyes briefly shifted to the hole that had been made when Kaden had cast the bunny out a mere minute or two ago. Then, almost casually, he responded, "As I said… she is useless. Corrupting her holds merit, but is unlikely to be worth the effort."

 _Corrupting h…_ Suddenly, Sonic thought back to another event that had just occurred, and his gaze swung to Armaris. "Is that what you're doing to her?" he demanded, his words shaking as they left his mouth. He may not have known Armaris well by any stretch of the imagination, but that didn't mean she deserved _this_!

Ignoring the question, Kaden stood. Based off of everything Sonic had heard thus far about how his father was as a goddamn _demon_ , he honestly expected a harsh reaction in some form or another. Yet, Kaden remained entirely calm. Almost… _docile_ , even, at least when compared to his usual self. It wasn't until Sonic noticed the pile of three sleeping little kids next to the seat Kaden had been reclined in earlier that Sonic suddenly understood why this was the case. It was because the triplets (whom Sonic realized for the first time absolutely _did_ look like hedgehogs and certainly resembled their shared father closely) were home and… " _safe_ ". Or at least as safe as anyone who lived such a violent life could be.

On top of that… other matters seemed to be going his way as well, so far. He had gotten what he wanted, after all. He'd successfully busted down the barriers surrounding the Highlands and invaded the territory. He'd gotten Sonic and the others (with only two or three exceptions) to this location with ease. Jet and the others on New Babylon didn't seem to know what was going on - or they _did_ but were somehow being prevented from coming here. He was succeeding in every conceivable fashion right now… and though that seemingly made him more patient and tolerant for the moment, Sonic was forced to acknowledge that _none_ of this boded well for himself or his friends regardless. No matter how calm Kaden was being right now, his behavior toward poor Cream was proof beyond proof that he did not have _benign_ intentions with any of them. But what was he working to accomplish? Killing those he saw as useless and corrupting the rest, as he was doing to Cream and Armaris? No, it couldn't have been that simple. It couldn't have been.

Another sound drew the attention of Sonic, Shadow (whom Sonic was just realizing had been oddly silent this whole time), and Kaden back over to the hole Steam's body had made in the wall. It seemed several more pieces of debris had fallen. Suddenly looking annoyed again, Kaden called out (albeit in a voice barely louder than his usual quiet one) to him, "On your feet… You are irritating to listen to."

Steam emerged from the hole, glaring and gritting his teeth in anger and pain. He had his sword unsheathed, but once again not raised. Instead, he was using it as a sort of crutch for the time being. His body _hurt_ , and it was everything he could do to ignore the pain and continue along without showing it all over his features. "Leave… them… alone…" He growled, breath short from the recent impact. Seemingly prepared to ignore that little command, Kaden responded by trying his hand at blasting Steam through another wall… despite having _just_ told Steam to get up. The green hedgehog, despite his injured state, was quick to surround his body with an intense golden glow followed by a similarly glowing sword slash to stop the attack. _At the very least… he's not going all out on us now…_ Steam's eyes shifted in the direction Cream had gone. _Do I save her or try to keep Kaden off of Armaris…?_

Struggling to sit himself more upright, Shadow finally spoke up. "Why are we _here_ , Father?"

Steam cut in quickly, his gaze shifting over to Shadow. "Probably for all the things he's been doing so far. Getting what he wants, eh?"

"You are ignorant," Kaden retorted, his annoyance toward Steam visibly growing.

"Then explain," Shadow responded, being remarkably bold. Yet, his ears were nearly flattened back against his head, an obvious sign of just how threatened and unsafe even he was feeling.

"Are… you going to kill us?" Sonic found himself whispering, though he hadn't intended to speak at all.

An ominous glint in his eye, Kaden responded slowly, "No… not all of you."

"Just those two, then?" Shadow asked, glancing at Steam and then in Cream's general direction. "And those you left on Mobius?"

Unexpectedly, Kaden shook his head and crossed his arms. "You are being shortsighted," he responded, still being remarkably mellow. It was so unusual as to be frightening, especially given what he now _was_. "Some of you are far more valuable _alive_."

"Like as a demon?" Armaris spat hatefully, fists clenched as she continued her struggle to get free. "Fuck _you_."

"How insightful," Kaden murmured in mild disdain, turning away. He walked toward the back of the huge, spacious room, actually daring to fully turn his back on the triplets without any apparent care in spite of how brutally he had attacked Hyale in order to retrieve them not long ago.

Steam watched Kaden for the time being, notable agitation in his eyes. "It's about the attacks, isn't it?"

Sonic felt his heart drop at the implication. _More attacks?_

In response, Kaden grabbed a large piece of what looked to be a mirror out of a pile of loose rubble, then flung it backward toward Sonic and Shadow. Sonic managed to catch the sharpened bit of glass, then warily looked into it. Much to his dismay, _all_ he could initially see was fire. Slowly, however, the image shifted, and he realized just what he was actually looking at. It was the Babylonian palace, and the _entire_ building and everything around it was ablaze. There was virtually nothing left that wasn't on fire… But things soon got worse from there.

New images covered the shimmering surface, showing new horrors each time. Sein was swarmed with demons, the beasts clawing and tearing feathers from his body as he fought back as best he could. Alana and Jet were trapped together somewhere just within the densest part of the gardens, surrounded by flames and being relentlessly blasted by the demons surrounding them. Kath and Azerel appeared to be actually trapped _inside_ the burning palace itself, struggling to help others get out while being horrifically burned in the process. The lot of them were struggling against demons stronger than anything Sonic had _ever_ seen before. Watching all of this pain and suffering, he could only stare in mute horror… especially when he spied the barely-contained fear in his best friend's normally shielded eyes. _Jet…!_

Amaris glared at the images, her teeth visibly changing as she snarled. _Fucking bastard._

Before anyone could say anything about what they were being shown, the images shifted drastically from one scene of utter hell to another. The blurry motion settled down within a burning city that was very clearly Mobian in design, and Shadow tensed noticeably. Sonic did, too, but even more so when he saw the familiar white cat amidst it all. Astra was situated in front of the city, a massive magic circle forming in front of her. Once it was fully prepared, a massive, grey, snake-like creature began crashing through the buildings and tearing up any ground underneath it.

The image shifted again, this time showcasing a female cat who looked distinctly… demonic. Her gaze was cold and indifferent to the wilderness in front of her as she set it ablaze. The only emotion that ever showed on her face was pleasure as she watched it all burn away to nothing more than ash. Armaris' eyes widened minutely in fear before a new surge of pure _hatred_ burned throughout her body at the sight of her mother. Every instinct she had said to break free from this place and tear that woman's throat _free_ from the undeserving piece of shit that she was related to.

Though Sonic definitely wanted to ask Armaris what was going on with her (aside from the obvious corruption gradually taking place), he remembered Shadow's earlier command to think about everything later and focus on _surviving_ this instead of anything else. Soon, he was forced to focus more, anyway, on the images as they shifted once more. They blurred drastically for a long moment, settling down only when the village of Hyale suddenly came into focus. The settlement was still standing somehow, but it was absolutely in _shambles_. Demons filled virtually every crevice of the settlement right alongside their usual dense flames. Many shinobi could be seen fighting, and even Aku was visible at one point, but the mirror's image seamlessly drifted over all of them… focusing almost exclusively on a smoking heap of wreckage laying on the ground a ways beyond where the barriers had once stood. Upon closer inspection, Sonic realized with dawning horror that it was the twisted, smoldering remains of the Tornado-Z. And Tails was nowhere to be seen.

Steam's eyes widened minutely, concern and anger flickering across his features. _No, fuck… That didn't happen before…_

Shadow visibly froze at the sight, eyes locked on the image until it _again_ shifted. This time, it appeared to have a lot of difficulty focusing, jumping around all over the place until it finally seemed to get a lock on whatever it was tracking. The image cleared just in time to show it as Espio dodged a frighteningly fast demon that had seemingly been pursuing him. He wasn't in great condition at the moment, but not to the point where he would be terribly aware of his own wounds. More concerning, however, was how incredibly dark the markings on his arm were at the moment. Sonic again spoke without thinking, driven by a small wave of anger over everything he had been seeing. "You planning on killing him, too?" he demanded.

"I can take little pleasure in ending the life of one who doesn't _care_ for it," Kaden retorted smoothly, walking back over to them at an even pace. His gaze shifted to the mirror and the picture displayed on it as Espio briefly braced himself against a tree, forced to spend time ripping weapons that had been stabbed into him - a true testament to how completely _serious_ the fight had been getting since Sonic and the others had been gone. "And aside from that…" Reaching out, Kaden took the mirror from Sonic with surprisingly gentility - though it was likely with the sole purpose of not breaking the mirror itself. "...He happens to be vastly more useful than most others."

The implication that Kaden wasn't the _only_ one interested in him (implied through Kaden not saying that Espio was strictly useful to _him_ alone) made Sonic tense as he remembered that woman... and the shadowy army that she worked for. _Are... they all after him...?_

Little had changed with Armaris' mood, obvious hatred flaring through her now red eyes. She _knew_ there was more to come, and the thought only intensified the flood of emotion she was currently feeling. "Don't you _fucking dare_."

"As if you have any say," was the murmured, uncaring response. Darkness flowed from his hands into the mirror, converting it into a portal before the group's very eyes. Faster than Sonic's eyes could track, Kaden slipped through the portal, leaving the portal hovering where it had formed in easy view of Sonic and the others.

Seeing the opportunity, Sonic regained his feet. "D… Do we follow him?" he asked shakily, eyes locked on the portal. He watched as Kaden neatly dropped down onto the battlefield, surveying the area briefly before walking in the direction of the newest fight Espio had been dragged into. Shadow remained staunchly silent again, watching events unfold without comment.

Steam took this chance to hurry over to where Armaris was now, Light quickly filling his body and sword before he lightly stabbed his blade into the blanket of Darkness covering the cat. He made quick work of this, freeing Armaris and catching her before she could fall and hit the ground. He took a moment and set her down so she could recover before moving off in the direction of Cream, motioning for Sonic to wait for a few seconds. He _refused_ to leave anyone behind, and he'd be _damned_ if he was going to let that bunny die to some fucking _demons_. Calling on more Light than was probably necessary, he cut down whatever demons were daring to attack Cream and quickly checked her over to make sure she wasn't too injured. However, she most definitely was injured, though not gravely so. Still, she was more than grateful for the help, and expressed that in the form of a wan smile and a soft, "Thank you."

The hedgehog managed a weak smile, chuckling. "Not a problem… let's… go get out of here." Steam began walking, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to ignore the pain. _I wish he would've already been fighting me. Adrenaline would be nice._

Once the two of them were inside, Cream hurried over to Sonic to try to help Shadow up, but the darker hedgehog was curiously adamant in his refusal to let them. The brothers were already in a fairly heated argument, taking out much of their stress and other emotions on one another. "Leave me _here_ ," he snapped, words nearly lost beneath the sound of a rare snarl.

"For fuck's sake, _why_?" Sonic demanded. "At least tell me _why_ you're being such an ass about this!"

"Look at that!" Shadow shot back, directing Sonic's attention back to the portal. "Do you _honestly_ think I would be anything more than a liability there? _Here_ is marginally safer, if only because of them." He nodded pointedly at the still-sleeping triplets, who seemed utterly and blissfully unaware of the situation at hand.

Sonic was quick to catch on this time around. He simmered down substantially and sighed, "Because most demons won't dare start a fight near them, for fear of losing their own lives." Shadow nodded once, tensely.

"I can't stay and let that shit-face hurt my goddamn friend," Armaris growled, pushing herself to stand and slowly walking over with malice in her eyes. "That _bastard_."

Steam moved forward and quickly stood between the cat and the portal, shaking his head. "I won't stop you from helping, but please realize that if you _throw_ yourself at him, he _will_ corrupt you further and turn you into a minion, or something else. Don't be rash."

Armaris snarled at the hedgehog, grabbing him roughly and nearly throwing him aside. "Don't fucking tell me what to do," she hissed, slipping into the portal without another wasted word. Steam managed to stop himself from falling over, but that didn't help with the further aggravated wounds he had suffered thus far.

Sonic tossed a long-suffering glance at his brother before finally releasing a heavy sigh. " _Fine_ … we'll leave you here for now. But I swear to _fuck_ , if you get yourself killed…" He trailed off, not trusting himself to finish that sentence. After a second, he cleared his throat. "Just _don't_ , alright?"

A second of silence passed before Shadow broke eye-contact and turned his head away. "As if I would," he mumbled, all the heat and anger already gone from his tone.

More or less satisfied with that response, Sonic turned his attention to Steam and Cream. "We need to _go_." He looked through portal, noting how close Kaden and Espio now were to one another, and felt his pulse begin to race.

Steam winced faintly as he nodded, walking over to the portal. "If either of you need me, say something. I'll do whatever I can."

"We should all be ready to aid one another at a moment's notice," Cream pointed out reasonably. "Working together is our best hope of survival."

"Yeah." Sonic walked to the portal, teleporting Caliburn into his hand as he went. Wasting no further time, he jumped through the portal. Steam followed him without hesitation, his own sword in hand. Cream went last, psychic energy gathering around her as she went.

It seemed the _real_ fight was only just beginning.

 **~保護者~**

 **9,865 words this time. _Please_ don't kill me over this, guys! I know it's painful to know the truth, but I don't wanna die over it! *sweatdrop* Ahem. Anyway, many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help. I hope you... erm... _somehow_ managed to enjoy this. Oh, and, a bit of fair warning... things _will_ be getting worse from here. ;) Posted (at about 12:15 p.m.) 12-06-19.**


	47. Borne of Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) throughout this worsening conflict… especially for the one whose private war is truly just beginning.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Well, as sad as I absolutely am that this has happened (seriously, Kaden is one of my favorites in this series :( ), I'm still glad that it managed to surprise you. That was 100% the goal, so I'm glad it worked out. Erm, please don't kill me though. XD Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed! Hope you enjoy this one, too!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Borne of Darkness"**

 **~保護者~**

By the time everyone went through the portal, Espio had already resumed fighting against the nearly endless horde of demons. The _only_ reason that he paused in the midst of the battlefield, despite how risky it was, was because he sensed the portal's fluctuating energies as people passed through it. Shortly following that was the return of the God of Demon's aura (a fact which only worsened his already poor mood). He debated whether to go toward or move away from that aura, but gave the debate a rest for a moment when he picked up on another aura - both familiar and not. _...Armaris?_ It definitely was her, but it was different. That edge to it was… one he had never wanted to have the misfortune of sensing.

Armaris scoured the battlefield with practiced ease, her sharp red eyes taking in her surroundings momentarily before heading in Espio's direction while simultaneously ignoring anything and everything around her. The only exception was the demons who dared be in her path, which she made short work of with wind blades sharp enough to slice through rocks. _That fucking bastard better not touch Espio._

Espio glanced over Armaris for a brief moment, taking in her condition before deciding that she was still herself to enough of an extent that she was not a threat. He chose not to say anything to her about it - no doubt she would take _great_ offense to such a thing - and focused instead on the fight once more. He disappeared from view due to sheer speed, and instantly demons began to literally lose their heads once more. All the while, he kept a silent look out for the man he _knew_ was watching this go down. _He is close… incredibly so._ He stabbed a demon in the face, splitting open its skull with lethal force, then flung it aside. _…But where?_

"Hey, assholes!" Armaris called out, standing straight as she allowed wind to circle around her in a dangerous fashion. As soon as she felt like she had any of the demons' attention, she unleashed a hellish storm of wind blades to cut into everything around her that she deemed a threat. As she did this, Espio started to move toward another threat, only to feel a slight stab of alarm (where did _that_ emotion come from?) when he was lifted off the ground by black energy and then violently flung through the trees. He crashed through several huge trunks before he managed to catch himself, adhering to the side of a separate tree and crouching down defensively.

For the moment, Armaris was trapped in a massive horde of demons that she had pissed off, battling them off with far more viciousness and brutality than before. Steam finally had the chance to arrive at the scene of the current battle with a quick and powerful pillar of Light, followed by dangerously sharp wisps of blue flame-like magic that cut into and tore apart the demons from the inside out. Steam glanced over the now noticeably more demonic cat with a concerned frown, but said nothing more and continued along. _I've got to get to Espio._

At about the same time, Espio dropped out of the tree just in time to avoid a half-hearted attack. _That blow was... soft._ He frowned, not appreciating the fact that he was very clearly being toyed with.

Steam appeared, watching Espio carefully and quickly turning his attention in the direction the attack had come from. _Where are you, Kaden…?_

Another flurry of attacks came, forcing more high-speed dodging, and Espio mentally alternated between cursing about it and finding himself somewhat enjoying the challenge. It had been an _incredibly_ long time since he had been pushed to move _this_ fast against any enemy other than Nakea… and he soon found himself having to move even faster to dodge yet another attack. In spite of himself, he felt a small rush... a thrill quite unlike anything he ever felt outside of combat. But taking any degree of enjoyment out of a fight such as this was dangerous beyond measure, and so he sought to focus. Looking around, he swiftly dodged yet another attack that truly could not hurt him much. _He is playing games… Of course he is._ He huffed to himself and landed on the side of another tree.

Steam stayed out of the way of the attacks for now, quickly heading off to try and intercept Kaden before he could get ahold of Espio. His eyes briefly shifted up to the sky as several thoughts coursed through his mind. He pushed those aside and resumed his focus on what was ahead of him. "Kaden!" he shouted, intending on gaining the other man's attention.

It seemed as though Steam was ignored. ...Mostly. A rather violent wave of energy crashed over the green hedgehog, but that was all. Most of the remaining energy that was just unleashed centered around Espio and slammed him with brutal force into the ground. Being unused to fighting against energies in general, Espio was fairly helpless to counter it and did his best to just shake off the impact. He dodged a couple of other attacks in rapid succession, deciding it best to remain in motion… for all the good that would likely do him against an enemy like this.

Luckily, Steam was able to conjure up a barrier around his body. Though it shattered upon impact of the attack, it mostly protected him from further harm. He growled weakly, clenching his hand around the handle of his sword in agitation. _Fuck._

Not two seconds later, there was a violent impact on the ground between the pair, knocking them in opposite directions and blanketing the area in Darkness so thick that virtually no one would be able to see. As such, Espio _felt_ the threat coming more than saw it, and it was that small saving grace that allowed him to parry the oncoming sword slash that came at him. They broke apart almost instantly, but swung their swords at one another again repeatedly with immense speed and force. Shockwaves erupted from the pair, resonating from each point of contact. Several of those shockwaves were powerful enough to tear up the ground and uproot some of the surrounding trees.

Steam filled his entire body with Light once he fully understood the situation, attempting to draw attention away as he readied his sword. _I'm so fucked._ The influx of Light predictably drew a _lot_ of attention his way. The Darkness blanketing the area lashed out at him while many of the demons began converging on his location. In the meantime, Kaden and Espio continued to fight, their swords clashing loudly as they moved all about the battlefield at nearly impossible speeds. Steam was quick to enter battle with the demons, sure to keep a barrier around himself to keep the Darkness off of him as he fought off his attackers.

Several minutes of tense combat followed, part of it ending abruptly when there was a huge impact somewhere off in the woods away from Steam. Following that impact was another violent shockwave that tore up even more of the trees, and it even travelled far enough to level many of the houses and other buildings on this side of the village. Some demons got caught up in it as well and were killed by it. But that wasn't the worst part. No, the very _worst_ part was the immense explosion of vast, non-demonic Darkness that followed after the initial shockwave.

Armaris turned her attention in that direction immediately, shooting off with a single farewell swipe of her blade that beheaded the demon attempting to stop her. Steam's face shifted to one of minute horror, knowing that there was only _one_ source that could have used that kind of Darkness in this area. Nothing much seemed to _happen_ after that explosion, however, aside from Kaden's aura inexplicably just… _leaving_ the area in its entirety. The veil of Darkness that had been preventing those caught up in it from seeing faded away. As soon as she was able to see, Armaris moved on to find the source of the explosion with obvious anger burning in her eyes. "That motherfucker better not have touched him!"

At the epicenter of the explosion, energies briefly raged about in a violent and frenzied cyclone before gradually tapering out and fading away, leaving the immediate area eerily silent. Gritting his teeth together harshly, Espio, who had been powerfully slammed backward into the ground, pushed himself up and ripped out the blade that had been stabbed deep into his chest _dangerously_ close to his heart. He frowned deeply as the Darkness comprising the blade weakened and then vanished entirely in his hand. Muttering a curse under his breath, he grabbed his sword and stood up, barely taking notice as his injuries rapidly healed all at once. He shifted his arm to look at it, noting that there weren't any markings present at all. Armaris walked forward slowly, her body crouched down as she watched Espio quietly for a moment. "Are you okay…?" she asked softly, her previous anger and hate buried for the time being in lieu of care and concern.

"...Fine," Espio muttered distractedly, shifting his sword to use the reflection to get a better look at his shoulder. Seeing the distinctive mark that was present there, he frowned again. The black symbol of a serpentine dragon coiled in on itself now marked his skin there. The dragon was in the shape of a tight spiral with its head at the center and its mouth open. In between its jaws, almost as though it was going to bite it, was a small diamond-shaped four-point star. The sigh of the mark caused him to narrow his eye.

The cat walked forward quietly, circling around him curiously to look over his body as he had with her earlier. "You seem… relatively okay, too…" she muttered, a touch confused. Espio chose to ignore her this time in favor of nimbly leaping out of the crater that had been formed around him in the ground. Armaris followed him for now, walking in front of him and tilting her head curiously at the mark. "Is your Darkness… there…?" That question also went ignored. Espio instead whipped around and stabbed through the neck of a demon that had flown over to investigate what was going on over here. The attack slammed the beast into the ground with enough force to create a brand new crate. Distinct and unmistakable black energy crackled around Espio's hand as he gripped the handle of his sword to carry out this attack. "He made your Darkness more… mature… didn't he?"

Still refusing to answer her questions, Espio ripped his sword free and flicked some of the blood and bits of flesh off of the blade. Around this time, Steam walked into the area with his sword in hand. His eyes roved over the two assassins, examining them quickly. _Espio's Darkness was progressed further all at once and Armaris has limited the functions of her mind to keep the demonic tendencies away… Fucking hell…_ "Hey, Espio. What did Kaden do to you?"

Frustrated by how he'd been cornered and attacked like he was, Espio muttered crossly, "He stabbed me." He said nothing more about it, briefly turning his attention to the chaos of the battle still raging around them. The violence and the bloodshed called to him, and he was just _itching_ to sink his blade into something else… some _one_ else, even. But he could tell that his energies were still fighting to settle themselves, and that left him feeling vaguely sluggish and out of sorts, prompting him to remain where he was for the moment. He did _not_ feel right, physically or otherwise, as instincts and thoughts and desires that felt at once foreign and _normal_ flooded him. Everything was all off-balance right now, but allowing things to settle for a moment would likely resolve that issue. So, for the time being, he opted to stay put, part of his mind fighting against these new and violent urges… and the rest of it urging him to just accept and follow through with them.

But there was something else, too, that was demanding his attention. As the Darkness flowed endlessly through him, the regeneration process seemed to actually continue. Much of the usual pain and general discomfort of his lungs (which had never quite functioned properly his whole life) was ebbing away in waves and his ruined arm… was tingling. It was the only sensation of _any_ sort that he'd felt there since before his arm had been paralyzed. He was reminded then of the tales he had heard as a child about the remarkable regenerative abilities of his ancestors, but only now was it occuring to him that their Darkness had likely been behind it all along. _...Interesting._ Leaving it at that, he again scanned the battlefield ahead of him. Rushing in before he was ready would be foolish, but the urge to join the fight was growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. In an effort to briefly distract himself from that, he shifted some of his focus back onto Steam and Armaris. He had been so caught up in other matters for the past couple of short moments that he had nearly begun to overlook the fact that they were still there.

Armaris watched the chameleon silently for some time as all of this occurred, her arms crossed in concern for what might be happening. "Espio…?" she questioned softly, eyes intently locked onto him yet somewhat distant. He tossed her a glance that was significantly colder than any expression he normally wore, saying nothing to her as he did so. Then looking away, he started walking toward the battlefield. Once Armaris made the realization that Espio was doing this, she let her mind go once more and followed him. She had _no_ intention of letting these demons get away with ruining what was once her home. A short distance up ahead of her, Espio vanished, deliberately leaving her behind.

A quiet cough escaped the green hedgehog as he watched the two noticeably darker beings take off. _If I piss one of them off… might piss the other off. I'm in no shape to be fighting one of them, much less both or potentially them and Kaden at once._ _Who fucking knows…_ Accepting whatever fate might come to him, Steam picked up his sword and began walking. "Where the hell are you, Kaden?" he asked, mostly to himself. Almost as though in answer to that, a tightly controlled explosion rocked a nearby section of the woods. The energies it was comprised of were distinct and unmistakable, giving clear proof of where the God currently was. Steam groaned and rubbed his face with his hand. _Yeah, fuck you, too._ Using the adrenaline high his body was still experiencing, the hedgehog launched himself in that direction, body aflame as he approached.

Kaden sat high in the branches of a burning tree, idly watching events unfold down below. A crater now marred the landscape where that explosion had taken place, leaving behind no trace of the buildings he had just attacked. There was no real way of knowing how many people might have just died, but the number was likely significant. A whole section of the village was simply _gone_ now. His attention soon strayed from that matter, however, when he noticed Steam's approach. _Interference… always interference._ His calm demeanor bled away into a continuation of his earlier annoyance and he stood up, sword in hand, before dropping down to the ground far below.

"Asshole," Steam growled, tightening the hold on his sword as his body filled with Light once more. As much as he would've loved to have the chance to attack Kaden first, he needed to be more properly defensive for once in his life. He was starkly aware of the fact that this may be his last fight, or that these may be his last _moments_. Or a morbid combination of the two.

Without a word, Kaden vanished from view. He reappeared behind Steam and struck him down into the ground with a fierce strike to the back of the younger man's neck. Steam felt the shift of his spinal column, allowing his magic to flow through his body and support not only his bones, but his muscles, and everything inside of him. He rolled back to his feet and used his fire to slide his body forward and slash out with Light, a fierce expression on his face. Unwilling to suffer the agony that a burn from such energy would grant him, Kaden made quick work of dodging the attack and then retaliating with a powerful explosion of Darkness directly under Steam's feet. At the same time, he appeared beside the green hedgehog again and slammed Steam down again, this time via a violent stab through the chest.

Steam let Light explode from his body the moment he felt the stab, attempting to push Kaden away and stop the Darkness under him. Even now, he was already letting himself overflow with Light and driven almost solely by adrenaline. Hissing under his breath in a combination of irritation and brief pain, Kaden leapt away for just a second. This boy's Light was _vexing_ , though not at all to the same extent as _hers_. Even so, he wanted nothing more in this moment than to _destroy_ it utterly and rid himself of its presence. A growl escaped Steam's mouth as he stepped forward, an intense anger burning through the flames around his body. "You continue doing this shit after what the love of your life has spent all of _her_ life caring for you!" Whether or not he was able to follow Kaden's thought process was unknown, but all he knew currently was that this fight was going far worse than he'd expected it to. "You _trapped_ her and she's still _alive_! You just don't give a shit anymore, right? Or am I wrong, because you obviously still fucking care about Sonic and Shadow?"

Those glowing eyes narrowed and, without warning, Kaden flung his sword at Steam. It embedded itself into flesh and bone terribly close to several vital organs. "You know nothing," he muttered darkly, his demeanor now shifting entirely away from the one of calm and relative mellowness that he had been displaying before.

Steam ignored the agony this sword brought him as it drove deep into his body, grabbing it by the handle and ripping it free. "Then tell me what I don't know, bastard! Or am I close enough to the truth that you don't want to admit anything?" His anger shone through his words as he took another tired, yet determined step forward. Kaden felt no need to explain himself to anyone, much less to this fucking _idiot_. He used his Darkness to wrench his sword out of Steam's hand and bring it back into his own, flicking some excess blood off of it in a harsh motion as he watched Steam move closer. Steam had to force himself to stop where he was for the moment, already knowing that he might have pushed himself too far. Despite this, he felt something deep inside him say to keep fighting. Potentially it was his stubbornness, but he didn't need to be told twice to follow through. He let his golden magic flow around him, his anger slowly ebbing as his body's energy did. "In my timeline, I trusted and loved you like a father. In this one _and_ my own, Sonic and Shadow do as well. Analia loved you like nobody I have ever met, and _still_ cares. Yet you leave her in such an awful state that _surviving_ is the only goal she should possibly have from day to day. It still bothers me that you, someone who was so _good_ , would _do_ that."

In that moment, there was a surge of energy and a rush of wind. It was impossible to say for an instant or so just what was happening, but the _second_ that steel met steel with a harsh, clanging shriek it became clear. The shimmering white metal of Alkarus struggled mere millimeters from Steam's throat, having only _barely_ managed to block Saika's stab in time. Then there was a small explosion as the two swords separated, throwing both Jet and Kaden backward. They both landed on their feet, glaring at each other harshly. Steam however, was thrown back with no physical capability of landing, only saved by two very careful and gentle hands. The hedgehog immediately recognized the hawk holding him and gave the weakest of smirks, only for Sein to grimace and turn his head quickly. "Alana! Get the kid out of here!" he called quickly, creating a barrier of aura around the two.

Alana, who had already begun to focus on damage control elsewhere, appeared beside her husband in a flash. She took one look at Steam and Kaden, then nodded once. "I will guard him while I eradicate the demons," she murmured curtly, bending down to heft the hedgehog up. She tossed their son a look without comment. She trusted him to be able to handle this, and if not… well, she assumed that was what Sein was staying here for. They would be fine, and as such she vanished and left them to it. At about the same time, Jet and Kaden clashed again several more times, causing explosions to rip apart the area around them each time their swords met. The last of these explosions had the same effect as the first, sending them both skidding backward on their feet until they were able to catch themselves and stop the momentum.

Sein used this opportunity to rush in, claymore slashing out in a dangerously powerful arc that sent forth a blade of pure aura that threatened to tear into the air itself as it soared. Immediately after this, he lunged out with a quick punch filled to the brim with aura. His punch was blocked almost casually with an upraised arm, then Kaden whirled and kicked Sein in the side with enough force to create a shockwave. At the same instant, he hurled a torrent of flames at Jet to force him away when the younger hawk started to move forward again. The blue hawk skidded to the side several meters, gritting his teeth lightly as he watched Kaden momentarily. His attention briefly shifted to Jet in mild concern, but he didn't let himself dwell on that. _He's my son. I believe in him._

A surge of immense wind blasted the flames away into near nonexistence and, just like that, Jet and Kaden were violently fighting again, moving about with so much speed and frenetic energy that they could barely be tracked by most people. When they broke apart, Jet gave into a flare of anger and snapped, "Where is he, Kaden?! Where the hell is Sonic?" As he spoke, he clutched at a fresh slice wound across his left side.

His head canting slightly, Kaden murmured back, "I don't know… or care." Then he added rather casually, "But he is alive, if that is what you are _so_ concerned about." Jet managed to glare even harder than before, somehow.

The blue hawk's eyes widened a margin, several realizations hitting him at once. "Hold the fuck up." He walked forward. "That's _Kaden_? You turned into _this_?" Sein seemed incredulous, even a touch pissed for a moment. Kaden's gaze slid over to Sein, not a trace of recognition in his eyes and no emotion visible on his face.

Honestly, Jet would have growled if he could have. "Not willingly," he muttered, "but... yes. That's him." Kaden had never given himself to any of this of his own accord. This had all been _forced_ upon him. It was an important distinction, one he felt _had_ to be made… even if now was not exactly the best time for it.

"I'm not finished yet, so hold on a moment," Sein responded, walking forward more. Glowing demonic eyes watched in silence. Kaden crossed his arms, almost amused as he watched them. For the moment, it was that amusement and nothing more that was keeping him from attacking again. Sein glared _hard_. "Here's the thing that would have bothered me more than it even being _willing_. How can you not care where your _kid_ is? That's your _blood_. That's the life that _you_ helped bring about!" Furious fists clenched tightly and aura flared intensely. "I can't even fucking _fath_ -"

Steeling his nerves against any possible verbal backlash that might be coming (damn Ross and his lingering influence, truly), Jet cut in... by using a term he had once hated uttering for any reason. "...Dad."

Sein's voice caught at this, his anger entirely fading in lieu of extreme concern. That was when he realized what he was doing and glanced away. "Sorry… just… sorry." His aura didn't fade though, a testament to the righteous fury he felt at the thought of a father acting in that manner.

Jet shook his head, dismissing the apology and changing the subject. "Someone needs to check on them," he said quietly. "...Sonic and the others." Kaden raised an eyebrow vaguely.

"I'll do that…" Sein turned to leave, then glanced back. "Be careful, Jet." Jet winced, almost as though he _knew_ he wouldn't be able to do that. "You're my kid, and I love you." He didn't wait for any responses, blurring out of sight immediately after.

 **~保護者~**

It was only after much of the writhing tide of demons had been pushed back that Alana was finally able to return inside of the building where she had set Steam down several minutes before. Stabbing her sword into the badly damaged wood flooring, she approached the wounded hedgehog and knelt down beside him. "I asked you to put pressure on this," she muttered, brushing aside some cloth that had been laid over one of his stab wounds. "You will bleed out if this is not tended to."

"Haven't been able to… really move much." Steam murmured softly in response, faintly chuckling. "Kinda got the shit beat out of me, as if that wasn't obvious enough."

"If you could not do what I asked, you should have said something," she huffed, moving one of her hands to begin applying adequate pressure to the wound herself.

"I thought I could, then I couldn't."

"And that rendered you incapable of speech?" was the smooth reply, no trace of anger in her tone. But, also, there was little amusement to be found. It was just cool, calm, collectedness, the very same kind her parents so often displayed in these sorts of situations.

Steam chuckled a little more in response, wincing faintly. "You kinda remind me of Tara… Just a little, but enough for me to find it funny despite me kinda… whatever my current state is."

Alana glanced at him with a slightly upraised eyebrow, but didn't immediately respond. When she did, she spoke while standing up and allowing the cloth to fall. "...Wait here. I believe I have something that will help." Saying nothing more, she turned and walked over to a small bag she had brought along with her and then at some point dumped in a far corner of this room.

"I'll try not to die in the meantime," Steam responded simply, resting his arms on his chest.

"You are too similar to my husband for your own good," she sighed. "Always rushing into danger with no thought to the consequences…" She grabbed the back and dug around for a second, retrieved a small vial of Babylonian medicine from it. With it in hand, she walked over to Steam and knelt back down.

Steam's faint half-smirk, half-smile faded in favor of a concerned expression. "I knew the consequences of this. I accepted that I might die, and that held little in comparison to the things I might have helped. There was no way you guys would just ignore this, and even if you couldn't have shown up, the gods and goddesses would. The lives of people more important than myself were on the line."

Blue eyes looked at him intently for a long moment before Alana told him quietly, "You do not give the importance of your life enough weight," she murmured, looking down at the vial as she opened it up. "Your friends will need you to remain alive, Steam. You cannot ignore that."

About that time, his communicator received a small flood of messages from the friends of his own timeline. An alert was sent out regarding the critical danger his life was in, and they had apparently seen it. _So… I forgot to turn that off… welp._ Steam let his head fall back gently, ignoring the messages for the moment. "I'll respond to them when I can sit up."

"That would be _now_ , if you would so kindly drink this," Alana retorted smoothly. She hadn't necessarily intended to _use_ this medicine, given its rarity due to its ability to utterly heal a person entirely no matter their condition, but it was clear that this was a situation where its use was deeply warranted. Bringing it along wasn't such a silly idea, after all. They would all just have to be _exceedingly_ careful from here on... for that had been her only vial.

Steam almost scoffed, rolling his eyes and sitting up to take the medicine and drink it. "I'll join you in a second. Gonna let them know that I'm alive, not gonna die and all that."

Alana nodded once and stood, but said, "You need not join me, specifically. I can handle the riff raff on my own. It would be more prudent for you to find ways to help elsewhere." She walked back over to her sword and yanked it up out of the floor.

The hedgehog sat himself against a wall for a moment, nodding as he typed out a message to someone. The medicine acted quickly, and he pushed himself to his feet quickly. _God damn. Babylonian medicines…_ Steam shook his head and teleported away, intent on finding Armaris.

 **~保護者~**

Steam landed in what was now a clearing, several fallen trees littering the ground. Armaris stood in the middle of it, her Darkness flowing around her in a smoky, mist-like way. The air was the same way, a haze hanging in the area as a result of her increased usage of Darkness. The moment he arrived, the cat turned and bared her teeth with her sword held at the ready. Only when he made no movements in response did she realize that he wasn't a threat. "The fuck do you want?" she asked harshly, obvious anger burning in her voice.

The hedgehog sighed softly. "To make sure you're alright," he murmured softly, unsheathing his sword and spinning around to cut down a stray demon that had tracked him down.

Armaris didn't take kindly to him in the slightest, shifting forward in a threatening manner. "I don't need you watching over me. I can take care of myself," the cat hissed.

"And I'm only here to make sure that nothing else changes that, like Kaden-"

The cat snatched Steam up by the throat when he uttered the name, hand tightening in the hold. "Don't. Ever. Again." she warned, her red eyes visibly shifting. "You're tired. The fuck happened to you?"

"Fought him. He kicked my ass. Alana saved my ass. That was about the extent of it." Steam answered honestly, turning off notifications on his communicator for a moment. "Held him off long enough for three of the Immortals to show up, so that's good.

Armaris frowned noticeably for a moment before letting him go, before walking off. She was pissed, still, and needing something to take it out on. She would be _damned_ if she was going to let herself take that anger and use it on someone who didn't deserve it. Steam had proven to be a decent person so far, so he wasn't a target. _Wait… Why am I even contemplating that?_ She growled and scratched faintly at her head as if to chastise herself. Steam followed her for the time being, not intent on leaving her alone. His thoughts briefly wandered to Espio, wondering how the chameleon was doing.

It perhaps should never have come as any sort of a surprise that the single easiest way to track the chameleon down was by heading straight for where the worst of the fight (aside from Jet's clash with Kaden) was still taking place. There, Espio fought with his usual speed and lethal precision, but there was a definite edge to it all that hadn't been there before. The biggest indication of the change was the way he was fighting. As opposed to delivering one killing blow to each enemy, killing them off efficiently and without a second wasted, he was now taking the time to _brutally_ cut up each of his foes before finally ending their lives. There were many demons who had lost all of their limbs and had their torsos or backs (sometimes both) sliced clean open before finally being relieved of their heads, for example… and their corpses littered the battlefield, staining virtually everything in the vicinity a deep, dark crimson. He was so far only fighting demons, but there was no telling how much longer that would last. Especially since the evidence that he was escalating was so clear and so abundant.

The cat watched silently for a long moment as Espio fought in this manner, conflicted on whether to join him or not. Her eyes shone brightly for a moment as she walked forward, grabbing a demon out of the air and ripping it's head clean off with no hesitation. "Espio." Armaris called, tossing the demonic head into the face of another of the surrounding enemies.

Hearing his name, Espio landed on the side of a tree and looked down at her and Steam. He was rather soaked in blood, crimson dripping from his blade. "What?" he called back in obvious agitation. His gaze and voice were as cold as they had been before, if not even more so.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked calmly, silently observing the fact that some of the demons now seemed to be ignoring her. _Fucking hell. Pieces of shit think I'm one of them._ Espio looked away and idly flicked some excess blood off of his sword. Choosing not to answer her (because, really, the answer should have been _obvious_ and he wasn't in the mood to entertain such a pointless conversation), he instead briefly resumed fighting. He killed several demons in a fairly gruesome fashion when they lunged for him, then allowed their bodies to drop to the ground far below without a word. She raised an eyebrow faintly at him, then decided it wasn't worth it to comment on the matter. Instead of simply standing there, the cat unsheathed her blade and went to work with him, cleanly slicing through the demons that so much as looked at her.

Steam watched this whole display, unsure of what to do. The two were _both_ easily agitated by various things, and he had _no_ intention of pissing them off. The demons soon noticed him despite his attempts to hide his aura and presence, to which he responded by letting Light fill himself once more as he joined the fight. The sensation of that Light buffeting his senses made Espio grit his teeth in response to the previously foreign painful burning sensation that he felt throughout his being while so close to Steam's Light. He refused to move away, though, refusing to be driven out of the battlefield by something as stupid as a bit of pain. As such, he focused entirely on other matters… like cleaving the head off of some demon's shoulders. Then several shinobi leapt by him, pursuing a few targets of their own, and he found himself glaring after them. The urge to cut them down as well struck out of nowhere, but whatever part of him that remained in control stayed his hand... but only for now.

Armaris glanced over at Espio as she caught a demon's blade in her hand and struck her other palm against it to snap the sword in two, tilting her head faintly. She didn't dwell on this, throwing the piece of her opponent's weapon into its face and kicking the metal shard violently enough to send it flying straight through. Steam paused for a moment at observing both of these events, letting his Light fade out. The hedgehog was quick to punch a demon into the ground, then use the currently downed enemy as a projectile to crush a few others.

After ripping open several demons and then kicking them into the ground to let them bleed to death, Espio again watched as some villagers passed by him, Armaris, and Steam while lost in their own fights. He raised his arm in preparation to fling his sword through one of their heads, but for whatever reason stopped and slowly lowered his arm again. Then, cursing under his breath, he took out his sudden frustration on yet another demon. The creature soon lost all eight of its disgusting limbs (including some grotesque tail), had multiple massive tears cut into its body from all manner of angles, and was then kicked through several trees. A split second later, he sliced through its throat, nearly killing it but not _quite_. As with the several demons he'd fought before this one, he simply left it to suffer and die on its own after bringing it to that point.

Armaris winced faintly when a demon's darkness whizzed past her head, her eyes glowing hatefully as she stormed over and grabbed the demon by its maw, viciously ripping it's jaw open and then apart before beating the beast's head in with the removed part of its body. That was when she noticed her borderline feral growl, stopping in her tracks for a moment to fully stop that action. To distract herself, she briefly turned her attention over to Espio and watched the show before her. Before she could even realize it, she was enjoying what she saw.

Upon seeing the slow turn of the two dark beings' personalities, Steam put it on himself to _attempt_ to intervene. "Hey, Armaris! Mind helping me with something?" The cat turned and glared in agitation, making Steam temporarily believe that this had already gone sour before she walked over rather calmly. When she was near to him, after having blasted a demon into nothing more than a grotesque blood splatter, he whispered, "Go fight alongside Espio. Try and see if he'll talk to you about something. We need to gauge how far gone he is… or _isn't_." Armaris groaned audibly, smacked him across the face, then stalked off and vanished to appear near Espio.

At about the time she showed up, Espio was abandoning another demon to die in the dirt somewhere amidst the trees. He had brutally kicked its skull in after having stabbed and sliced it multiple times, but after that point he had seemingly lost interest in favor of fighting a more exciting opponent. The drive his ancestors had to constantly test their mettle against powerful foes was hitting him _hard_ right now. Armaris decided to pursue him, taking to the trees and eliminating riffraff that dared be near them. "Hey, Espio. Remember that time I took your sword and ran around the village, refusing to give it back?"

Frowning noticeably, Espio tossed her a glance. He felt a random spike of anger over the memory and muttered a simple, "Yes," as he stabbed a demon through its skull and then kicked it away.

"Do you also remember right after that when you convinced me to give it back and we relaxed to watch that sunset?" she asked, tilting her head faintly to watch his reaction. This time, he scowled at her and refused to answer, choosing to resume focusing on killing the demons that were still - stupidly - swarming them. Then, once there was a lull in the fighting, he took a second to uncomfortably shift his sling. His left arm was tingling again all of a sudden, and he did not enjoy the sensation at all. "I still remember that sometimes, when I'm just out on my own doing things. Meant a lot to me that you sat there."

Doing his best to shut her voice out, Espio turned away entirely and dodged a lunging demon. As he tore open its throat with his sword he told her darkly, "I don't care." He ripped his sword free and gave it a small flick to get the bits of grimy flesh off of it.

Armaris raised an eyebrow. "But _I_ do. Doesn't that matter?"

Another glare was tossed her way, this one distinctly more hateful than before. "No," he shot back, clutching tighter at his sword. The urge to strike her down and make her bleed stabbed at him with sudden and nearly dizzying force, but for the moment he remained rooted to the spot. Whatever small part of him that was still in control prevented him from carrying out this idea, from escalating beyond the point of simply _desiring_ to do something as opposed to _actually_ doing it.

Before Armaris could say or do anything else, Steam threw himself at her and grabbed her, teleporting the two of them a short distance away. The fact that Espio hadn't been moving at all said a lot to the hedgehog, which was enough to allow him to ignore the fact that Armaris was currently trying to throw him against the ground. "Why the _hell_ did you do that?" she hissed, claws digging into his shoulders.

"Because he's currently trying to keep himself in control. With too much pressure, though, he might _lose_ that control and attack you. I assume that the last thing either of you really want to do is fight each other, much less potentially _kill_ one another," Steam explained calmly, setting a hand on the cat's shoulders. This explanation seemed to be enough to make her release him, but she still pushed him away and stalked off somewhere else. Steam sighed softly and rubbed his face with his hands. _Goddamn…_ With that, the hedgehog walked back to the area Espio was in.

By now, Espio had gone on the move again, killing demons with renewed anger and violence. He hadn't begun escalating beyond this point (to the point where he was willing to do these things to _people_ ) so far, but his ability to maintain that truth was rapidly diminishing. Overexposure to the Darkness this newest cluster of demons was letting out began heavily drawing out his own. Soon he was forced to stop for a minute, crouched on the side of a tree as he struggled to cope with the violent flare-up he was now contending with. He closed his eye tightly and shook his head a little as though in an effort to clear it, gritting his teeth painfully all the while. A faint but unmistakable aura of Darkness visibly faded into existence around him.

Steam walked until he was a short distance from the chameleon, frowning faintly. He didn't say or do anything for the time being, not sure as to what to do in this moment. As he thought, a particularly strong demon showed up and let out a blast of corrupted Darkness at the two. Without thinking, the hedgehog turned and absorbed the attack into his body so that it wouldn't affect Espio further. He gritted his teeth and growled angrily as the energy _certainly_ had an effect on his body. The sensation of yet more Darkness interacting in the area prompted Espio to finally open his eye again. He stood up stiffly, watching Steam for a long moment before simply returning to the battle without a word. "Hey, Espio. What's wrong with you? Why were you crouched down?" Steam didn't realize how awfully part of his question was worded with the demonic energies still within his system.

A demon lunged for Espio and bit down savagely on his good shoulder. He kicked it off with enough force to rip its head clean off. He then wrenched the jaws open and threw the head onto the ground with his wound already healing. The injury, however briefly it was there, caused more of his Darkness to rise all at once in response. There was a distinct edge to it that was detectable now that the energy was flaring up so much higher before. That edge was distinctly _demonic_ in nature, bearing some of the telltale signatures of Kaden's own Darkness. After all… he _had_ been stabbed by a weapon made of Kaden's Darkness, triggering this whole mess to begin with. Espio himself wasn't demonic, but his energies were absolutely worse off due to this situation.

After a long moment of tense silence while he tried to adjust to all of this, Espio gave a brief and angry reply of, "Nothing."

"That's bullshit and I know it," Steam said, crossing his arms with a raised eyebrow. It was only now that the hedgehog realized just how _badly_ he'd worded his statements, internally cursing himself for having not chosen a better course of action previously.

Gritting his teeth again, Espio turned to face him again. His eye glowed faintly from within (an effect of the demonic Darkness that had been forcefully injected into him, no doubt) and his expression was cold and full of sudden hate that he'd been mostly keeping a handle on up until about a minute ago. Grasping at only a couple fraying threads of control over himself at this point, he muttered a dark warning. "Leave or I will cut you down." He was only barely managing to force himself _not_ to slice Steam open there and then, and that control was rapidly dying out.

"Honestly, I can't," Steam explained, frowning as he tried to decide how to make this make sense. "I'm trying to make sure you don't lose control, and then I kinda… made it worse."

"Why?" Espio demanded, raising his sword a little. He eyed Steam intently, picking out points of weakness and general vulnerability in just a second or two and running various courses of action through his mind at the same time. He wanted to _hurt_ people... to cut them open wide and make them bleed. The desire was powerful enough to be nearly unbearable, and it was only growing worse the more that time went on.

Steam sighed softly. "The short version is that your Darkness has a high potential to seriously change your overall personality and thought process. If you lose control, you could attack, hurt, and possibly _kill_ people that you care about."

His assertion only made Espio's mood darken further. Several names and faces flashed through his mind, but no good thoughts or emotions surfaced in response to them. He almost immediately came to a simple conclusion. Shifting his grip on the handle of his sword, he told Steam harshly, "I do not _care_." He whipped around for a second to kill a demon that had intruded, but just as quickly returned his attention to Steam. Somehow, in that instant, the hatred he had been displaying before seemed to escalate quite a bit.

"Is that so?" Steam pressed, his eyebrows furrowing. "Because I recall you trying not to attack those other shinobi or Armaris. Was that supposed to be a show, or were you _actually_ trying to avoid hurting them?"

The _only_ reason why the sword that Espio hurled into Steam's chest in that moment missed the hedgehog's heart was because of a minor shockwave that rocked the area from some other part of the battlefield rocked this area enough to throw off the ninja's aim at the very last possible instant. It was clear, however, that that was _very_ much intended to be a killing blow. He internally cursed, glancing in the direction of the interference with another surge of anger. _Damned demons…_ Using a nearly invisible thread of energy, he forcefully wrenched his sword free of Steam's chest and brought it back into his hand.

Steam hardly even gave his wound any attention, groaning at the fact that he'd just been injured _again_ in a serious manner. "Fucking really?" he asked, lifting his sword (though not in a threatening way).

Most of the remaining threads of Espio's control were severed the moment he followed through with the idea to stab his former ally and he immediately went in for another attack. Faster than most could follow, he lunged forward and kicked Steam in the same spot where the man had just been stabbed, sending Steam hurtling backward through the trunks of several trees. He was back by Steam in a flash and, no longer trying to fight the urge to injure and kill, he dealt another deeply painful and borderline life-threatening blow. This time it was in the form of a wide slash that went diagonally up from Steam's left hip, up across his chest and stomach, and then up the right side of his neck. The wound was deep enough to where several organs had very nearly been cut, but the artery in Steam's neck had been avoided… very slightly. The reason for that little detail was deceptively simple. The desire to _hurt_ was just stronger than the desire to _kill_ for the moment.

The hedgehog hardly reacted for a short time to all of these attacks, Light slowly beginning to fill his body once more as he pushed himself to stand. "Oh, that _fucking_ tears it." Steam picked up one of the fallen trees, swinging it around him violently to take down several others and create a new clearing. There was _no_ way he'd fight Espio in a heavily wooded area. As he did all of this, Light practically radiated from his body in a dangerous way. Naturally, Espio was quick to move out of harm's way, adhering to the side of a tree on the very edge of the little clearing Steam had just made. He frowned at the sight of all this freshly open space, but ultimately said nothing about it. Saying nothing at all, in fact, he dropped down out of the tree. Steam's Light brushed like fire against his senses, but as with before he simply ignored the pain. Steam threw himself into the air immediately, letting out several waves of Light in various directions, all seeming intent on trapping Espio as one soared directly for him.

Without thinking, Espio released a wild burst of Darkness. It crashed into the waves of opposing energy, tearing them apart. He vanished from view at roughly the same time, reappearing directly behind Steam. A single sword stroke was all it took to slice the hedgehog's back clean open, then he again kicked Steam down with great force. Steam took the kick in stride, rolling back onto his feet and turning quickly, then teleporting forward and returning with a quick and powerful slash of his Light filled blade. Espio was quick to parry the blow with his own sword. Darkness crackled ominously around the blade. The outpouring of energy from these two opposite forces caused an explosion seconds later that he dodged effortlessly, coming to land neatly on the ground. Steam was pushed back, but otherwise fine as he had shielded himself well ahead of time. The hedgehog stood there, watching Espio intently.

Though he was more than ready to attack again, the feeling of a new aura nearby gave him pause. Someone was intruding upon their little scuffle, much to his disdain. It took but a second for him to recognize the aura as Sein's, and his gaze narrowed hatefully. But he stayed his hand… for now. He understood the Immortal's personality well enough to know that the man would not let this continue. This much was true. Sein stepped into the clearing with his sword drawn. "It's time this stops. Your fight is pointless, and nothing good comes of it. I ask that both of you sheath your weapons for now." Steam was reluctant, unsure of how _safe_ of an idea that really was before relenting and slowly sheathing his sword. Despite this, his eyes remained on Espio, ready for anything to come of the situation.

Though he definitely looked ready to continue fighting, however, Espio seemed to hesitate again for the barest of moments as though he was internally fighting himself again. A small voice of reason made itself heard in his head… though even that voice was weakening. _I can't… do this. This needs to stop._ After a long moment, a memory tugged at the edges of his mind, stubbornly making its truth heard. _This is… ...wrong._

Sein frowned at this, letting his body relax. "Espio. Please don't continue. I can't tell you what to do, but I don't want to fight you, or for anyone else to have to."

That little voice of reason returned, briefly drowning out the roar of dark thoughts that had been clouding his mind. Thoughts both good and bad bitterly clashed, with neither effectively winning over the other this time. In that moment he decided to leave. Almost too softly to hear, Espio scoffed… but, tellingly, he turned away instead of attacking again. Though it occurred to him that separating himself from those who might be able to somewhat help was not at all a good decision, he was too angry to care. And… he didn't trust himself not to cut either of them again if he stayed any longer. _Leave,_ he told himself, _willing_ his body to cooperate and ignore the again building urge to kill. In the span of maybe a single second, he had vanished into the trees back toward the mass of demons still destroying his village. At least _they_ could be slaughtered without worsening all of this internal strife…

Sein sighed once more, walking over to Steam and looking his body over. "Holy _hell_. What the fuck are you doing?"

"I made a mistake. A demon attacked and I absorbed the Darkness to prevent it from hitting Espio. Fucked up my mood and I ended up pissing him off," Steam explained, crossing his arms and shifting uncomfortably.

Sein sighed softly and set a hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. "One of the hardest lessons in life is learning that you can't do it all. When you try to do it all, one thing breaks apart and the rest crumbles down. Let others help, alright?" he murmured softly, tender eyes focused on keeping them both safe. Steam said nothing, moving to walk off quietly as his magic rolled off and into the air. The hawk watched him quietly, then set off after the hedgehog. He admired the tenacity of Steam certainly… but it seemed the hedgehog had bitten off more than he could chew. _It's easy to throw yourself into this position… but damn near impossible to maintain it alone._

 **~保護者~**

 **9,389 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! I promise, things may very well get _worse_ from here! XD Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help! Posted (at about 12:35 p.m.) 12-11-19.**


	48. Rampage

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these interconnected scenes… especially for the one who wastes no time.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! "How" indeed... Tails has mentioned that their goal is to save Kaden, but he's never mentioned how they intend to do that. Makes one wonder what the plan might be, doesn't it? Well, she and Kaden were critically injured back at the end of EotS. Everyone _thought_ they had died. Now we know that they had not. However, while the group has seen plenty of Kaden over the years, no one seems to have determined what became of Analia. No one, that is, except for Steam... who's lived through much of this before. Hope that helps explain things. :P Anyway, yeah, Espio's having a time of it trying to keep himself somewhat in check. There's no telling how much longer he'll be able to maintain control, which is... a _bit_ of a problem. *sweatdrop* Thank you for reading, as always, by the way! Your support means a lot and we always look forward to your reviews! Trust me, 10k isn't much of a grind for me. I pretty regularly make chapters that are way too long and have to break them up XD Still, I'm grateful that you appreciate our efforts nevertheless. Thank you again for reading, and I hope you enjoy this latest installment!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Rampage"**

 **~保護者~**

Sein quietly stopped himself and Steam along the way, sitting on one knee long enough to focus his aura and sense everything around them. He picked up on two particularly familiar auras, opening his eyes and standing once more. "Steam. Go to your left, towards where the main fight was. That Cream girl is there. Stay by her and help fight for the time being." Sein almost walked off, the stopped himself and cleared his throat. "And please try not to aggravate your wounds anymore. No more fights with people that kick ass, got it?"

A deadpan expression was all Sein got in response, Steam walking off in that direction without any resistance. Sending the hedgehog off on his own felt like potentially sending him into another situation that he'd try to help, but Sein felt it was the right move this time around. With that, the hawk blurred out of sight between the trees, allowing nimble movements to carry him to his destination. He appeared directly in front of Sonic, digging his sword into the ground to stop himself. His sudden arrival less than two feet ahead of him made Sonic jump and let out a little yelp that his brother _absolutely_ would have classified as "undignified". "The _hell_?" he asked once he caught his breath enough to speak.

"Sonic, yeah? Cool, good to see you. You alright?" Sein asked, pulling his sword out of the ground and sheathing it back within his gauntlet. He ignored the fact that he'd scared Sonic for the moment, more worried about the current state of the hedgehog.

Hand over his heart, Sonic let out a heavy breath. "I was a little _better_ before you scared me half to death," he groused. Then he glanced around Sein almost expectantly, as though expecting to see something. When he didn't see what he was looking for, he returned his attention to Sein and quietly demanded, "...Where's Jet? I thought I sensed you two come here together with his mom."

Sein glanced away. "Jet's fighting the God. Alana is helping maintain the hordes of demons. Jet asked me to come and find you guys to see how everyone is and what's going on."

Ears folding back in worry, Sonic asked, "Is he… okay?" Worry for his friend _and_ his father plagued him, but he did his best not to dwell too much on the latter issue for now. He still hadn't truly processed anything he'd witnessed and otherwise learned today, but as Shadow had told him earlier… survival had to be the main focus for now. Thinking could come later.

Sein frowned softly. "Honestly, I don't know. I want to hope that he'll come out of this alright, but…" The hawk sighed softly and began pacing. Sonic warily eyed the demons that Sein's presence had temporarily warned away. "I wanted to stay and help fight, but he asked me to leave…"

Though asking "why" was tempting, Sonic suspected he had some reasonable guesses as to what the answer to that would be. So, instead, he voiced a different concern. "I don't sense them here, though. Did they… Did they go _back_?"

"I… don't know," Sein answered honestly, rolling his shoulders. "I haven't seen either of them since I went searching for you guys."

Sonic pursed his lips together. _That can't be good… can it?_

"Hey, Sonic. Can I ask you something?"

Emerald eyes blinked twice, then Sonic replied, "Uh… yeah. What?"

Sein turned to him, blue eyes holding back what he could of his concern. "How did Jet grow up? His home life, in particular? Do you know?"

Normally, Sonic would have had two reactions to this question. One, defensiveness for Jet's sake, as the hawk seldom liked letting anyone know about his childhood. Two, utter _disbelief_ that he was being asked such a thing on a _battlefield_. But his second worry was _mostly_ allayed by the fact that Sein's mere presence was generally keeping the demons away from them. At least, momentarily. And his first worry… may have been somewhat unfounded. _This guy is his real dad. He's gonna find out, either way. And he has a right to know._ Sighing to himself, Sonic tugged at his ear a little in a display of his sudden nervousness. "...What's... he mentioned to you so far? Anything?"

"I heard of Ross. That was who Jet knew to be his dad. The man wasn't… 'very nice', as he told me," Sein murmured, eyes hardening faintly.

Sonic's eyebrows raised at the simplistic wording, but didn't comment on it. "That's… putting it lightly," he said carefully. "Ross was…" He trailed off, searching for a tactful way to explain any of this, then let out another - and heavier - sigh. "Look, this is probably gonna hurt like hell to hear, okay? But I'm gonna have to be blunt about it. There's not really a way to ease the blow."

The other man tensed at this, his aura flaring up faintly in a display of agitation. Not at Sonic, not at the situation, but at the fact that he couldn't be there to have _prevented_ it. Taking a moment to calm himself down, the Immortal let out a breath and motioned for Sonic to continue. "I need to know."

"Yeah. I figured." Sonic tugged at his ear again. "Ross was… an angry man. Didn't used to be, from what I've heard, but after the man's wife died something in him subtly snapped. It took time, but based off of what Jet's told me Ross steadily got angrier and angrier over the years. And when Jet was seven…" The hedgehog looked away, not quite wanting to see the fire of fury he expected would be coming. "That was when Ross hit him for the first time."

Sein's aura snapped back to life momentarily, slashing through the tree behind him and knocking the whole thing down. His fists clenched tightly, righteous anger filling his very being before he managed to quell it once more. "Sorry… just… continue."

"You're fine," Sonic assured quietly, still looking down. After a long moment he did as he was bid, saying, "It… gets worse. The slapping around pretty rapidly evolved into kicking, shoving, hitting with objects… you get the idea. Sometimes the beatings were so bad that Jet couldn't even pick himself up off the ground afterward."

Surprisingly, the hawk managed to keep himself… calm. It was plainly obvious within his eyes that hatred and borderline fury raged deep inside, but for now he was okay. He was calm. Sein took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Is there more?"

Sonic nodded once, very slightly. "Yeah. What Ross put him through wasn't just abuse. Though, there was a lot of that, and it wasn't just physical. He was verbally, mentally, and emotionally attacked pretty much daily, too." Finally, he forced himself to release his poor ear before he could hurt it from all the tugging. "Ross neglected him pretty severely, too. Stopped feeding him, locked him in his room or a closet or basement or pretty much wherever, didn't talk to him for days or sometimes weeks on end. By the time he and I met when we were fourteen, he'd become adept at prying the planks off of his window, sneaking out, and stealing whatever he needed on any given day to keep himself going. He could never be gone long enough to sustain himself _properly_ , but… it kept the edge off the hunger and stuff, I guess."

"Is that _all_?" Sein asked, a touch of his emotion slipping out into his tone.

"That's the basic run-down," Sonic murmured. "We probably don't have time to go into much detail about everything, or about the effects all of that had and still _has_ on him, but… yeah."

"I don't _want_ to hear any of that right now. Honestly, I can't handle it at the time." Sein's aura flared back to life around him, eyes glowing brightly.

"I didn't think you would," Sonic answered, keeping his voice level so as to not further aggravate the other man. "That's the other part of why I'm not telling you."

Sein turned away, then cast his gaze back to Sonic. "Stay behind me as we go, alright? I _really_ don't want you getting caught up in my aura."

Starkly reminded of the sheer destruction Jet had caused with his own aura in the past, Sonic wisely complied and moved in behind the hawk. "Yeah. Right." Sein spared no words in response, allowing his aura to surge outward in front of him and grab a tight hold of whatever demons came within its reach. They were swiftly reduced to nothing as the hawk walked forward with his claymore now drawn once more.

 **~保護者~**

As Sein had indicated, Cream was fighting fairly close by to where Sonic was. She was also close to Aku, Vector, and the semi-devastated remains of Espio's house, keeping both herself and the building within some barriers as much as possible. She worked on defending all three of them to the best of her ability. Things were going relatively well for the most part, all things considered. Demons were dying (as much as she hated to think about such a thing as death), she was mostly uninjured, what remained of her guardian's home was still standing, Aku was doing alright up in the tree, Vector was still alive, she was focused…

Until she wasn't.

A shrill screech _far_ too close to her head destroyed her concentration and caused her to double over in sudden agony. Her lapse in focus caused her barriers to drop as well, prompting her many adversaries to rush in for an easy kill. The enemies never arrived, all of them vaporized by a geyser of Light that surged upward and around Cream. When it all faded, Steam was crouched down by the bunny, a faint growl escaping him.

Clutching at her ears in pain, Cream forced herself to stand back up straight. Though she was wincing, she managed to offer a wan smile and a small, "Thank you."

"No problem. It's what I'm here for," Steam murmured, standing back up straight as well. He returned the smile gently, his gaze quickly shifting over the battlefield. The hedgehog blinked a few times, turning around momentarily before quickly scooping Cream off the ground and moving away with her. "We gotta get out of the way."

Sensing the incoming torrent of energy, Cream inclined her head. "Yes. I feel him coming."

Deep blue aura surged from the treeline, lashing out at demons so violently as to slice them apart with ease. Sein emerged amidst the whirling _storm_ of energy, launching powerful blasts of aura at any demon that was anywhere near being a threat to the people he was searching for. As he neared Steam and Cream, the aura faded down until it was nothing more than something like a barrier around his body, no longer a threat to anything living around him. "How are you, Cream?" he asked softly, his apparent anger having faded alongside his aura.

"I am alright," Cream murmured. The pain in her ears was fading, leaving them with a painful ring but nothing too terrible anymore. "Are you alright?"

The hawk gave a gentle nod. Sonic caught up at about the same time. "I am. A few things are bothering me, but outside of that, I'm relatively fine." In spite of her suspicions about his very last statement, Cream didn't pry. She gently removed herself from Steam's grasp.

Steam glanced around the area, frowning. "Seems like most of the demons ran from you, Sein."

Sonic's right ear flicked. "... _Yeah_ … I think anything with half a brain did. Aside from us."

"Don't sell yourself short, Sonic," Sein huffed faintly, turning to walk off in another direction.

This earned a slight scowl from the hedgehog, as that wasn't what he'd meant at all. _Must everyone take jabs at me all the time?_

Steam snickered softly at Sonic, heading after Sein for now. "Come on. With Sein and Alana around, we should all be a touch safer. And I doubt any demons will come back this way, seeing as Sein is heading from here."

"Nevertheless, I will remain here," Cream said. "I do not intend on leaving Aku alone to defend Mister Vector and the house." Sonic was briefly ready to argue, but wound up holding his tongue for once. He saw her point.

Sein gave a smile back to the bunny. "Not a problem. If you need any help, you can use your mental powers to get our attention." He chuckled faintly, his smile growing somewhat. "Be safe, alright?"

She returned his smile fairly readily. "Of course. You all be safe as well."

Looking around one last time, Sonic half heartedly assured, "We'll be fine." _...More or less... I hope._

"And you two! Stay sharp. Don't let your guards down until this ordeal is over. Even though me and Alana are fighting alongside you, we can't al-" Sein was cut off by Steam tossing a pebble at his back.

"Oi. Don't explain the basics of battle. I'm not daft, and Sonic's no pushover. We'll handle our own," Steam huffed.

Sein _oh_ -so wanted to comment on Steam's past performances, but fought every urge to do so and instead kept walking. "Alright, alright. Then, let me lead it off with one thing." Steam raised an eyebrow, and Sonic just watched, waiting for the man to speak. It took a long moment, as if he were just making it up on the spot before he said, "You can't go back and change the beginning of things, but you can continue where you are and change the ending whenever you please."

Steam was caught off guard by the sudden insightful statement, before he slowly nodded. "And that's what we'll damn well do."

 **~保護者~**

It was apparent when Jet's fight with Kaden truly began.

The auras the pair had previously been keeping under wraps exploded outward with enough power to snap even the most massive of the trees in the area in half. It was thankfully contained the the immediate area they were in, but the explosion nevertheless drew Alana's attention to the dangerous confrontation that was taking place. She narrowed her eyes in that direction, emotions plaguing her, yet soon forced herself to turn away. Though the fight her son was involved in would no doubt be terrible, she believed in him. He was her _boy_ , after all… That alone was enough to merit her unyielding faith in his abilities.

There was another reason for her willingness to stay put, too. Aside from all the demons she was currently fighting (truly, their ranks hardly seemed to diminish no matter how many of them died), there was a reason. An important one. And it was deceptively simple on the surface, at least to any outsiders who might have hypothetically learned of it. That reason was her husband, her partner. It was Sein.

For Babylonians, unlike many other cultures she had encountered, society was largely matriarchal. This stemmed from the fact that the first Babylonian to be created by the Faein was a woman - their people's first queen. Societal expectations had evened out drastically over the countless millions of years that their kind had existed, but some aspects of the once-extremely matriarchal society still remained with them to this day. One of those aspects tied into their biology as well, the way they were just wired to be. That one aspect? In family relationships, men focused on child-rearing while women focused on defending the home and those in it.

Some bits of this truth had shifted somewhat over time (for example, as they had grown more civilized, the need for mothers to constantly protect their homes from wild creatures and such had diminished), but nevertheless this truth did indeed remain _true_. However, it wasn't purely because of societal rules. Those rules had partially been established around the way people already _functioned_ , after all. So, while Sein really had no experience with parenting, she trusted his instincts - instincts that had been passed down from the beginning and honed essentially to perfection. He would keep their son safe. She knew he would.

Reminding herself of all of this helped Alana to relax. Her own instincts were badly riled up in this situation, screaming incessantly at her that she had to find a way to defend them both from every individual threat, but that wasn't feasible. In this situation, it wasn't even necessary. They could handle themselves… and they had each other. More than that, most of Jet's friends were here as well, adding an extra layer of support for him if he at any point needed it. He would be fine. _They_ would be fine. And with that knowledge, she rushed back into battle, her heart a little lighter and her fears fairly allayed.

 _They will be fine._

 **~保護者~**

Though Sein, Alana, and Jet, alongside the many other fighters available across the planet, had largely wrapped up the fight before they were forced to leave the battle behind and rush off to Mobius… Kath couldn't help but reflect that things hadn't been wrapped up quickly _enough_. So much devastation had been wrought in so little time that his home was scarcely recognizable anymore. He hadn't seen this level of destruction since the last major war between their people and the Therians when he had scarcely turned sixteen or so. It had been a _long_ time. The reminder of what it was like to experience such a thing was decidedly unwelcome.

Up until a few short minutes ago, there had still been demons everywhere. Those godforsaken beasts had been driven mad by all the death and chaos and hard begun charging him and the other survivors and one massive, frenzied cluster of bodies and claws and teeth. Forced to not hesitate, lest even more people wind up killed, he'd been forced to rush in despite the risk to his personal safety. Letting loose proved difficult due to him having only just been revived such a short time ago, but he managed to fight well enough to kill a large number of the demons on his own without sustaining _too_ many injuries.

It helped to have a magical - not to mention temperamental - wolf as a battle partner.

The rest of the horde bypassed them, heading for the palace itself. Or what remained of it. Hellfires had burned it nearly down to the foundations in some places. Much of it was still smoldering. The people who were still inside faced enough danger without being directly attacked as well. The demons appeared ready to capitalize on this distinct disadvantage. That would not do. Their foolishness was all the more reason for them to die.

Calling upon the energy that had so long ago been gifted to him, back when an ethereal being whose name he dared not carelessly speak had bestowed upon him the title as her soldier, the Soldier of Light… was incredibly difficult when he was so tired. The fatigue he'd been suffering since his revival had not ebbed like he had hoped it would. Sleep was likely necessary, but now was not the time. Concentrating his power, he unleashed a shockwave of Light that rippled through the ruins of the palace and its grounds, simultaneously healing the people it encountered and _smiting_ the demons who failed to escape in time. The few who did cheat death this once did not do so again. With sword in hand, he _ensured_ it. No more people were going to die here today.

Not while he was still breathing.

 **~保護者~**

Novei held Li in one arm, leaping through the walls of the palace to drag the wolf away from the sights that were _obviously_ causing him vivid flashbacks. The wolf had vanished for quite some time after the God of Demons set the realm of his forge ablaze, leaving nothing behind but a hellish inferno. She landed on the ground in a crouch, holding Li close and doing what little she knew to comfort him in this situation. She became starkly aware of a large demon closing in on her, setting the wolf down long enough to stand and elbow the monster with enough force to snap one of its legs off. She then proceeded to pick up said leg to beat the demon into the ground. No emotion came to her face, but she found herself vaguely smiling regardless. Destruction wrought by her seldom had much of an effect, but it seemed now was one of the times when it did. Her gaze fell back on Li, who was slowly pushing himself to a standing position. "Li. You are not well. I will fight."

"No, no. I'll be fine. Just… shaky."

The Therian woman walked over to him, kneeling down and setting a hand on his forehead. "Relax yourself, wolf." She then pushed him down to a sitting position before standing upright once more. A massive blade materialized in her hand, slashing out with such force that a shockwave exploded outward from the impact of the weapon on the ground. Demons were crushed by the wind from her swing, hacked into pieces by her weapon, or momentarily incapacitated by the sheer force of the shockwave. She dematerialized the weapon, turning back to see Li back on his feet and clashing with a demon. He held a sword of his own design. Novei watched as the wolf deftly twisted his blade, snapping the weapon of the demon and cutting its head off in a single, fluid motion. "I said to relax yourself. Do not make me force you down."

"Novei, we're good friends, and I get that you're protecting me, but I _need_ to fight right now. This is going to shit fast, and we've got no choice."

Novei tilted her head in confusion. "You have no need to fight. I am fighting."

Li groaned in frustration, not willing to try and explain emotion in this situation. "Okay, just… just let me fight for now, okay? Please?"

"Mm… Fine. I will allow it." Novei walked calmly, or perhaps with no emotion at all, toward another demon. The demon slashed her face, but hardly broke through her skin. Her fingers ran over the wound softly, regarding them with curiosity before deciding to return the favor. She swung her arm out, watching as her hand tore through the demon's body like butter. The wolf, however, fought with much more precision. He ran forward, expertly slicing through the weapons and bodies of any demon that was in his path with ease only attained through _years_ of practice. Novei cast her gaze back to regard Li's fighting style something swept her off her feet and launched her into the air. She was vaguely confused at this, her gaze shifting to glance down at the offending creature with a minute glare. The thing launched itself up at her, intent on tearing her apart while she was off the ground. It certainly didn't expect for her to catch it's claws in her bare hands, much less for her to twist herself so violently as to rip the beast's arms from it's body. The Therian then swiftly used the removed demon arms to send the body flying away into a horde attacking some Babylonians nearby. These things act as if I cannot fight in the air.

"Novei! Watch out above you!" Li called quickly, shifting his feet and throwing his blade. Novei looked above her and let go of the demonic limbs in favor of Li's weapon, blocking a slash from another demon that approached from above. She hit the ground with enough force to create a crater, causing her to cough painfully. A brief heat flared through her body as she pushed herself up, tossing Li's blade back to him and wrenching the demon's sword from its hand and violently tearing through the disgusting body of the foe. The wolf caught his blade in midair, frowning. _And she's annoyed… lovely._

 **~保護者~**

 _We thought we had suffered enough._

Pain was all the people of Mobius knew by the time Wave arrived on the burning planet from where she had been on New Babylon. The place she had for so long called home was woefully undefended, its inhabitants struggling immensely to cling to any vestige of life. Countless demons and citizens alike lay wounded, bleeding, dying, _dead_. Bodies littered every woodland, every lake, every road, every neighborhood, and every other conceivable place where they could be. Crimson stained what was one a pristine, _peaceful_ world. And with each passing moment, the ocean was only flooded further.

No matter what many outsiders thought, the Mobians were a sturdy bunch. Adaptable. Difficult to put down permanently. They had fought for their world before, and they had no qualms about doing so again. Though very few had any genuine combat experience, their natural abilities often made up for it. The ground cracked and shot up sharply in spikes. Water flowed, froze, and sliced. Plants spontaneously sprouted, grew, and ensnared. Fires raged, explosions roared, and smoke hid. Brute strength aided in tearing limb from limb. The list only grew. Demons perished in droves. But they were never the sort to die alone… trained, as they were, to drag their prey down with them.

Unable to take her eyes off of it, Wave surveyed the carnage surrounding her. As she flew, leaving clones of herself everywhere that she could in order to help defend the people, her gaze continually found itself caught by the many bodies that littered the ground far below. Some lay in the ruins of their homes or other buildings. Some lay in piles in the streets. Some lay alone and abandoned where they had fallen. Some smoldered in the Hellfires that so fiercely ravaged the planet's surface. So, so many had died… Whatever end had been in sight before, she recognized now that it had been naught but an illusion. Babylon may have been safe, but here… here, there was more hell to pay. More blood to spill.

 _We thought we had sacrificed enough._

Fresh activity centered on the The Great Northern Highlands, home of the isolated and reclusive ninja society that the chameleons had so long ago forged. A portal was opening high above the village of Hyale in particular, positively oozing with malevolent auras. Black and red energies swirled together as the horned snout of a massive creature started to emerge. Thousands of smaller demons poured out all around it, diving for the burdened village with riotous screams and roars and bellows and just about every other sound one could conceive of. All the while, the much larger demon continued to slowly move forward and out of the portal, revealing itself more and more to the horrified world beyond.

By the time its vast red eye came into view, Wave had had enough. Flying in low and fast, she conjured up every ounce of magical power that she could muster from within. Glowing golden markings wrote themselves upon her body, filling the air around her with a soft and almost gentle light. But there was nothing gentle about the threat she intended to _finish_ here in this moment. She picked up speed, binding demons hundreds at a time with her magic as she shot past them. As she flew, she ripped them away from any and every place where they were, taking no heed to whose fights she was interrupting or specifically whose lives she happened to be saving at that time. There were other things to worry about.

Scarcely a glance was spared when Wave tore past Sonic and Cream, nor was a word spoken between them in the instant she was there. More demons rocketed past the pair in her wake, soaring after her as she altered her trajectory and started speeding into the sky. Gathering her captives up above her, she cast harsh and explosive hexes for every since one of them at once. The marks that represented her work wrote themselves upon their skin, fur, exoskeletons, whatever. It didn't matter. They were _there_ , and these demons were going to die… and send their summoner back to whence it had come. Glaring upward, she met the monster's malicious gaze. "You can have…" giving her finger a little twirl, she set every demon spinning like a volatile top, "...your demons back."

A single upward point of her finger was all it took. Trapped demons were flung toward her target by the thousands, each exploding violently on impact and killing the demons' whose bodies had been the catalysts for those explosions. Enough force was produced to jerk the massive demon's head up in a manner that caused it to bare its lethally sharp teeth in pain. A low, guttural roar sounded from that same head as it began slowly retreating back through the portal for now. As it withdrew, the portal began tightening shut around it, cutting off the flow of smaller demons and eventually allowing it to escape entirely. The few demons who didn't explode when hitting it did so in open air. And Wave… Wave still had work to do. There were people who still needed to be protected. Lives that needed to be saved. Waiting around was a luxury no one had.

Turning away from the destruction she had wrought in the sky, Wave teleported to the next source of dire of trouble.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,052 words this time. Hope y'all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help! Posted (at about 9:10 p.m.) 12-14-19.**


	49. Hell Rising

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) throughout this tense negotiation of sorts… especially for the one who has a decision to make.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, go Wave! As far as how they're gonna bring Kaden back... who can really say? It does seem to be implied that there is _some_ sort of a plan being formed, but will it work? Guess you'll just have to wait and see. ;) Haha, yeah, and as soon as I said that I was hit with writer's block. *sweatdrop* Sorry about that... Hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait. And thank you very much for your kind words. I appreciate you just the same, and always look forward to your reviews. Also, hope you had a wonderful Christmas!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Hell Rising"**

 **~保護者~**

Jet clutched his sword tightly in his hand, keeping it held at the ready. His thoughts briefly entangled together in a dark mess, only unraveling when he forced himself to calm down. Still, one thought stuck and refused to fade until it was acknowledged. _The dumbass had better keep himself from being killed._ Kaden had said that Sonic was, in fact, not dead yet, but… while Kaden had once been an honest person overall, these days that was not so. It was unlikely that Kaden had _actually_ killed Sonic, however, but even still. Jet intended to make _certain_ of the truth as soon as possible. Once his father was well out of hearing range, he drew Kaden's attention back to him. His inability to sense Sonic anywhere prompted him to mutter, "He had _better_ be alive, Kaden."

The dark man titled his head slightly. "Is that meant to be a threat?" he drawled.

"A warning," Jet muttered, shifting his grip on the handle of his blade.

Kaden's head canted a touch further. "Oh?" he murmured. Then, in silky, dangerous tones, he continued, "Consider this a warning to _you_ , then. Continue to stand in my way, and I _will_ find a way to kill you… _permanently_."

The hawk's eyes hardened at the warning. It certainly _was_ a warning, and no idle one either, considering they both knew full well that Jet _would_ continue being in Kaden's way. And, in fact… he intended to do just that here. A sizeable vortex of air roared through the battlefield toward Kaden without warning. He cast final fleeting glance in the direction Sein had left, hoping the man would find Sonic and the others sooner rather than later. Then, refocusing on the enemy before him, he shifted his sword a little in his hand to help force his muscles to loosen. This tension… this stress and this fear… it would only hinder him. Emotions were only useful when they were banished. At least, in situations like this. Right now, he needed to not feel… and to be ready to give his all.

He refused to kill Kaden. He _refused_. Still, the man needed to leave this place. _Now_. The problem was that _forcing_ him to do anything was practically impossible. But it was his duty (by the very virtue of having been born with the responsibility) to _do_ the impossible. And so he would... somehow. "Finished here, then?" he inquired coolly, all emotion bleeding out of him as though some sort of an artery had been cut. "Or do you intend to raze the whole of this world until nothing remains?"

Kaden's answering snarl was expected, but quiet. "I have no reason to leave it standing," he muttered lowly. As soon as he finished speaking, he did what Jet had suspected he would and attacked. He disappeared in a dark blur of motion, rushing forward with his sword poised to strike and glowing eyes narrowed with excruciating hate. Drawing in a quick breath to steady himself one last time, Jet lunged sideways just in time to avoid the stab. He whirled, watching almost as though in slow motion as Kaden did the same, allowing their swords to meet in a shower of sparks. Kaden briefly bared his fangs in silent irritation and hostility, then shoved forward with enough force to knock Jet back about half a step. The kick that soon followed couldn't be easily dodged at such close quarters, not with how fast Kaden moved, and the very act of dodging would force open Jet's guard. As such, he chose to take the hit and allow it to knock him even further back.

Visibly displeased, Kaden twirled his sword in his hand and paced closer as Jet gathered a flurry of wind and cold air around himself. Kaden appeared to ignore it, glaring hard as he softly accused, "You are holding back. You fear for the people here? Fight _properly_ , Jet, and _perhaps_ I will feel less inclined to kill them just now."

The currents of icy winds blasted outward into Kaden, forcing him to quickly funnel some fire around himself to avoid Jet freezing him in place. Meanwhile, Jet thought quickly. As with before, he knew that Kaden's threat was no idle one. The man _craved_ stimulating and exciting fights… preferably ones that created ample levels of bloodshed. If Jet couldn't keep him engaged enough, he could very well choose to go off and resume slaughtering others. But Jet couldn't go all out _here_. He needed to somehow get both himself and Kaden through the portal that still hung low in the sky above all of this madness… But how to do so without risking more lives?

There was no time to think. Kaden was upon him again, and Jet had to act fast to prevent his throat from being torn open. He parried the blow, then rushed forward with a burst of aura energy. The explosion he let loose was contained enough that the semi-nearby people he could sense were in no way threatened, but the energy was still so concentrated that when unleashed it properly slammed Kaden through some trees and into the ground. A split second later, the pair of them were trading sword strikes faster than mortal eyes could follow. Each meeting of their swords was answered by a harsh clanging screech, sparks, and small explosions. The force of their slashes caused them to bounce off one another, keeping them in constant motion as they fought to overpower and outmaneuver each other.

Neither made progress on that front for up to about thirty seconds but then, quite unexpectedly, a stray attack from down below shot in between them. Jet was granted less than half a second to react, and he took the opportunity as it came. A particularly fierce strike with his sword, fueled by deep reserves of aura energy, once again sent Kaden crashing through the burning forest surrounding them. Kaden caught himself in no time flat and hurled a vast array of fiery blasts in Jet's direction. Teleportation was difficult to do during fights like these, simply because he knew he needed to save his energy for attacks as opposed to this, but now was simply not the time to be picky about that. Being struck by so much Hellfire in such rapid succession would do a lot of damage, and he simply couldn't afford that. Once Kaden was off of Mobius and was no longer so hellbent on the world's demise, then it wouldn't matter so much. But as it stood now…

Jet teleported away and landed right behind Kaden. The other man knew he was there, of course, and there was a growl in his voice as he turned and faced him. They didn't speak this time. There was no real need, and it wasn't as though they desired conversation. Their attacks came swift and strong, resulting in another series of explosions. These ones were somewhat larger than before, each tearing branches off of trees by virtue of shockwaves alone. This rattled some demons that had been hidden within, and they dove for Jet without refrain. Jet was momentarily forced to defend himself against them, which lent itself to Kaden this time being the one to take hold of an advantage when it came. Though he avoided wounds from teeth and claws, Jet found himself suffering a painful stab to the side. He managed to throw Kaden off of him almost immediately, but the damage was done. His wound was deep. But no wound was too severe for him to ignore right now.

More clashing, more ricocheting off of one another, more explosive impacts, more injuries. This time, however, Jet wasn't the only one who was cut. He sliced a thin line across Kaden's hip, sending droplets flying up into the air. The scent of _his_ blood drove the many demons in the area away, for they knew as well as Jet did the stark increase in danger that had just been created. Wounding Kaden was never a wise idea. It just… happened to be necessary, sometimes. _Necessary… yet stupid. For anyone who values their own life._ Gritting his teeth, Jet flung his sword up just in time to block a decidedly brutal kick that had been aimed for his face.

The ensuing shockwaves ripped open a crater in the ground, but he only paid attention to the energy that had been birthed in that precise moment. Drawing it up into himself, he unleashed it in the form of a secondary shockwave. This succeeded in forcing Kaden to back off, but only for a second. With no trace of hesitation, the older man rushed back in, flinging Hellfire ahead of him as he went. Jet threw an answering torrent of wind at the fire, keeping it at bay for a precious couple of seconds that allowed him to leap out of the way. He threw himself back downward immediately afterward, forcefully slamming his sword into Kaden's. The two struggled for a breath, then broke apart again.

The smoldering husk of one of the great trees fell between them as Jet rapidly scanned the area for a safe means of retreat. He was utterly _surrounded_ by fire… and while his previous terror toward the element wasn't as severe as it had once been, it persisted enough to make his heart pound. Tension returned to him in waves. But there was no time to escape. Kaden split the tree apart with a single kick, sending debris flying all around. Jet resisted the urge to shield his face from the bits of fiery wood, choosing instead to pull out whatever trace amounts of water remained in the plants and air around them. Before Kaden even had time to lower his leg, Jet had smothered enough of the fire to jump to safety.

Predictably, Kaden followed. Though this brought them somewhat closer to a cluster of survivors from the village, Jet didn't fret over it. At least… not this time. Because _Sonic_ was near them. _Very_ near, in fact, and Kaden would _not_ harm his son. It was why he had been holding back to such an extreme degree… despite having chastised Jet over the same behavior. Kaden was _brimming_ with intensely violent urges, it was apparent through the extreme agitation in his aura, but he wouldn't risk Sonic's life. That was a fact which could be used as leverage… as much as Jet absolutely _detested_ having to use his friend's _life_ as a bargaining chip.

Despite being well-aware of the extraordinary risks involved, Jet edged closer to Sonic, watching as Kaden's eyes narrowed hatefully once he caught on to Jet's little ploy. Still, his voice was quiet, even somewhat eerily calm when he spoke. "Using him as a shield now… is that right?" he murmured darkly.

"No," Jet returned. Taking another huge risk, he glanced over his shoulder to check the position of the portal in relation to himself. It wasn't giving off any energy signatures of its own, meaning he would have to keep track of it by sight alone. That could prove… problematic. Best to keep Kaden talking for a second while he worked out how to get them closer. They were still too far away. He returned his gaze to Kaden, whose grip on Saika's handle had tightened substantially. "Keeping him close… seemed the best way to convince you to listen."

Sharp fangs bared for the briefest of moments before the demon before him retorted derisively, "I am _listening_ , Jet, to you _stall_."

That may have been true, though only partially so. Keeping an eye on that sword, Jet answered, "You want a genuine fight, do you not?" Kaden glared at him but, tellingly, didn't refute the claim. Jet dared to press on. "You snapped at me for holding back, Kaden, despite you doing the very same. We both know it is for _his_ sake and nothing more." Reasoning with demons was damn-near impossible, though not _entirely_ so. This was Kaden, after all… Once upon a time, he hadn't been a demon. He'd been a normal (albeit semi-Immortal) man, and a reasonable one at that. A sliver of his true self still remained in there _somewhere_ , lost and fading but always, always present. If he could just draw it out for even a _second_ …

Another angry twirl of that black blade, spinning in swift, lethal circles. "Make your _point_ ," Kaden growled. He looked ready to strike again in an instant. There was no doubt that he was. The fact that he had stopped fighting for even this long was a miracle… and no random one, either. Whatever his reasons for forcing an encounter with his sons, the reunion had had an impact he had not been planning on. One he hadn't accounted for in his otherwise rather flawless plan. One that was no doubt the source behind a great deal of his unusual agitation. The presence of his children had been jarring and, to some slight degree, had awakened that slumbering piece of him that Analia's Light had been for so long fighting to keep alive… the part of him that was truly _him_.

That awakening had rattled him, thrown him off-balance, and Jet could _feel_ it in the man's aura. It wasn't even that Kaden was specifically letting on to any of this, though, but more like… Jet simply knew what he was looking for. And how to find it. Exploiting his knowledge wasn't something he _wanted_ to do, but… in this situation… he could see no other path forward. "My point," he responded evenly, "is that he is not _leaving_ , Kaden. He will stay and fight until his dying breath if that is what it comes to. You _know_ he will." His words only made Kaden frown deeper. He took his eyes off of Jet for the barest of moments to glance in Sonic's direction. A good sign. Jet pressed his slight advantage as hard as he dared and suggested carefully, "He is not leaving… but _we_ can." Kaden growled at him… yet didn't immediately attack or otherwise refuse. This was further evidence that Jet's suspicions were correct - that, perhaps, Kaden could be to some extent swayed in this moment.

That made these coming seconds crucial.

A familiar aura came hurtling through the area, slamming through a burning tree and into the ground to come to a halt shortly after. Sein collected himself out of the dirt, in pain though he was, and glanced over the two figures before him. Both Jet and Kaden were watching him in mild and unspoken surprise, neither speaking and neither making a move to interact with him just yet. The hawk noticed that neither was fighting… _currently_ , but soon noticed the telling signs that they certainly had been. Deciding to make the first move in engaging, he stepped forward and glanced to Jet. "What's going on?"

The younger hawk warily tossed a look at Kaden, who watched them with eyes now narrowed in disdain. Thinking it best not to speak the truth out loud, Jet stated a simple, "Nothing." At the same time, he opened a mental link with Sein and explained as concisely as possible, _"No matter how he acts or what he says, he won't risk Sonic's life. That can be used to convince him to take this fight elsewhere. The chances of this working are slim, but I believe he is considering the idea - if only slightly."_

Sein didn't give a response, instead shifting his gaze to Kaden curiously as if Jet had said nothing. "So… what's happening?"

As it so often did, Jet's mind took a literal route when trying to come up with an answer to the question it had been presented with. Still, stating the obvious fact that it was a fight was both pointless and annoying, so he refrained. In fact, he chose not to answer at all as he closed the mental link, chiefly because he wasn't sure how best to do so. Too much of his focus lingered on Kaden, who seemed to have finished mulling over his own thoughts and was eyeing Sein in dark silence. _Will he attack again? ...No, that is the wrong question. Of course he will… but what else does he intend to do?_

The blue hawk shifted a bit uncomfortably, standing a bit straighter. He lifted a hand and a thread of aura launched from his palm, attaching to his dropped sword and launching it back to him. He let the end of the blade rest lightly against the ground as he watched Kaden for a long moment. "Can I ask you a question?" Glowing eyes stared at him without a word, with no expression or emotion to be found. It was seemingly a good change from his earlier anger and outward hostility, but those feelings were only gone on the surface and Jet knew it. "Did we ever meet in this timeline?"

There was another half-second of silence before Kaden answered flatly, "No." Jet watched the exchange in unshown confusion, recalling how earlier Sein had reacted to hearing Kaden's name… as though the two had met before. Which meant that they had. Just not _here_.

"I remember meeting you in my timeline…" Sein's eyes briefly grew distant as he spoke, pain glaring into his eyes as he spoke. "It was a horrible time, but you were a great man. Someone I was honored to have met."

Speaking plainly and truthfully, Kaden told him in dark tones, "I do not care."

Sein frowned visibly. "And I don't care about that, what I'm wanting to say is that you're putting your _kids_ in danger. I can tell you'd rather not hurt them, but fighting _here_ is going to do exactly that."

A sudden growl erupted from the hedgehog's throat and he bared his fangs again. "I do not _care_ ," he repeated, more forcefully this time. But as with earlier, Jet noted that Kaden _still_ wasn't making any moves to continue fighting just yet.

" _Bullshit_ ," Sein countered quickly, his grip tightening on his sword. "Then why the hell haven't you come and cut me down? Why aren't you razing this entire place to the _ground_? You have had more than enough chances and you don't fucking _do_ it!" His aura flared angrily, surging around and behind him momentarily.

Once provoked, Kaden hit the older hawk with a hard blow powered by pure Darkness, sending the other man skidding away for the moment. Then, before Jet could do more than start to shift out of Kaden's path, he was also sent flying. He crashed backward into a tree, toppling it over as corrupted energies crackled painfully around him. "Dammit…" he muttered under his breath as he stood up. Why was it always one tiny step forward and two massive steps back with these things?

Sein stood tall the whole way through this his eyes shining with aura. "You _still_ hold back, Kaden. You _can't_ hide it."

In a fraction of an instant, the tip of Saika's blade was digging sharply into Sein's throat above the jugular, hard enough to draw blood. "His _presence_ ," he growled softly, "will not prevent me from _killing_ you."

"Do it." Sein let his aura surge back once more, covering his entire body in the energy. "I'm _not_ scared." Taking Sein at his word, Kaden gave into bloodlust and ripped Sein's throat open wide. Jet unintentionally froze up at the sight, various flashbacks and painful thoughts hitting him all at once in response to the scene unfolding before him. Sein, in the moment this occurred, let out a burst of aura that ripped through the ground under them before falling to the ground. Kaden jumped out of the way, briefly satisfied with the kill - however temporary and ultimately unfulfilling it was.

Jet could only watch, knowing that Sein would revive soon enough and that if he himself got involved again Kaden _would_ escalate… thus undoing everything that had been accomplished thus far. Sein might have begun pushing too hard, but that _progress_ was undeniable. _Kaden may just follow through and allow this fight to continue elsewhere._ The key was just ensuring that that sliver of light within wasn't smothered out again by anything… anything at all. The problem was that there were so many potential triggers…

Their greatest hope lay in a speedy execution of this plan. As much as he didn't want to rush things or push too hard, there was simply no time to play it safe. Nothing about this was even remotely _safe_ to begin with. When it came down to it, he had a choice between one risk and another, stalling further or forging ahead. Both came with the risk of inciting further violence here and now and _not_ where Jet wanted this fight to occur. But if things were to go south, he would rest easier later on knowing that he had at least done _something_ as opposed to nothing at all.

In the end, he had no choice.

Gesturing widely to the carnage surrounding them, he demanded, "What is there to be gained from all of this? Are you _satisfied_ , knowing that everything your sons love and fight for, everything they have willingly risked laying there _lives_ down for, is turning to ruin by your hand?"

"What they choose to _care_ about," Kaden retorted, pronouncing the word slowly and with pronounced distaste, "is irrelevant. They would do well to learn that such foolish notions will only lead to their downfall."

"You want to protect them, don't you?!" Jet snapped, suddenly losing his temper for reasons he couldn't quite explain. "Do you not want them to remain alive?!"

"To lose your composure so suddenly is ill-suited for the mask you bear," Kaden murmured icily.

Suspecting this was meant to goad further angry responses from him, Jet clenched his jaw tightly and drew upon some measure of his earlier calm. "You are avoiding the question," he responded as evenly as he could manage. "I thought you did not _stall_ , Kaden. Or am I wrong?"

A groan suddenly escaped Sein as he rose from the ground, rubbing at his now fully healed throat. "That usually doesn't go so shittily…" Jet and Kaden both turned to face him, both of their expressions going blank with faint traces of surprise and confusion. He glanced between them both, blinking. "Why so surprised? It's not like I was gonna stay dead…" Sein picked up his sword and sheathed it within his gauntlet once more. A few more moments passed and his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Shit! Yeah, yeah. I know it was a bad idea, but I'm used to enemies backing off a little when you challenge them. Kinda catches them off guard, ya know?"

 _Idiot._ Giving his sword another twirl, Kaden huffed and looked away. It didn't escape Jet's notice that the man's attention strayed very specifically toward the rough area where Sonic was still fighting. But how to use Sonic's presence to finally convince Kaden to go elsewhere?

Sein's own attention veered in that direction and his eyes narrowed faintly. "Demons are crowding over there." He faintly glanced toward Kaden. "They're straying away from here, but it's putting that kid in a lot more danger. A bad stray attack…" He didn't feel it necessary to finish that thought. "Fighting here is pushing them all together more. I… don't want Sonic hurt, or possibly worse."

Almost out of nowhere, Kaden's tone took on a distinctly harsh quality. "You have no reason to _care_ ," he retorted, his gaze snapping back to Sein in an instant. There was a sort of fire in his eyes, a resurgence of his usual burning anger.

"Having no reason to care and _still_ caring is one of the strongest forms of love. People's lives matter to me, and I know _his_ does to _you_. You're a demon, but first of all a father," Sein's own eyes burned with intense compassion, and an overwhelming desire to protect. "If someone who has no reason to care about him will, who knows how much _you_ can? How strongly you would want to keep him alive?" Within seconds of this, Sein's head snapped up and he made the rash, split-second decision to teleport Sonic into his arms.

Sonic landed with predictable force and was momentarily disoriented. When his frazzled brain registered the change in scenery and the fact that he was staring up at Sein, he very quickly scrambled free. "The hell?!" he demanded as his usual, go-to response. Then he felt the two other familiar auras behind his back and whirled around to face them. Laying eyes upon the hate-filled eyes of his father, he froze and felt himself pale.

"Sorry… I, uh… felt that you were in danger." Sein scratched his head. "This was the uh… first thing that came to mind." Sonic didn't reply, not really having a voice at the moment.

Expression suddenly a touch grim, Jet moved between Sonic and Kaden, blocking the younger hedgehog from Kaden's view. "The choice is no longer yours," he said softly, tone full of ice. "Leave or I will _force_ you." Sein, too, stepped in front of Sonic, if only to shield him from anything that might occur if a fight broke out now.

"I seem to recall…" Kaden answered slowly, "that you have never been _capable_ of _forcing_ my hand."

"Your hand _is_ forced. If you fight now, Sonic's life _will_ be in danger. If you leave, you can fight all you want without the threat of your son dying," Sein murmured, hands clenching into tight fists.

 _My life?_ Sonic thought distantly. It was so unfathomable, so _horrifying_ to him that his own _father_ would even consider being the cause of his _death_ …

There was a third option presented to him, Kaden knew. Try though they might to willfully ignore that fact, these two could do nothing to _truly_ force Kaden to do what they wanted. He could just as easily remain where he was and kill them _all_ , no matter what they tried to say or do about it. And yet… that was hardly the most ideal choice, was it? Still, as a matter of principle, he refused to do as he was told. He _refused_ to be ordered around. He had always railed against authority and those who attempted to impose it upon him, and now was certainly no different. If they expected him to _obey_ , then they were to be sorely disappointed.

Right as the fight broke out once more, Sein quickly grabbed Sonic and thrust the both of them through the treeline. The hawk had no intent of letting the hedgehog get wrapped up in this over his mistake. In less time than it took for them to move, Jet and Kaden were back at it again. The impacts of their swords rang out over the other sounds of battle elsewhere in the area, harsh metallic sounds that made Sonic flinch each and every single time… and not just because of the noise. _They might kill each other… What if they do kill each other…?_ The idea of either one of these people, both of whom he cared about so _much_ , murdering the other sent fierce chills of emotional agony down his spine. It barely even occurred to him that he had been moved again. His body sagged against the smoking husk of a tree's trunk until he sunk fully down to the ground, unable to stand as the full weight of what was happening fell upon him once again.

Sein stood back up, creating a barrier of aura around Sonic to protect him for the time being as he rushed to join the fight. His sword was drawn and he was instantly in the fray as the two met once more. He let aura flare out of his sword to shove Kaden away from the two hawks, the same energy building up around his body once more. Kaden landed hard on his feet and launched himself back at Jet, causing them to clash so violently that a small explosion was created. The older hawk quickly wracked his brain for ideas to stop this scenario before quickly deciding on something. He swung his sword back and then slammed the flat of the blade against his other gauntlet with a blast of aura extending outward, carrying and amplifying the harsh metallic clang throughout the battlefield.

The effect of his sensory attack was instantaneous. Jet and Kaden both hit their knees, wincing harshly as they dropped their weapons and covered their ears. Their autism-related sensory sensitivities (differing in severity though they were) earned nearly identical reactions from them both. It caused them to be crippled immediately, unable to move or respond beyond internally fighting not to be overloaded with stress and pain and just generally feeling as though it was a struggle to _survive_ this moment… even though neither of their lives were actually endangered by what Sein had done. The older hawk's eyes teared up when he saw what happened to his child as a result, but he steeled himself and rushed over to Kaden. He quickly grabbed the hedgehog off the ground and spun before throwing the demon back towards his portal.

Though the sound hadn't completely died down yet, when Kaden caught himself on a tree some distance away, Jet forced himself to move. Snatching Alkarus off of the ground, he rushed toward the man. Pouring as much power as he could muster into his attack, he slammed into his opponent. The two of them crashed through the portal and into the citadel, busting through several walls and severely damaging the floor of the main room in the process. Kaden retaliated with a violent kick that sent Jet flying back into the aforementioned room, causing him to skid for a ways before a sideways impact with the side of Kaden's favorite seat forced the sliding to stop. Teleporting his sword into his hand from where it had been dropped near Sein's current position, Kaden began walking up to Jet for another attack.

Despite his own pain from the sound that Sein had unleashed, Sonic was on his feet before he could even think. Fear swirled, spiraling up from the very depths of his soul once he realized where his father and best friend had gone - and what they were likely still doing. He _feared_ for them both, feared what they might do to one another if someone didn't intervene… and he feared for his brother. Shadow was still _there_ , and he was unable to defend himself. Against a foe like Kaden… could Jet really be expected to fight for both himself _and_ Shadow simultaneously? In theory, it could be done, but…

Fear, more than any other driving force, propelled Sonic forward as much as it tried to hold him back. Sonic tore off toward the portal, pursuing the pair before things could get any worse - and he knew, logically, that they _would_ no matter what he did. Despite the whispering of that tiny voice of reason in his head, he didn't truly stop to think before leaping through the portal… doing his best to ignore the sinking feeling he got when it collapsed shut behind him. His attention was snagged by a far more pressing detail, anyway.

His brother wasn't where he was supposed to be.

He wasn't there at _all_ , in fact, Sonic realized with sharp dismay, and he wasn't the only one who noticed. Jet, who was pushing himself off one of the armrests of the chair Sonic had seen Kaden in earlier, scanned the room and seemed to tense when he did spy Shadow anywhere - or sense him, either. Kaden noted the disappearance as well with a subtle frown… one that almost seemed confused. His gaze lingered on the spot where Shadow had been left sitting, but only for a moment. Almost all at once, he reinitiated the fight with fervor, attacking Jet and forcing the hawk to retreat outside where there was more room. This left Sonic inside, drowning alone with his thoughts and that all-encompassing, soul-crushing, breath-smothering _fear_.

Everything was going so wrong. Hyale and all the rest of the Highlands were on the brink of destruction, only the second such disaster that the Chameleon civilization had ever faced since migrating to Mobius. Many of its residents were dead or dying, many because of demons but… just as many by Kaden's own hand. The attack Sein had saved Sonic from had wounded Aku greatly, and the dragon was old enough that recovering from such injuries would be… a struggle at best. Cream, too, was in serious condition - so serious, in fact, that Sonic had been forced to carry her into the house and leave her with Vector because she hadn't been able to _walk_ on her own due to blood loss and pain. Steam had nearly been _killed_ earlier, and the wounds he sported even now were no laughing matter. Tails was still missing, with no one having seen hide nor hair of him since learning about the Tornado-Z's crash.

But there was more. There was no telling where Wave was or what sort of state Babylon was in… and he was _sure_ that it was being attacked as well. Armaris was left heavily corrupted after her particular encounter with Kaden, and Espio was no better. In fact, his condition was arguably _worse_ , given how deeply he was losing himself to his Darkness - Darkness that already had driven him to do worse things than Armaris had so far done... such as brutally attacking Steam. And, to top it all off, now Sonic was stuck here of all places while Jet was alone in battling against Sonic's own father, despite sporting a host of his own injuries and quite possibly being outmatched…

Foolish though it likely was, he couldn't help but wonder how much worse things _possibly_ get.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,795 words this time. I am _so_ sorry that this took so long to upload, guys. Between the chaos before and during Christmas and my suddenly struggling with writer's block and lack of motivation, this just... was hard to write. I deeply apologize for that, but I hope you all enjoy the chapter regardless. And many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help. He was instrumental in getting this thing done. Posted (at about 1:50 p.m.) 12-31-19.**


	50. Crimson Sun

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this building confrontation… especially for the ones who fight for so much more than themselves.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Well, it's not that he doesn't remember. It's just that he's corrupted, so he generally no longer cares, unfortunately. It's very sad. And yeah, everything is going very badly for the group... very badly, indeed. I do wonder, though, if that was the plan _all along_. *evil grin* Lol, anyway, Happy New Year and thank you for your well-wishes! I hope your new year is wonderful as well!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Crimson Sun"**

 **~保護者~**

Nothing short of an explosion could succeed in tearing Sonic free of his thoughts. When one suddenly did just that, he about jumped out of his skin (and seemingly lost a little of his soul from fright, if he were to be perfectly honest with himself). Heart pounding with the lingerings effects of being startled - and from a healthy dose of trepidation and general fear - he clutched his sword and crept toward the hall that he, Cream, Armaris, and Steam had earlier used to walk into this place. That awful, _horrible_ outside world was waiting… and right now, it contained his best friend. Maybe even his brother, too. That meant that somewhere out there, he was needed.

Or… perhaps… he would only be in the way. Who was he kidding, of _course_ he would be. He couldn't even keep up with Shadow, and the guy didn't have any non-dormant powers to speak of! He certainly wasn't a _God_ or a freaking _Immortal_. But Jet and Kaden _did_ have powers, and incredible ones at that. They were not normal, average people with normal, average capabilities. People like them… were capable of utterly _redefining_ such unimaginative limitations. More than likely, in fact, they already _had_. So who was Sonic to try to jump into this fight? Who was he to think himself capable of lending a hand? He would only get himself killed. But there was no silencing the little voice in his head that whispered, _"This is what heroes do."_

A hero.

Once, he had dared to call himself one. That had been too many years ago now for him to count, more than he could really wrap his mind around but, despite all the dust that had settled around it, that truth invariably remained _true_. He had indeed believed himself capable of being a hero in the past. Could he… _should_ he try to look at himself in the same light in this day and age, despite how much everything - and every _one_ \- had changed? ...No. No, he couldn't. He couldn't, _because_ everything had changed. This wasn't a level playing field he was looking to jump into. He was so _vastly_ under-powered that he was little more than a flea to the threats he and his friends now faced. He was… _useless_. Which, of course, begged the question of… _What in the hell can I even do?_

Trying his hardest to quiet his raucous thoughts and quell the internal storm they were conjuring up, Sonic jogged up to the exit, stopped, and peered outside. As he'd expected, he couldn't see too much of what was going on, mostly just the occasional flash of steel, blurry afterimage, bright explosion, and so on. It was difficult to make sense of who was doing what or when or even specifically _where_ , try though he might to understand. In the end, though, he had to let it go and try to focus on other matters.

For one thing, it occurred to him he could search on his own for any signs of his brother. _Because, duh. I'm a fucking moron._ Pushing that little thought aside, he began scanning the ash, soot, and dirt covered ground for any signs of tracks blood, or the like. There certainly were footprints, he soon discovered, but… the only fresh ones appeared to be the ones he and his friends had made earlier and the ones Jet and Kaden had made while exiting the building. The rest were buried in enough material compared to these ones to have most likely been sitting there for a while. Which meant this was a bust. His search was over before it even started.

Another explosion, this one fiery and bright, drew Sonic's attention to the sky. Probably in about the time it took for him to lift his head there was another one, and then the ground trembled violently as Jet slammed into the ground, digging a deep gouge into it before coming to a stop at the base of a huge rock. Sonic was by his side in a flash, coughing and gagging on all the particles that had been launched upward as a result of the impact. Jet waved off his efforts to help him, however, and quickly sat up. Thankfully, he used his wind to clear the air as he did so, allowing Sonic's burning lungs and throat to relax some. He blinked some tears out of his eyes as he asked, "You okay?"

Jet was already on his feet again and picking up Alkarus. "Fine," he answered shortly. To Sonic, he seemed… distracted. Preoccupied, maybe?

"Where's-" Sonic didn't have the chance to finish asking that question before a familiar sense of dread and innate terror washed over him. Feeling a chill run down his spine, he turned to look over his shoulder just as Kaden walked back into view. As he had done earlier, he appeared to utterly ignore Sonic, focusing instead on the current sense of his ire. Namely, Jet. Only… after a few more steps, he suddenly stopped and looked… up? Confused, Sonic followed his gaze to the small, blood-red sun that hovered low in the dark, hazy skies overhead. _What's he…?_

Suddenly and inexplicably, Jet appeared to relax a little. Something in his tense posture loosened and he almost seemed… relieved, perhaps? Sonic's confusion only deepened, but he was given no time to ask before Jet spoke. "If you intend on staying out here," he muttered to Sonic in low tones, never removing his gaze from Kade, "I suggest shielding your eyes."

"Why?" Sonic asked with a frown, looking from Jet to the sun and back again. Jet didn't answer, allowing the question to answer itself instead. It did so in the form of that distant, crimson sun… which began to brighten all on its own. He watched in a mixture of amazement and bewilderment as it continued to grow brighter and brighter - until it occurred to him that, at the rate this was going, he would be blind in seconds if he continued to stare. Trusting Jet to keep him safe, he did as his friend had instructed and quickly shielded his eyes.

He obeyed not a moment too soon, it would seem. There was a flash of fiery light almost the instant his eyes were covered. Heat bathed them, even more heat than could _already_ be found on this burning hell-hole. Because, yes, that was _apparently_ possible. But then it was all gone again, replaced by the sound of someone landing in the dirt a few feet in front of him. So, ever-curious to an almost stupid degree, he lowered his arms and opened his eyes to see…? Well, that wasn't quite right. He _could_ see more than just that, but right in front of him he could see red. Red hair, to be precise. And fur. And when the owners of that hair and fur turned, there was… violet. _Those eyes…!_

Too stunned to speak (or even to think, for once in his life), Sonic stared on as the man before him ran an assessing eye over him from head to toe before letting out a small breath that was almost akin to a sigh. Then he actually _spoke_ , further deepening Sonic's shock. "You're okay… good. That's definitely good."

With a much harsher landing than the God of the Sun, Sona slammed into the ground merely a few feet away and glanced to Sonic. "Eh? The hell are you doing here?"

"Leaving," Jet cut in pointedly, tossing a sharp look at the hedgehog as he spoke. "Now."

Though he recognized the logic behind this command, Sonic remained rooted to the spot, too stunned to move. It took another second or two, but he finally managed to choke out, "Locke?"

The man offered him a smile. A tired, sad smile… but one filled with all the love and care Sonic had once always seen so deeply in him, only further proving to Sonic that this really was him. "Yeah, kid," he answered softly. The sound of _that_ old nickname only made Sonic stiffen further. "It's me. I'm… sorry that we had to meet again like this, however." With that said, he turned away, meeting Kaden's hateful gaze with his own, steady one. He was calm, unruffled, determined - at least on the surface. "Jet's right, though. You really should get out of here."

Sona shifted her gaze to Locke. "I'll make sure he gets out safely. Or, I'll try. I doubt that we'll move along without interference."

To answer this, Jet muttered, "Demons are already coming. They _will_ interfere." Narrowing his eyes slightly, he tried to think. How close would Kaden actually let the demons come?

Locke nodded grimly. But, unlike Jet and Sona, he addressed Kaden directly. "You planning on letting the kid go?" he called out, tension making his voice harder and, in a way, _harsher_.

Finally, _finally_ Kaden acknowledged Sonic's existence again. He did so with a short yet oddly lingering glance full of loathing, then resumed glaring at Locke. "No," he growled.

Sona growled faintly, her multi-colored flames flaring to life around her shoulders. "And why _not_?"

To Jet, the answer was clear. _He intends on killing us all… but does he really think himself capable of killing him?_

The demons roared ever closer. Locke took note of their presence with a frown and pursed lips. "Well ain't that just _perfect_ ," he sighed under his breath, his frustration prompting the use of a speech pattern that wasn't his normal… somewhat lax and yet still refined one. Then, glancing back at Sonic, he said, "Kid, I know this is a _lot_ to take in right now, but you _have_ to go. I don't believe for a _second_ that your old man will _ever_ let these things kill you, but… I refuse to let you take that risk." Turning to Sona, he added, "Try to keep the demons off of him. As many as you can."

"Fine, got it. You keep up over here and I'll get back when I can. Keep the small-fry off you as well." With that much said, she seemed to tune everything else out as her fire spread over her body.

As she spoke, demons began charging into view. Jet let out a sharp, " _Tch_!" and gave Sonic a shove in the opposite direction. " _Run_ , you idiot!" he snapped.

Wise words spoken from Locke's mouth many a year ago, back when Sonic had been a mere ten years old in his years, slammed into him like a sledgehammer. _"When in doubt, just run. Speed is your greatest asset. Make sure you use it."_ So, with nothing left in this world that he could do, Sonic turned… and he ran.

Growling again, Kaden issued a mental command to a group of specific demons, sending them after the boy without any of his earlier hesitation. In his railing against that _fucking_ spark of Light she had planted within him, he had escalated. Jet could see it with ease. It concerned him immensely. How much further would he go? He was apparently willing to let his demons pursue Sonic, maybe even attack him… Would he manage to go so far as to _kill_ Sonic?

Soon, the younger hedgehog was out of sight. Kaden took the opportunity to attack, lashing out with a fiery whip he had summoned into his hand faster than one could blink. Jet was struck while Locke and Sona managed to dodge. The hit caused him to spin around as he clutched at the freshly cauterized injury spanning across the length of his abdomen. A slight curse under his breath was the only recognition of the wound that he allowed himself. After that point, he began tuning it out as he so often did. It was likely that he would have succeeded, too… had a fresh pain not made itself known. This was no random pain, either. It was a familiar, stabbing migraine, a deep and soul-crushing ache he was all-too well acquainted with. And, as he had so long come to expect, the whispers soon followed.

 _"Pain demands to be felt, little Immortal… The fact that you feel it, that it hinders you and threatens you with death… only proves that you are not yet strong enough."_

Now was _so_ not the time for this shit. He should have ignored the voice, honestly. Replying had never, ever felt like a good idea. In fact, he normally made a concerted effort _not_ to. But just now… he struck with a sudden need to lash out at something, anything in order to release some of his stress. _"Shut up!"_

In the two seconds or so that it took for Jet to recover from the attack and turn back around, Kaden was already snapping the whip out at him again. Locke gritted his teeth and jumped in the way, shielding his face and taking the hit on his arms. He hissed softly in pain but otherwise didn't react, choosing instead to lunge forward and throw a hard punch in Kaden's direction. Kaden retaliated with several rapid swings of his sword, strikes that Locke was only able to block by virtue of speed and having spikes on his fists. He knocked Kaden back, creating an opening for Jet to rush in and attack - an opportunity which the hawk took.

Locke turned around to find Sona, spotted her, then shouted over the roar of the tides of demons flooding into the area, "Get going!" She _had_ to go. Sonic's life depended on their ability to keep Kaden _here_ \- and _her_ ability to aid Sonic in his escape. It was highly possible that she would then be needed back on Mobius as well, if what Locke had heard was true. If the planet was being attacked, then they would need every last ounce of help they could get. True, the Mobians were hardy and resourceful folk, but Locke still refused to leave them to fend for themselves. _They haven't been defeated by anything in over four hundred years, but the guarantee that they won't fall today just… doesn't exist._

Sona was gone instantly, her scimitar released from its sheath and tearing open a path as she rushed along. Any demons not torn into by her sword (and those who had been) were engulfed in her ever-spreading flames. She wasted no time in tearing down each and every one of them, instead raising a hand and calling to life a starry visage of a bear that mauled demons behind her. With some effort, she managed to get Sonic in her sights and teleported behind him with a quick shout of, "Keep going!"

Though a few somewhat snarky replies filtered through Sonic's mind, he thought it best not to voice them. Focusing on running was a far better option. Some of the strongest demons Sonic had _ever_ sensed were after his ass, and they were gaining on him. _Need to speed up…!_ How long had it been since he's broken the sound barrier? He had no idea, but in spite of the current threat to his life, that all-too-familiar _boom_ was deeply satisfying on almost a primal level. The demons that had been after him kept pace, but were no longer able to catch up. They could keep up without getting any closer. That was far better than before. Only, now he had a new problem. _Where the hell does anyone expect me to go?!_

Many of the demons trailing Sonic were soon intercepted by an intense inferno, Sona holding nothing back as she razed anything and everything in front of her. This could never hope to kill any of them, but there was enough force behind the attacks to push most of them back. Her teeth gritted as a few easily slipped past her and kept after the hedgehog. She quickly resorted to creating more starry beasts that fought for her. There was nothing more than a few more bears at first, but soon a lion appeared amongst them. Sona silently appreciated the fact that, despite the thick smoke and ash that smothered the sky, she was capable of making the stars shine through for abilities such as this. Sonic glanced back just in time to see her do all of this, then returned his attention ahead of him in order to watch where he was going…

Only to for his senses to flood all at once with Jet's power and a bright light. Before he even knew what was happening, he fell through the ground, through the air, and then back onto the ground again. Grass tickled his skin as he groaned and shifted to sit up, looking into the sky as he did so. The portal that had whisked him away to safety close before the demons or Sona could catch up at all, leaving him alone once again… and leaving her, Jet, and Locke fight Kaden on their own. In this moment, his own personal safety did nothing to lessen his dread. If anything…

He was more afraid now than ever before.

 **~保護者~**

 **2,915 words this time. Sorry this one's a bit shorter, but it's meant to be. Still greatly important, however! Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help. Posted (at about 6:00 p.m.) 01-05-20.**


	51. Picking Up Pieces

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these somber scenes… especially for the ones who have so much weighing down upon them.

 **~保護者~**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yep, I'm fine, you? Haha, yeah, but in his defense... Sonic didn't have much of another choice... *sweatdrop* Yeah, it's certainly been a long time! But now Locke is back and awesome as ever! XD Yeah, he certainly does need it... even if he doesn't think so in his current state. And yeah, Shadow really does need to be found soon... poor guy. :(**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Picking Up Pieces"**

 **~保護者~**

 _Jet has not returned._ Taking this thought into account, Alana hesitated to leave her perch on a deeply charred tree. Her eyes scanned the ruined landscape that stretched out around her, brining back vivid memories of the fires that New Babylon had also suffered on this day. She was desperate to return there and check on the world and the people who resided there. In fact, she felt it was her duty to do so. Her family was in charge, after all. They were _responsible_ for these people and their world. So, in the end, there was no choice, was there?

Resigned, she closed her eyes, took a breath to steady her emotions and clear her mind, then teleported straight to the other planet. She appeared near the palace where she and her family, alongside everyone else, had been fighting to push back the demons. It seemed that the battle here was over now, however, just as she'd hoped. Destruction had been wrought virtually everywhere, but… the demons were gone. Dead. Defeated. Her allies had won here, as they had on Mobius… but… _At what cost?_

Her heart heavy, she walked across the still-smoking remains of what had once been a vast garden, casting her eyes to the sky as she did so. She spied her father high in the air above her, likely wounded but stubbornly refusing to sit still and rest. The man was devoting all of his attention to the barriers, manipulating them from afar in an effort to begin repairs while simultaneously keeping an eye on the affairs of the people below him. He really _should_ have been resting, she knew. Although, at the same time, the barriers truly did need to be fixed. So, for now, she let him be.

Answers, however, were something she needed. Specifically, she needed to know what all had happened here after the departure of herself, Jet, Wave, and Sein. There were various people whom she could have asked, certainly, but the only person she truly was familiar with in this place (aside from, of course, her father and Azerel) was Li. She sensed him and his Therian companion taking refuge inside the ruined palace. If she was to find the answers she sought in a timely manner and without having to ask too many questions, they would be the best people to speak with. So, with little else to do, she headed their way.

 **~保護者~**

It took far longer than Wave would have liked for her to drive the last of the demons off of Mobius and, indeed, out of the solar system as a whole. She then spent even longer staring at the planet from high above it, noting the immense damage that she could view even from this distance. The scars of war ran long and deep, blackening the surface of the world in places where the flames had been put out… and granting it a haunting glow in areas where the fires still raged. _It will take years for Mobius to recover. Perhaps too many of them._

However horrible she felt, she believed she had wasted enough time as it was. She needed to get a move on and begin dealing with the aftermath. Her clones were already busy assisting many of the citizens below, but she thought it best to make even more copies of herself to further aid the Mobian people. As many clones as she could create and actively sustain were sent out in short order once her decision was made, then she gathered up her energies in order to teleport. She needed to return to Hyale… whatever was left of it… and check on everyone still there. That was of the upmost importance.

She reappeared within the village, close to Espio's house. Already, her earlier fear and worry was deepening. Jet's energies couldn't be detected anywhere, meaning… he still hadn't returned. It had been hours by now since the demons had begun their retreat. Had… had he gone off to face Kaden alone? It certainly wouldn't have been the first time, and it wasn't as though he'd _truly_ die as a result of such a fight but, even so… _What if something happens to him?_

The sound of approaching footsteps drew her out of her thoughts. Sonic was standing before her in a flash, eyes clouded with emotion and aura a restless whirl of anxiety and pain and exhaustion. "What happened here?" she asked him quietly. Clearly something had happened, aside from the attack as a whole, for his emotions to be _this_ turbulent…

A sharp pang of anguish spiked in his aura, along with a note of grief and… denial? But, though his ears lowered and he looked as though he wanted to answer her, he shook his head instead. "I'll… explain later," he mumbled. Then, gathering his resolve, he added with a hint of desperation in his voice, "This is more important. Wave, Shadow's gone. We don't know what happened to him. He's just _gone_."

Alarmed, Wave demanded, "Gone? What do you mean, _gone_?"

As sometimes happened when his anxiety got the best of him, Sonic rambled slightly in an effort to explain. She let him, fully aware of the fact that he would simply not be telling her information that wasn't important in some manner or another. "We were on that demonic planet, but obviously we didn't _stay_ ," he told her quickly. "He insisted we leave him behind, in this… citadel, I think? Those triplets were in there, too, so he seemed pretty convinced he'd be safe enough from being attacked. It was stupid, but we left him, and when Jet went back there later I followed him. Only, Shadow was gone by then. There wasn't anything left behind, either, no blood or obvious footprints or anything. It's like he fucking _vanished_. Even D…" He trailed off for a second, hesitating and obviously experiencing another surge of anguish that only deepened Wave's alarm… and her suspicion as to what else had happened on this day. "Even the God seemed confused as to why Shadow wasn't there anymore."

 _Even Kaden doesn't know what happened?_ Stunned by the implications, Wave tightened her hands into fists. _Shit… there aren't many potential culprits, then. Not just anyone can sneak into any of his territories and escape his notice, even when he's away._ Already understanding Sonic's unspoken plea, she met his troubled gaze and quietly declared. "I'm leaving, then, and I _will_ be bringing him with me when I return. Go rest in the meantime. Rest and try to take care of one another. You all need each other's support right now." Searching those emerald eyes, she added even more softly than before, "...Especially you. Don't push anyone away, for your sake. Let them help." Without giving him a chance to refute her assumptions, she turned and teleported away.

Sonic remained behind, standing alone with nothing more than his thoughts to keep him company. Ash fell like snow around him. The silence was heavy and suffocating. His emotions bled away again into that same crippling numbness that he had begun to grow so familiar with already on this day. Teeth nearly chattering (was he… going into shock? Wasn't this a symptom of that?) he turned on his heel and began stiffly walking back toward the house. There was nothing more to do now than wait. Wait and hope for a miracle he somehow couldn't bring himself to believe would come.

 **~保護者~**

Blue eyes glanced between the people left at Espio's home. Steam (the green hedgehog who had fought Kaden briefly, Sein recalled) now sported a large cut from his hip to his shoulder and a stab wound _damn_ near to his heart. He seemed to be holding on fine, at least. Cream was seriously injured in several places on her body. Aku's injuries were spaced over his body, but he luckily seemed to be doing better than some. Sonic's injuries were nothing serious like the other hedgehog, luckily, and Tails seemed completely fine (though Sein's intuition told him that there was some other factor in play for that). Sein felt awful that he couldn't have protected them all _more_ , especially since one of them was missing.

He then forced himself to take stock of his own health. Patches of feathers had been forcefully ripped from his body during the battle on Babylon, and he was sporting a few nasty cuts in several places on his body. The hawk didn't really think that this was something to worry about greatly, and as such left the matter be. To sate his own curiosity, Sein walked over to the fox and sat down with a gentle smile. "You're Tails, yeah?" He asked.

Looking up from the communicator on his wrist, the fox blinked once or twice in mute surprise before relaxing into a smile of his own. "Yeah, I am," he answered.

"Good. Glad to know I got it right." Sein's smile grew somewhat. "I was wondering how you came out of this, well… unscathed, or at least seeming so." The innate curiosity bubbled forth into his eyes, not exactly hidden.

Tails seemed to think about that for a second, head canting to the side in thought. After a moment, he admitted, "Well… I didn't. Not initially, at any rate." He shifted a little on the floor where he sat, seeking a more comfortable position, then randomly appeared to change the subject. "I trust you've noticed my little namesakes?"

 _Probably some sort of healing or regeneration,_ Sein thought to himself before chuckling. "Yeah. Kinda hard to miss. Is that common for your race?"

This earned a small shake of the head. "Not at all," Tails replied. "See, it's a mutation I was born with. Everyone, myself included, thought it to be a fluke. A random event, you know? But it turns out that it's not the only mutation I have, and it wasn't because of anything in my DNA or the like. It's… slightly fantastical sounding, if I'm being perfectly honest, but I somehow wound up being born with a radiation power that actively mutates me. It was almost certainly behind my twin tails, and it also mutated my abilities to the point where I now have powers I wouldn't normally. One of those powers is regeneration."

Sein blinked several times before his smile grew even wider. "That's _really_ cool. How well can you control that radiation power?"

"Rather well, for the most part, but I still don't typically risk using it," Tails told him with a shrug. "I don't trust such a volatile energy not to harm others who happen to be in the vicinity. Though, I did build some guns I can safely channel that energy through." He thought for a second or two again. "...Might need to pull those out sometime, actually."

"That sounds extremely interesting and powerful." Sein thought for a moment, then decided to ask, "Can you control how it affects things?"

"Not at all," Tails said. "It's part of why my own mutations wind up being so random."

The hawk nodded for a moment before holding out a hand. "It was nice to finally get to meet you properly, and I wish it could've been under better circumstances than… well, this."

"Feeling's mutual," was the genuine reply. Tails was smiling again as he took the proffered hand. "All things considered, though, given that we're all alive and all that jazz… I think this meeting is just fine."

Sein then stood back up and walked over to Cream, kneeling down by the cot that the bunny was laid on. He cast the younger girl a smile. "Hey, Cream, right?" he asked, wanting to be sure that he wouldn't refer to her incorrectly.

The exhausted bunny looked up at him with silent pain in her eyes, but nevertheless smiled. "Yes," she murmured.

"I can help with the pain somewhat, but I need to make sure you're fine with that first. Is it alright if I do?" he asked softly, watching her eyes carefully.

Something in her eyes softened with relief. "That would be perfectly alright," she said quietly.

Sein's smile softened as he gingerly set a hand on Cream's shoulder, using his fledgling Immortal Healing power to do what he could for the more major wounds. "I couldn't heal it all, but I did what I could."

"Thank you," Cream answered, pushing herself up into a sitting position with slow and careful motions.

"Not a problem," Sein replied easily, pulling his hand back. "So, you've got psychic-based powers, yeah?"

"I do," was the gentle reply. "Aside from the ability to slowly fly using my ears, mental powers are all that I have."

"What can you do with them?"

"There are a wide variety of uses for psychic abilities. One could feasibly control the minds of others, I suppose, read thoughts and mentally communicate, create psionic explosions, shut down or overload the minds of others to induce varying states of unconsciousness, life and manipulate objects, and so on."

Sein's eyes darkened briefly as his thoughts took a concerning turn toward Astra, the woman who had attacked his son. _She might have powers similar to that as well..._ Realising that he was quickly about to go off into a mental tangent, the man pulled himself free of his thoughts and let brightness return to his expression and aura. "That sounds really useful and versatile. Definitely something fierce."

"I suppose so," she answered with a small smile. "I try not to use my abilities for most of those purposes, however. I do not enjoy combat. Though… due to the training my guardian gave me as a child, I do understand why fighting is sometimes required of me and others."

"Yeah, and it's always good to know what you're capable of should you need to fight." Sein replied in kind. "I try to only fight for good reasons, so I get where you're coming from." He took a moment to think, then asked, "You seem to be fond of Espio. Why?"

Cream's smile remained, but turned sad. "He was my guardian," she revealed. "When my mother died, I was only a child. A young one, at that. I knew him, Mister Vector, and Charmy very well, but… I did not want to live at the Detective Agency with Mister Vector. I do not know why. So after Mother died but before everyone came to me to make sure I was taken care of, I slipped away and sought out Mister Espio. I begged him to take me with him on his travels and, for whatever reason… he did."

Sein nodded softly and slowly. He felt somewhat bad for having brought it up, but… this was good to know. Regardless, it was evident in his eyes that it bothered him. "Sorry for asking," he apologized softly, glancing away.

"It is alright," Cream replied honestly. "I do not mind discussing the past. It makes me… happy to recall such easy days."

"I just know that some things can be a bit… much. I try not to draw that kind of stuff out when I can avoid it." His gaze shifted over to Sonic and Steam, while his senses let him know that Aku was close by. "I'm gonna go check in with them. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"No, I am fine. Thank you." Despite her words, after a second, Cream asked, "Do you think you could send Steam over here when you are finished? I did need to ask him about something."

Sein nodded softly. "Of course." With that, he stood and began walking over to Sonic. He was quick to sit down by the hedgehog with a smile. "Hey, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog pulled out of his melancholy thoughts with some effort and looked up at Sein. "...Hey," he responded after a moment.

"What's up?" he asked Sonic softly. "Talk to me."

There was no point in lying, so Sonic didn't. His response was a bit short and vague, though. "Just worried. About everything."

"Me too, Sonic. It's really hard to escape fear and worry, especially when things get… rough. Bleak." The hawk sighed softly and leaned up against the wall. "I'm really worried about everything, too. Kath, Jet, Alana, this planet, Babylon, my friends… the list keeps going." Sein stopped speaking long enough to carefully set a hand on Sonic's shoulder, giving it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. "The best thing I've ever learned to do is to let yourself feel this concern, this _fear_ , then do what you can to let it be something that empowers you to do more. I'm sure you can take that and use it in your own way, but I really hope it helps."

Sonic's expression tightened. _There's nothing I can do._ Thinking it best not to voice that thought, he just nodded and mumbled a, "Yeah." Then, after a small pause, he sighed and added, "...Thanks."

"Just because you can't do something now doesn't mean you won't be able to some _other_ time." Sein pushed himself to his feet and cast the hedgehog a smile. "I'm sure you'll get that chance." Deciding it time to finally try to speak with Steam, the hawk walked over to the green hedgehog. He was met with somewhat cold and agitated eyes, but he managed a smile nonetheless. "Hey, Steam."

Steam frowned faintly and nodded in a greeting. "Whatcha want?"

"I've been curious, since you're obviously not from this timeline and all. Why'd you come here?" Sein asked curiously, sitting down and watching the hedgehog appear to be caught off guard.

"I… just wanted to make sure that what could've happened in my timeline doesn't in another. That's really all there is to it."

Sein fixated his gaze into Steam's eyes, then around the hedgehog's body curiously. _That's not what your aura says, kid._ "You so sure about that one?"

An annoyed expression found itself onto Steam's face. "Yeah. That's all."

"You seem to be trying to prove something. Maybe… not even to anyone else."

Steam glanced away, a glare pointed nowhere in particular. "Shut the fuck up."

Despite the obvious agitation and anger Sein heard in the other man's voice, Steam's aura showed that at least some part of that was true. "By the way, everyone here should be relatively okay for the time being. Stop soaking yourself in loathing and talk to them. You wanted to protect them, eh?"

"Kath must've had a hell of a time dealing with your annoying ass," Steam muttered snarkily before casting his gaze to the others with a minute smirk.

"All the time. Surprised the man dealt with me and that his daughter even liked me," Sein beamed positively. "Get your ass over here. I'll do what I can for your wounds, too."

Steam begrudgingly pushed himself to his feet and walked over to Sein, taking a seat somewhat near to Sonic as Sein began attempting to heal the wounds. A few moments of silence ensued before the hedgehog glanced over Sein. "You know… you're a bit of a hypocrite, Sein."

The hawk was taken aback, enough so that the healing stopped in its entirety as he moved a foot or so back. "Eh?" he asked quickly, blinking a few times in rapid succession.

An eye roll was the only response given for a short few seconds before Steam finally deigned to speak. "You're going and doing everything you can to fix everyone else's problems. When the hell are you gonna worry about your own?"

"You do seem rather… stressed," Cream hesitantly ventured.

Sein's eyes shifted to a faintly darker shade as his emotions surfaced momentarily. "Yeah. I'm worried. About a lot of things."

Steam resisted the urge to scoff, trying to take into account that this was a serious matter and his own attitude could wait for a few minutes. "Like?" Sonic pulled out of his thoughts again at that point and began listening in while Vector finally stirred from his sleep. Cream and Tails just looked on silently.

If the hawk had been hesitating before, that small nudge seemed to be enough to get him to speak now. "Alana. She's gone back to Babylon, but what if she's been drawn into a trap? Jet, he's off fighting one of the most dangerous evils I've seen, but what if he doesn't make it back? Kath was just revived, but who's to say that he won't be killed off again in some stupid _fucking_ war. And you guys… you matter just as much to me as you do my own son, but what if I can't _protect_ you?" Sein barely managed to hold off his tears, if only because he might break down entirely for some time if he did. _Soon…_

The green hedgehog pushed himself off the wall and set a hand on the hawk's shoulders, green eyes glancing into blue vaguely. "It's good that you're worried. It's _wonderful_ that you care that much, even about people you know so little about. But in the situation you're in, here and now, are you willing to trust these people you're concerned about to come back, or be _fine_ in the end?"

Sein was quiet. Steam couldn't maintain eye contact, and he understood that. This… this was enough. "I… kinda have to…" A moment of silence ensued before he gave a weak smile. "Jet's my kid after all. I'm sure he can do it."

Steam chuckled faintly before sinking back down into a sitting position. "Just sit down and relax for now, alright? Best we can do is wait."

Sein eventually took the advice, sitting himself down and quietly mulling over a few things. _I know he can make it back. There's… no way he won't._

 **~保護者~**

 **3,764 words this time. Hope ya'll enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help. Posted (at about 6:20 p.m.) 01-14-20.**


	52. Breakdown

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) throughout this stressful interlude… especially for the one who lends a hand.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Very well put. Very sad, very true, and very well said. I always look forward to seeing your thoughts on subjects like these, they're always so intriguing. :) Aw, thanks! I love your support, it truly means so much. I cannot ever thank you enough for always reading and sharing your reviews! Also, my co-author, Blazing Winds, was quite thrilled to see his character mentioned in your review, lol. XD**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Breakdown"**

 **~保護者~**

After two days of no contact, Sonic jolted out of his dreamless sleep when he sensed the return of one of his missing friends. Before his sleep-addled brain had a chance to catch up with what was going on, he was on his feet and rushing out the door. He rushed almost too much as he sped into what remained of the woods, in fact, judging by the fact that he very nearly ran into said friend. But he didn't dwell on that, instead losing himself briefly to his relief. Jet stood before him, dirty and injured but, naturally, alive. Sonic tried not to think about how many times that life might have been stolen from the hawk prior to this moment. He had likely suffered a multitude of deaths. Although, thankfully, his condition wasn't too dire presently.

That is to say, his _injuries_ weren't severe. However… Sonic could easily pick out many signs that his friend wasn't doing well in other regards. Jet was sort of hugging himself, for one thing, which coming from him was a clear sign of anxiety. The constant shivering was, too. And he wouldn't pick up his gaze from the ground, not even when Sonic approached him. He wasn't even putting forth the minimal effort that was required to hide his aura, and from that Sonic could tell just how much of a mess his friend's emotions were. His stress levels were _frighteningly_ high, he was feeling anxious and afraid and all these other negative emotions that would almost certainly trigger a meltdown if he wasn't able to calm down quickly…

All of this Sonic worked out in seconds. Thinking it best to take Jet back to the house as quickly as possible, he quietly asked, "You okay to walk? You need to go lay down."

Jet shook his head after a few seconds, eyes still downcast, and took a tiny step back. "Don't want to," he mumbled in a tiny voice. Sonic wasn't surprised by this seemingly unusual manner of speaking. Purely because, for Jet, it wasn't unusual. Not when he was this riddled with stress and the like. It was often difficult to get him to speak at all, and when he did… well, his words tended to be overly simplistic, his sentences short, and his responses overall rather vague. It wasn't a good sign that he was displaying this symptom right now.

"Why not?" Sonic gently pressed. "You'll be safe there. And we'll all be there with you. You won't be by yourself." When Jet didn't immediately answer, Sonic looked to his friend's aura for help in understanding the problem. He couldn't be sure, but… _Oh. Damn._ Realization struck and his gaze swung back to Jet. He saw the shaking in a new light, noticed for the first time the way Jet's eyes seemed to be struggling to remain focused. Concerned anew, he quickly asked, "You're not feeling well, are you?" It seemed to take a long moment for his question to register, and when it did Jet merely shook his head.

No matter how old he was, Sonic still vividly recalled what signs and symptoms typically preceded a stress-induced seizure for Jet. He was displaying several of them, and Sonic knew what that meant. If he couldn't manage to calm his friend's emotions enough and do so _quickly_ enough, then a meltdown would be the least of their concerns. Alarmed and full of fresh worry, he quickly teleported back to the house. He reappeared with Jet in tow, but not in the front room with everyone else. The guest room didn't exist anymore, so he had taken Jet into Espio's room. The bed itself (along with the sections of the roof and virtually every other bit of furniture) was trashed, but he made quick work out of preparing a new bed on the floor using the mattress and some in-tact blankets. He then guided Jet to lay down before the hawk could collect himself enough to protest.

No doubt hearing the commotion, Tails and Vector started to poke their heads in, but Sonic quickly ushered them out. "Not now," he muttered lowly. "It's a _bad_ time. Just wait in the front room, okay? I'll be out in a bit." They didn't protest, much to his relief, and soon he was alone with Jet again. That was good. Jet desperately _needed_ space… almost more than he needed support.

Now, Sein poked his head in curiously with a _definite_ display of concern on his face. "Can I come in?" he asked softly, not wanting to make this worse than it was.

Sonic nearly huffed, but refrained. _Of course you can._ Stepping out of the doorway, he replied, "Yeah. Just… try to keep yourself quiet. And make sure you don't touch him unless it's necessary." He didn't explain just yet _why_ physical contact might wind up being necessary, figuring they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

The hawk nodded and walked in quietly, sticking to the sides for now. _Some of this seems familiar. The overall anxiety is definitely present… so I think I know part of what's happening._ "Sonic, is this all related to a case of autism?"

"...Some of it's PTSD, I think," Sonic sighed. He kept a close eye on his friend all the while, though Jet wasn't doing anything too worrisome at the moment. Laying on the bed in a fetal position with his hands over his ears while facing the wall was about it, really. Aside from the constant shivering and shaking, he wasn't even really moving around. "Hard to tell, since he has anxiety and stress issues from both. But… yeah. Autism definitely plays a big role."

"Got it," Sein murmured, his attention carefully sticking to his son. "Some of this feels… similar to Kath. I understand some of it," he admitted, crossing his arms slowly.

That made sense. Still, Sonic knew Sein wasn't going to be fully prepared just based off of that alone. Shifting his gaze back to the older man, he said, "There are definitely some things that aren't going to be familiar to you based off of those experiences. The big stuff we need to be on the lookout for is meltdown stuff. The Kath we knew here pretty much never had any of those, and the ones he had were pretty quiet and contained. Was that true where you're from?"

"It tended to be that way, especially since his _environment_ usually was. Every now and then it would happen, but it wasn't that common."

Sonic nodded. "Jet's meltdowns aren't the same way," he cautioned. "They're more… volatile, I guess you could say. There's the usual crying and whatnot that tends to always accompany a meltdown, but there's more to it than that for him. For one thing, he nearly always displays self-injurious behaviors. As in, he tends to hurt himself. And it's not terribly deliberate, either. It tends to be fairly automatic, like he can't help it, almost." Sein didn't say anything in response, merely nodding to show that he was listening and urge Sonic to continue with any other information he may have. Seeing this, Sonic continued. "In his case, there are three things to watch out for. The most serious one is head-banging. You might have heard of this one before since it's so common but, just in case, it's literally where an individual causes themselves deliberate pain by slamming their heads into hard surfaces like walls, tables, floors, or so on. He also tends to dig his fingers into his arms hard enough to bruise himself pretty badly. He's even drawn blood once or twice. The last one is harder to catch since it's not as visible, but he bites the insides of his cheeks as well, hard. Usually the right one."

"I'll make sure to keep this in mind." _That's a lot of different things… but I should be able to keep up with any changes… I hope._ Sein took a second to clear his thoughts before asking, "Is there anything else important to know for this situation?"

This time, Sonic's nod was more grave. "Yeah. Remember how I mentioned his PTSD? Something about that coupled with his brain chemistry or whatever, possibly also because of the mix of autism as well, causes him to have a very severe physical response to high stress levels." He hesitated for a second, decided it was best to just get on with it, and continued. "This tends to cause seizures. Serious ones, too. It's why he's shaking so much right now. It's one of the ways his body reacts when he's on the verge of having one."

Sein nodded and sighed softly, twirling a small bar of aura between his fingers in a careful manner to manage his own stress toward the situation. "Got it. What do you propose we do from here?"

"The most important thing is to get him calmer and then ensure he _stays_ that way," Sonic answered. "He's also definitely gonna need some rest. Trick is keeping him in bed once he's more coherent, though. He gets… restless. To say the least."

"I think I may be able to help with the last bit, at least somewhat. The first part… I'd feel best following your lead."

Understanding that perfectly, Sonic said, "Yeah. I get it." He turned back toward Jet. "Not really sure how to handle him in this situation, though… given the circumstances. I don't have anything that we'd normally use to help him relax, and the cause of his stress this time is kinda… extreme."

"Well… what would you normally use? Maybe we can make do with something else?" Sein proposed, shrugging with a touch of insecurity.

"A TV, for one thing," Sonic answered. "Soft blankets also help, as does music off this old music player he used to have. Those are the big ones, and we don't have any of that stuff here."

Sein wracked his brain before suddenly coming up with something. "I have an idea, but I need you to make sure nothing happens in the short time I'm gone, okay?"

Already moving to sit down near his friend, Sonic gave another short nod. "Yeah. 'Course." Sein teleported away the moment this was said, returning a few minutes later with both a flute in one hand and a blanket in the other. Sonic looked over at him with a vague frown. "Where'd you manage to find those?"

"I… went back to Babylon for a moment. Checked the observatory and found this stuff." He held out the blanket, sighing. "The flute was the closest thing I could find, but I think it can suffice for now to replace the music."

A note of relief entered Sonic's expression and his frown faded. "That's actually perfect," he said, standing. "Flutes, pianos, and violins are usually what we try to use, since they're quiet and usually pretty mellow." As he spoke, he retrieved the blanket from Sein and gently laid it over Jet. This seemed to finally rouse the younger hawk, who kicked it off mostly but kept it close enough that he could still feel the fabric to some extent.

Sein watched this quietly before sitting down with his legs crossed, glancing to the flute. _Been a long time._ Slowly and carefully to make sure he remembered, the hawk played a low, melodic tune that he would use in times of stress to relax. Maybe if it helped him, it could help his son as well. Initially, Jet didn't quite react. Then, for a moment, his face scrunched up and he tightened his hands over his ears. Sonic watched him closely as he shifted around, emotions seeming unsure where to shift in response to this new stimuli. Soon, however, he settled back down and resumed laying still. His arms even relaxed a little, hands no longer pressing quite so hard against his head. Sonic took this as a good sign and allowed himself to relax. Sein also took this as a good sign, continuing the song and keeping it simple. Jet didn't really do much throughout all this time, but his emotions _did_ seem to settle… if only a bit.

Slowly but surely, Sein shifted on to a new song, something more lighthearted and gentle to try and give Jet something new to focus on and _hopefully_ continue the good progression of his emotions. Eventually, the man decided to take a break and let the song fade before leaning his head back against the wall. "Damn. I still know how."

Sonic managed a vague smirk for a moment or two. "Yeah. Guess so."

"Do you think that'll be good enough for now?" Sein asked, turning his head to face the hedgehog.

"Hard to say," Sonic sighed. "It's not like he can really tell us right now, in his current state. We'll just need to keep an eye on him for a while."

The hawk gave a nod and pushed himself to stand. "Alright, then. If you need me, let me know. I'll be happy to help, but something's telling me that I might be needed elsewhere sometime soon."

Turning his head to look at Jet, Sonic asked quietly, "Will you come back afterward? He may not admit it out loud, but… he's probably gonna need you."

"Of course." Sein smiled, chuckling a little. "I'll never let anything happen to him that I can't help with. And if he wants me around, that's all the better."

 **~保護者~**

Armaris darted through what remained of the village as merely a ghostly shadow, wispy Darkness trailing behind her. She soon caught sight of the portion of Espio's house that was still present, her eyes tearing up involuntarily before she teleported over and climbed the tree. It wasn't long before she arrived on the roof, carefully laying herself down without so much as noticing Alana there as well. The hawk glanced at her in silence.

"Alana?" Sein called as he pulled himself up to where he could peer over the roof. "Who's here?"

Turning her gaze his way, Alana (who had returned mere minutes ago and was trying to take a moment to gather her thoughts in peace) simply answered, "Armaris has returned."

Sein and Armaris' gazes met for a moment, and instantly a light of compassion flickered into the male hawk's eyes. He quickly pulled himself the rest of the way onto the roof and walked a few feet toward the cat before kneeling down gently. "Hey, Armaris. What happened?" Armaris was silent, her Darkness flaring out for a moment almost fearfully. She edged away from him, never letting her eyes meet his again. Sein watched for a moment and sat down where he was. "Where'd you go?"

"A city," she muttered unhelpfully, eyes flicking rapidly between the two hawks present. What would Cere say about what she'd done? _What the hell was I thinking?_

Alana's eyes narrowed very subtly as the understanding of these circumstances dawned. _Something of consequence has happened to her as well… and it likely involves another person._

"Stop," Sein calmly demanded, letting a faint tone of authority enter his voice for that alone. "Why'd you go there?" he asked, much more soft than before.

"My mother was there," Armaris uttered, terror creeping into her aura.

Sein glanced to Alana worriedly. On one hand, he knew _full_ -well that this could go any number of ways. On the other, his desire to help was always burning so deeply within his soul that he didn't want to leave this be. He sought her guidance. She met his gaze and subtly shook her head, believing whole-heartedly that it would be in Armaris's best interest to back off. A nod of response was given to this, and the subject was changed almost instantly. "What happened during the battle? Your aura seems… off. I'm just worried."

Armaris was quiet for a long moment, enough so that Sein was almost willing to simply stay quiet and let her relax. However, she did speak eventually, quietly. "He grabbed me. Corrupted me more."

 _"So that confirms it, then… Poor girl was born a half-demon."_ Sein mentally said to Alana. _"No wonder her aura is all over the place."_

Instead of directly answering that, Alana said, _"She can be purified back to her normal state. She should be purified. The trouble is that she may not allow it. It will hurt her, after all, and the risk of death is always present in even the most controlled scenarios."_

 _"She seems to hate that demonic side. I keep feeling this intense hatred and it's tearing her apart from the inside. I want to present the option to her, no matter the risk."_

 _"Then do so, if you wish. She appears to be opening up to you already, so it will sound better if you ask as opposed to me."_

Sein gave a gentle nod to this, edging closer to Armaris so he could talk more quietly. "I… think we can help you with that. At the very least, we can attempt to bring you back to what you were before that corruption, but at a big risk. It's gonna hurt, and… it honestly might kill you. If you're willing to trust us and take that risk, we will do everything in our power to help. And if you don't, we _will_ respect and understand your decision."

The cat seemed all too eager until the mention of the risk of death. That concerned her, but no more than the thought of how others may react to her being _more_ of a demon than she already was. She didn't even want to face the Gods and Goddesses she was around so often in this state, worried that they may not want her around. She spent a few moments to debate the choices before nodding. "Please… if you can fix it, please…"

Finally, Alana chose to speak aloud. "We can," she quietly and calmly assured. "And you will survive, that much I can promise. The risk of death is present, but very slim in this case. You will be alright."

"You didn't mention how low of a risk it was to me," Sein muttered with faked indignation.

Somehow, Armaris managed a small smile to Sein before pushing herself up to sit a bit closer to him. "Thanks…"

Sein chuckled and ruffled her hair before standing up, already beginning to gather the specific Immortal energy necessary for this procedure. Alana followed suit, silent once more. "Don't mention it, Armaris. Just doing my job."

 **~保護者~**

It was quiet and calm again when Sonic snuck out of the house for some much needed solitude. He found one of the least ash-filled spaces in the immediate area and sat down. Only once alone and certain that no one was nearby did he draw his knees up to his chest, hide his face, close his eyes, and allow the floodgates within his mind to open. Everything he had been bottling up rushed out, whirlwinds of thoughts and emotions slamming through him outside of his ability to control… not that he felt up to trying right now, regardless.

Shuddering breaths were hardly enough for him to contain the tears that he felt stinging at his eyes. Focusing on his thoughts, on attempting to process everything that had occurred, didn't alleviate his struggle at all. In fact, it only made things worse. The revelation about his father plagued his mind, refusing to leave him alone and rendering his emotions so raw and powerful that it felt like he might drown in them.

A gentle yet heavy weight settled on his back. Though aware of it, it didn't fully register for a long while that he was feeling it at all. Directing his attention to that warm hand as much as he felt capable of doing, he drew in another breath. A familiar aura filled his senses, bringing with it the usual feeling of calm. He took in one last breath in an effort to calm himself down before whispering, "Locke?"

"Yeah," the other man almost sighed. "I'm here, kid."

Hearing that voice nearly caused Sonic's emotions to choke him again, but he nevertheless managed to get out a broken, "How?"

This time, Locke really did sigh. "S'pose you could call it good fortune," he murmured. "Malevolence tried to kill me, as you know. It _would_ have, too, had my mentor not saved my ass. She was the Goddess of the Sun, before her death. When she passed the role onto me, it made me a semi-Immortal like she was. She's the only reason I'm still alive and kicking."

Processing this was difficult. It was easier to move on to something less painful. Except his mouth apparently had other ideas. "D… Dad?" he questioned weakly, still unable to speak in full sentences.

"He's alright," Locke assured in a quiet voice. "Properly pissed about various things, but fine. He had enough of Jet and I after a while and kicked us out of his realm. I don't think he'll be doing too much for the next couple of days."

More tears stung Sonic's eyes, but he fought to hold them back. "Why… why would he _do_ this?" he found himself asking. "Attacking and trying to kill all of us… doesn't he remember…"

Though he trailed off, Locke understood. The older man sought to explain as gently as possible… but there was no way it wouldn't hurt. "It's not that he's forgotten. That's not what corruption does. But it does morph positive emotions into their most negative counterparts. Love, for example, mutates into hate. Sometimes outright animosity. Joy becomes rage. It goes on. This, naturally, fuels a lot of his reactions to everyone. It's…" He paused, shook his head, and let the sentence hang.

Once more, it was difficult to process any of this. Sonic tried to move on, at least for now. "We… aren't enough, are we?" he mumbled. "Tails says they want to try to save Dad somehow, but if Dad can do all of _this_ so easily, we… we _can't_ …"

Locke shifted beside him. "Yeah. We aren't enough. Not by ourselves." His confirmation was hardly comforting. But then he nudged Sonic a little with the hand still resting on the hedgehog's back. "So, what's your plan, then? You seem like you have one."

"It's utter _shit_ ," Sonic argued in a broken voice. "It won't _work_."

The echidna's voice remained calm and gentle when he prompted, "Tell me anyway."

A long moment passed as Sonic worked his way through his sudden and irrational anger. It soon melted away back into despair. "Shadow and I… were thinking about reviving people," he eventually admitted. "Anyone who could help. _Everyone_ who could help."

There was silence. Then, suddenly, Locke stood up, finally prompting Sonic to look up at him. The man was covered in injuries and burns from demonic flames, but didn't seem to notice any of it. Despite his calm demeanor, there was a definite glint of resolve in his eyes and tone. "You'll need a lot of Light to accomplish something like that." He turned his head, met Sonic's gaze. "I think I know someone who can help."

Sonic blinked up at him, too emotional to think clearly or conjure up a decent reply. Locke said some sort of a farewell with a promise to return as soon as possible. Left to his own devices, Sonic could have easily resumed wallowing… but decided to force himself to focus on other things. His friends still needed him. There were things that needed to be done. So, wiping his tears away as best as he could, he shakily stood and began walking back.

 **~保護者~**

A red portal flashed into existence above the remains of Espio's home, the black Hexan this magic belonged to stepping through and dropping gently onto the roof with a quiet, concerned gaze that swept over the destruction before finally landing on Armaris (who was laying down after the purification). The woman's eyes widened in concern as she looked over her student, relief coming to the Goddess upon noticing that Armaris was well enough. Her attention quickly snapped to Sein, quietly demanding an explanation.

The bird gave a gentle sigh, walking closer so as to not disturb the currently sleeping cat. "As far as I'm aware, she had some sort of incident with her mother. However, this came after… Kaden corrupting h-"

Red energy flared to life hatefully within the Goddess' eyes, her fists clenching tightly as she fought the rage flowing over her in waves. Soon, she was able to quell her anger enough to calmly, despite already knowing the answer, ask, "You and Alana were able to purify her, yes?" A short nod was given in response, to which the woman sighed a deep, held breath of relief. Her gait had her by Armaris' side in no time, a hand gently stroking the cat's hair. "Armaris, wake up," she whispered.

Almost instantly, the cat's eyes snapped open and she reflexively attempted to bat the hand touching her away, only to stop mid-swing upon realizing who the hand belonged to. "Cere?" she asked softly.

"Yes, my child. I'm here." Those words were more than enough for the cat to shoot up and cling tightly to the hexan, practically sobbing in seconds. Cere held her student close, simply letting the other cry as much as she needed to. After some time, the cat's sobs had diminished to nothing more than sniffles and the occasional cough. Once this time came, Cere gently pushed Armaris to where she could see the other's face, a gentle and careful smile shared between the two. "Whatever happened, we can speak of it in private if you so wish."

Armaris gave a gentle nod, moving close and nuzzling the older woman's neck. "Thank you…"

"I have an important question for you. Is everyone that was in the group currently here?" Cere asked softly, gently rubbing the cat's back.

A moment of silence before Armaris quietly admitted, "Espio… He isn't here."

Cere frowned visibly for a long moment. She wished Sein had stayed up on the roof with them, but yet still knew his reasoning. "I will help you search for him, if that's what you would like to do."

"...Yes."

"Consider it done, my child." The older of the two stood up, the cat quickly following suit and checking to make sure all of her weapons were on her person. Cere teleported herself into the house itself, her gaze quickly shifting to Steam and Sein. "Do either of you know why Espio isn't here _currently_?"

Steam scratched the back of his head sheepishly, with an almost annoyed expression. "Fucking energies got corrupted. It's-"

"Details. Only the important ones." Cere cut in sharply, fixing him with a glare that caused Steam to shift for a moment.

"Kaden got to him and starting corrupting his energies. Luckily, I prevented it from how bad it _could_ have been, but it happened regardless. However, it was only the energies, and it was slight."

Cere grumbled for a moment about lack of conciseness before giving a nod and teleporting back to the roof. "Are you ready?" Armaris gave a gentle nod to this, latching on to her teacher's arm as they teleported away in search of the chameleon.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,730 words this time. Apologies for the delay, but I nevertheless hope y'all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help! Posted (at about 8:35 p.m.) 01-21-20.**


	53. Anger

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this hard… especially for the one who has so much to feel anger over.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Haha, yeah, it's _very_ good for all their sake's that he's still around to lend them a hand. They really need it, that's for sure. And I think it's the second time, too, but I don't really know for sure, lol. XD Yeah, that fight was _never_ destined to end in their favor. As for how they'll solve their troubles... well, we get to see part of the plan in this chapter, so enjoy... ;)**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Anger"**

 **~保護者~**

A shinobi of Espio's caliber was simply never found unless they were _willing_ to be. That went without saying. Doubtless, Armaris was well aware of that fact… and yet, she and Cere went searching regardless. There was little hope of finding her wayward friend, not unless they were lucky. Would he stick to the wilderness, as he so often did when he was his usual self? Would he stray into settlements with the intent of harming or killing anyone he found? Would he do something else entirely? It was difficult to say… and time was of the essence.

Much of the traveling was done in silence, the two women's focus going toward finding the rogue shinobi. This would prevail, had Cere not had much on her mind. Things pertaining to her student, her fellow gods and goddesses, and so much more. Only one of these was she able to address, and so she did. "Armaris. Can I ask you something?"

Never one to turn down this _particular_ elder (young-looking though she was), Armaris glanced over and replied, "What is it?"

"What happened while you were corrupted? Sein's expression told me that you hadn't been doing well."

Armaris shrunk down a bit. She hadn't wanted to speak of this at all, especially not when she knew Cere's position about acting in anger. Though… the woman seemed concerned about it. "I… happened to see where my mother was… on the planet." Cere nodded her head gently, motioning in a soft manner to continue. The cat hesitated, then began speaking once more. "Well… I… went to her. Confronted her."

"And got in a fight?"

"...More like killed her."

Cere paused momentarily, stunned into silence by this revelation. Armaris shied away, as if fearful of being reprimanded for such behavior. She flinched when a hand set onto her head, then relaxed when she realized the touch was gentle. The hexan pulled Armaris into a soft hug, simply holding her there for a time. "You… did nothing wrong. Acting so heavily from your anger was not wise… however," She pulled away, casting the younger woman a caring and compassionate smile. "You truly did nothing wrong. You had every right to do what you did, and I'm proud that you were able to."

"But… I did it _because_ I was corrupted…"

"Ara…" Cere said, using an old nickname for the young cat. "All that happened was a powerful release of all of your pent up emotions. You acted well, despite what overwhelmed you."

Armaris pulled herself back into Cere's arms, seeking comfort from the motherly figure. Cere was all too happy to provide this, and they soon broke off and resumed their search. Both parties felt… significantly more relieved. They headed toward the only settlement that existed anywhere near where the barriers (the ones surrounding and concealing the massive mountains, known collectively as the Highlands of Northern Highlands, that the chameleon territories consisted of), which was a small and nondescript village nestled in the snowy woods multiple miles to the southwest of the once closed-off mountain range. Depending on which way Espio had gone after he'd disappeared… there was a definite chance that the village was no longer standing at all. They were incredibly close to it at this point, meaning they would find out any minute now.

They arrived at the village in silence. No words were spoken as they surveyed the scene before them. Once pristine snow was dyed red. Houses lay in ruin with their occupants all dead in and around them. People were missing limbs and sometimes even their heads. Many were left with blades still stabbed deeply into their bodies. One unfortunate man had a shuriken protruding from one of his widely open, horrified eyes. Every single person who had once called this quiet place home had been _slaughtered_ and then left to rot.

The pair of women were silent. Questions ran through the Hexan's mind while concerns and intense fear ran through the cat's. Only after some ten or so tense seconds, Armaris began walking once more, following the path of destruction that Espio seemed to have wrought. Cere was content to follow for now, though her attention was now consistently elsewhere. Along this path she followed, Armaris managed to faintly sense a flare of Darkness, her whole body turning toward the source of said flare. Cere was almost caught off guard when Armaris bolted off, managing to quickly take after her student before the woman could get too far away. The sudden run was eventually slowed to a brisk walk as the two approached the origin of the Darkness. Cere moved ahead of Armaris quietly as the two walked nearer.

Horrifically, they came upon a scene of yet more death. Three fresh bodies and their parts littered the snow with their shattered weapons, their apparent attempt at an attack no doubt being the cause of the flare-up Armaris had just detected. Espio stood nearby, expression dark but otherwise unreadable as he gave his sword a sharp flick to rid it of some of the blood and flesh that marred its surface.

Armaris stepped in front of Cere slowly, walking toward Espio in a calm way with a noticeable frown on her face. "Espio…? Can we talk?" For better or for worse, he seemed prepared to ignore her. Not bothering to sheath his sword, he started to walk away. "Espio!" she called, walking after him. "I can't let you just leave me here!"

Clutching his sword a little tighter, Espio turned to face her. Through gritted teeth he muttered, "Go. _Away_."

"I'm sorry, but I won't. Just talk to me, _please_." Armaris almost flinched away as he turned to her, every fiber of her being startled at the aggressive mannerisms. Cere watched the two beings of Darkness in silence. She trusted Armaris to not get herself killed… but she was unnerved regardless.

In a flash, the tip of Espio's sword was a mere hair's breadth away from Armaris's throat. " _Leave_ ," he repeated, more angrily this time. Though he seemed to want to cut her down, he refrained… for the moment.

Armaris, in this miniscule amount of time, had unsheathed her own blade and pressed it between his blade and her body, obvious concern lighting up in her eyes. "I told you… I won't leave. There's got to be some way for me or someone else to help with what you're being put through. I…" she trailed off for a moment, biting her lip. "I don't want to see you suffer in any way." The urge to attack hit again, but with a sharp glance at Cere, Espio thought better of it. His sense of self-preservation had always been rather high, so he didn't deign to do anything that might endanger his life. At least for now, at any rate. Instead, he forced his arm down, turned sharply on his heel, and resumed walking away.

Cere began walking after him calmly, a glance being cast to Armaris to ask her silently to not advance. Her gait carried her close to him, after which she gently called, "Espio. May I have a word with you?"

His anger building, Espio muttered back a short and simple, "Fuck off."

"Let your sister know where you are going at the least, unless you plan to wander," Cere muttered in response. Espio didn't respond, focusing instead on deciding where to head next so that he could just _go_ and leave these two behind. Cere sighed once more, closing her eyes. "Be safe. There are people that await your return to them. Always remember such." Scoffing, Espio made up his mind and vanished off to who-knew-where without further retort.

Armaris watched this happen numbly, her lips quivering faintly as she let herself fall into a sitting position. _Fuck..._

Cere watched Armaris quietly for a moment before walking over and kneeling beside the younger woman, embracing her in a motherly way. "You can cry if you wish," she whispered softly.

The cat stared at the spot where Espio had been for what seemed like an hour before murmuring something about it being a sign of weakness and teleporting the two back. _Not again. I won't._

 **~保護者~**

A painfully bright flare of sunlight outside jolted Sonic, Tails, and the others out of their silence and rest. Trading looks, they shared their mutual confusion… until Sonic recalled what had happened just before Locke had arrived at the scene of Jet's fight with Kaden. Eyes wide, he jumped to his feet for the umpteenth time that day and hurried out the door. He scanned the skies for any sign of the echidna once the light died down, only for some of his tentative hope to fade away when he didn't spot the man anywhere. Instead, a white cat descended from the sky, gently landing in front of Sonic as her dark blue dress flowed in the slight wind created from her touching the ground. Her eyes fell on the blue hedgehog quietly for a moment, blinking once before glancing over everything around her. "You are Sonic, yes?"

"Uh… yeah?" he said slowly, almost as though it was a question.

"My name is Rosalline, but you are more than welcome to call me Rose. Locke sent me to aid with your plight, citing a dire need for plentiful Light. Is this correct?" she asked in a soft tone, amber eyes still roaming.

After a small pause, Sonic relented with a nod. If Locke had told her, then… surely she was someone to be trusted. "Yeah," he sighed. "'Plentiful' is probably an understatement."

The cat gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "Understood. You and your allies are injured." The sudden change in subject was followed by Rose striding over to the home and teleporting herself into the building. Sonic quickly followed after her, a touch bemused and yet strangely… not. She reminded him strongly of his mother. But that hurt too much to contemplate deeply, so he shoved the thought aside. A faint shimmering of Light surrounded the entirety of the home, the epicenter being Rose herself as she looked over those within the room. "This should heal most of the injuries your group has sustained. Anything left, I should be able to treat properly."

Looking up at the woman from where she sat on the floor, Cream offered a wan smile. "Thank you, miss."

"Yeah, thanks," Tails chimed in with a bright smile of his own… though that smile, for once, seemed a touch strained. Maybe even forced. "That's very kind of you."

"It is nothing, truly. I am merely glad to help." Rose's keen, caring eyes fixated on Steam who was remaining a touch more quiet than he usually would have. A minor glance said enough for the cat to be concerned for his condition, and she appeared beside him shortly to examine the wounds. "You are operating… very well for your condition."

"Don't really have a choice otherwise," Steam muttered faintly, glancing at the cat. He narrowed his eyes, but none of his usual agitation was there.

Rose murmured something gently in another tongue before beginning to more directly heal the wounds Steam had suffered. It was short work for her, despite the severity. This was around the same time that Sein popped out of Espio's room. "Eh, another cat?"

"I am, indeed, a cat." Rose responded softly before seeming to gaze past him. _He is here…?_

"Ah, I see. A wise one too. Nice to meet you. Name's Sein."

"I am Rosalline. Rose for short." She turned for a short moment to face the others. "Forgive my rudeness. I became sidetracked and did not remember to introduce myself."

"It's fine," Tails said, waving her off with a casual hand. "We're not exactly a formal bunch. We don't mind. Anyway, I'm technically named Miles, but you can call me Tails like everyone else. You and Sonic seem to have met already."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, we did."

"My name is Cream," the bunny piped in quietly.

Finally, Vector spoke up. He'd been rather pensive for the last few days (understandably), but he did his best to display a friendly and open demeanor. Still, he kept his words brief. "I'm Vector," he introduced simply.

Rose gave a slow nod, taking this information in with care. "Once more, it is very nice to meet you all." Her gaze turned back to Sein. "Though, may I step in that room with you?"

"Uh… sure…?" His gaze flicked to Sonic, silently asking if that would be fine.

Noticing the look, Sonic hesitated for a second. Soon, however, he came to one simple determination. _It should be fine… and if it's not, we're all right here to help._ Given that, he answered with a small inclination of his head.

Sein gave a sigh of relief and motioned for Rose to step in, an action she took rather immediately. The hawk followed her back in, watching as the cat immediately went to one side of the bed with a deeply worried look on her face. _Oh dear… Jet, what have you gotten yourself into?_ Rose cast her gaze to Alana and Sein, asking for some sort of explanation as to what put him in such a state. Alana said nothing, merely keeping an eye on her (finally) sleeping son in a determined effort to ensure that nothing further happened to him.

"Long story short, a fight with the God of Demons that ended awfully. He was already in a bad state, and that pushed it well beyond what I…" Sein trailed off, trying not to let it get to him.

Rose gave a gentle nod, her eyes moving back to Jet for a moment. _Noticeable injuries, but nothing major. No internal bleeding, and overall he seems stable. Physically. Mentally, was likely much worse before arrival… He seems to have been calmed down well._ Without another warning, the aura of Light around the house intensified briefly as she attempted to quickly handle the last of the wounds on Jet's body. She managed to handle this very quickly, before Jet even had a chance to start to wake up, and the aura faded back to its original brightness. "What was done to calm him?" she asked, eyes never leaving Jet's body.

Sein piped up quickly. "I went back to Babylon and brought that blanket, then played a few songs with a wooden flute. That seemed to help a lot."

"You did very well to have improvised." _Jet… I wish to speak to you when you are feeling better. I suppose that must wait._ Her attention very quickly fixated on the two conscious Babylonians, primarily Alana. "May I ask your name?"

The older woman glanced over, then briefly answered, "My name is Alana."

"Mine is Rosalline, or Rose," the cat answered softly, kneeling by the two. "Would you both allow me to heal your wounds?" Not feeling terribly up to conversation, Alana merely inclined her head as politely as she could manage. Sein did the same, though he flashed a bright smile of thanks as Rose let her Light flow to heal them directly. Sein was quick to notice his wounds were disappearing, and that the feathers that had been forcefully ripped from his body were now growing back. The cat soon stood, carefully dusting off her dress before glancing between them. "Am I wrong to assume that you are his parents?"

"We are," Alana answered quietly, something in her eyes visibly softening.

"He is a very lovely companion. I daresay that he has taken well after the both of you," Rose responded in kind, a tender look on her face. "I have always thought well of him."

Sein's eyes teared up in response and he smiled gently. "Thank you, Rose. I really… needed that." His hand found its way to Alana's wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze. Understanding what he wanted, she shifted her arm so that she could take his hand into her own.

Rose gave a gentle nod, turning and beginning to leave the room. "If you have need of me, I will not stray far. Please do not hesitate to get my attention." In response for himself and Alana, Sein gave a nod of understanding. Once this was given, Rose stepped back into the living room, one more immediate task in mind. She teleported herself onto the roof, her gaze flicking over the lip of the roof to regard Aku. "May I speak with you for a moment?" she asked softly, sitting herself down.

The old dragon released his camouflage and slowly twisted around to face her. Once he laid his eyes upon her, he almost scoffed at her… but refrained. Mostly. _"What is it that you require of me, little cat?"_

"I require nothing more than permission to heal the wounds inflicted on you, should you allow such."

Another slight scoff. Aku laid himself back down on a wide branch, too exhausted to hold himself up for more than a minute or so at a time. _"Do what you will. I am in no position to protest or fend you off."_

"You say this as if my wish is to bring harm on you," Rose remarked in faint amusement, floating closer to the dragon. "Not the first time I have been addressed in such a way." Her Light shone around her and flowed through the air around Aku's body. Seeing as he was ignoring her comments, she simply smiled and continued until his wounds had vanished as well. "Be sure to not push yourself too hard. Stamina restoration is no simple task, so resting would be the best course of action for now." With her advice given (and not caring to ensure he had bothered to listen or pay attention to her), the woman teleported back inside.

At about the same time, Sonic's ears perked up. However, it didn't seem to be her who he was listening for. He frowned after a second and stood back up, prompting Tails to ask, "What's the matter?"

"Think I heard someone land near one of the houses," Sonic explained briefly. He glanced to Steam. "I can't sense who it is. Mind coming with me in case there's trouble? If it's another demon or something…" He trailed off, but he'd said enough.

Steam nodded, pushing himself to stand, idly remarking, "I was gonna go whether or not you did." Rose wordlessly teleported out of the home, followed by Steam haphazardly leaping out after her.

Sonic quickly followed them with a slight roll of the eyes. Once outside, he hurried off toward the source of the noise, trying not to move too fast so as to avoid kicking up too much dust and debris with his movement. The moment he caught sight of magenta feathers amidst the scorched trees, however, that plan fell by the wayside and he picked up the pace. She's back… Steam and Rose moved after him, the hedgehog matching Sonic's pace upon seeing Wave. Spying what the Babylonian was awkwardly trudging along with in her arms, Sonic nearly froze. "You found him…!" he found himself breathing as he rushed over to help ease her burden.

Rose was fast to follow behind him, appearing beside him within the second and assessing the situation quickly. Steam hung back for the moment, hesitant for some reason or another. The cat glanced up to Wave and gently asked, "What happened?"

As Sonic carefully shifted his unconscious brother into his own arms, Wave cast an exhausted yet vaguely confused look at the cat. Instead of asking any questions of her own that she may have had, though, she just said, "Kidnapped." After a second's pause, she thought to elaborate, "He was. The Trokkerlar Army had him. I don't know what was done to him before I managed to find him. They just… left him like this in a remote area of their territory. Abandoned him to be found, it looked like. I don't know why."

The cat was quiet, taking this in before giving a soft nod, extending an arm to Wave to help her along, should she accept. "Would you mind if I took a look at your injuries?"

"Go ahead," Wave murmured, only to then say, "But check on him first, would you? He's worse off than I am."

Rose gave a faint smile of understanding, her eyes roving Shadow's body quickly with a slightly surprised blink. _Not entirely organic…_ This caught her off guard briefly, but her attention shifted to other matters. _Several blunt force and slash or stab based injuries. Nothing overtly worrying, but his physical state is in awful condition…_ She stepped near to Shadow and Sonic, letting her healing aura flow to life once more around her with the energies focused around the unconscious hedgehog.

Emerald eyes looked on with visible concern as wounds slowly began to close and disappear. The thought, _Good thing no wires and things seem to have been damaged,_ crossed his mind, soon to be replaced with a new one. _What if something else was done to him? Something we can't see?_ He shot a glance at Steam, wondering what (if anything) the other hedgehog knew about this turn of events. Seeing nothing there, he returned his attention to what Rose was doing. She had Shadow fully healed before long, but Sonic knew better than to expect him to wake up just yet.

Rose vaguely glanced to Steam as well, noting a faint shift in his aura and overall mood that he was doing his best to try and hide, but ultimately turning her attention back to Wave and quickly inspecting her as well. _She was not lying about Shadow being in worse condition, at least… Expected wounds of combat._ The cat was quick to work on these wounds as well, glancing to Steam once more and wordlessly asking him to come over.

The hedgehog reluctantly did, crossing his arms as he arrived and glancing to Wave. "You alright?" he asked vaguely, shifting a touch uncomfortably.

Despite her apparent exhaustion, Wave nodded once. "Yeah… more or less." She looked briefly at Rose. "Speaking of, thanks for that."

Rose gave a gentle smile in response, her gaze flicking over the others around her. "Shall I teleport us to the rest?"

"Nah, I got it." Without another word, Wave teleported everyone to the house.

Upon their arrival, Tails, Cream, and Vector were immediately on their feet with wide eyes. Tails in particular was running up to them almost as soon as they appeared. "You found him!" he exclaimed quietly, a mixture of fear and relief coloring his tone.

Steam frowned and murmured something under his breath before speaking up. "His body is physically alright, as far as Rose can tell. Though… the fact that he's unconscious concerns me."

This statement caused Tails to frown. Retreating to his previous seat, he grabbed his handheld scanner before returning to the group just as Wave was creating a bed of aura energy for Sonic to lay his brother down on. Once Shadow was settled, Tails scanned him quickly, only to frown more. "There's… nothing overtly wrong that I can tell. There's some minor damage caused by who knows what, it could even be old for all I know, but… this little thing," he gestured to his device, "isn't really equipped to conduct an in-depth scan of his systems and the like. I can't really say what's wrong, if anything."

"And I assume that the tech you'd need is somewhere else on the planet?" Steam asked with a slowly growing frown of his own, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"He definitely feels warm," Sonic mumbled almost to himself. "Kinda feverish."

The unintended interruption earned a glance. "Yeah, there is that," Tails agreed, concerned. Seeing that they had things under control, Wave slipped away to the room where Jet was resting. Then, turning to Steam, he answered the original question. "My tech is at my home. In the lab, specifically, as you might imagine."

Steam gave a faint sigh, his eyes following Wave for the time being before refocusing on Tails. "I'd be willing to take you there, unless we'd have to take Shadow _with_ us. That's a touch less... " he trailed off faintly, gaze wandering.

"He'd have to go with," Tails confirmed with a nod. "It'd be really time consuming to try to bring all the equipment here and try to get it all to work given the… devastation in this place."

The green hedgehog gave a small nod, glancing to Rose. "I assume you and the others can keep everything going around here."

A gentle smile broke onto Rose's face and she motioned gently for Steam to get ready. "It will be fine. Your friends… they are _safe_ now."

Steam huffed faintly and looked back to Tails. "I'll be ready whenever you are."

"Yeah, I'm ready." Tails turned quickly to Sonic. "I'll definitely let you know what I find out, even if it's just that he's fine, after all." Sonic nodded, some of the anxiety easing from his face.

"Got it." Steam walked to Tails and teleported away with the fox and unconscious hedgehog in tow.

As soon as they reappeared, Tails set to work carefully hooking his friend up to several special machines that he had specifically designed years back to be able to perform in-depth checks on Shadow's well-being - and the well-being of his non-biological parts. After several minutes, he murmured, "His oxygen levels are fine… and he didn't lose a lot of blood, it looks like. Certainly not enough for anything to stop functioning, biological or otherwise. And there's no electrical damage, either, which is great news. I was really worried about that."

"Any serious damage to the brain? Concussive or otherwise?" Steam asked, watching from a short distance away.

Tails shook his head. "Nothing other than indications of the loss of motor skills and similar functions, which we were already very aware of." He typed at his holographic keypad, frowning in concentration. Another minute passed, then he mumbled nearly under his breath, "It's weird though… the parts of the brain that light up with activity in response to pain… they're _really_ active right now. I just can't figure out _why_."

Steam walked up closer, inspecting Shadow's body as best he could. "Any firing from the nerve endings throughout his body?"

More typing, more brief silence, then Tails bit his lower lip in confusion and worry. After another second or two, he said, "It's so hard to pinpoint, Steam. The way these readings are coming back… it's like his whole body might as well be on fire right now."

Immediately, Steam began an inspection with his magic, trying to trace any sort of magic effects that may be causing this, but to no avail. "The hell…? Nothing magic either?"

"I don't _get_ it, none of this makes sense." Tails re-checked everything once more, then resumed typing. "I'm going to try a couple different kinds of scans… hold on a second." He did as he'd said he would, and soon the first test started coming back with results. After taking a moment to read it, he turned to Steam and with unusual sharpness demanded, "Check his arm for injuries. I'm serious, check it _thoroughly_."

The hedgehog didn't spare a nod in response, walking closer to Shadow and lifting the black hedgehog's arm up to inspect it closer with his eyes as his magic activated to much more thoroughly do the same. Tails hurried over as Steam was doing this and began helping Steam search, parting fur with careful fingers as though looking for something small. "Would that lady, Rose, have possibly healed any mark that might've been here?" he wondered aloud.

"In my timeline, Rose is _renowned_ for her healing abilities. I have no doubts about it." Steam gritted his teeth, then looked to Tails. "What are you looking for?"

Tails bit his lip again, then released it. "A lot of the pain is centered _specifically_ on his arm. And some of the emotional readings I got back from that scan I just did…" He trailed off, but only very briefly before questioning, "Steam, in your timeline, how… how familiar were you with all of us? Particularly in the many long eras after Sonic passed away."

"There was a short time where I disappeared for a few reasons, but it wasn't… _terribly_ long. I made it a point to try and keep up with everyone as best I could. Why?" His attention stayed trained on the fox, deep seated worry showing itself on his face.

In response, Tails almost hesitated. He didn't want to have to get into a drawn-out, emotional retelling of this if he didn't have to. "And him?" he asked, gesturing with a head nod toward Shadow. "How familiar were you with his life and… struggles?"

Steam managed a frown. "Not as much as I would have liked to have been. He always leaned more toward you for that, but I did catch some of it and helped where I could."

His answer earned a heavy sigh from Tails. _An explanation it is._ "Okay… Right. So, just in case there's anything you missed or anything that was different in your timeline versus our own… I'll give you a really brief rundown. A war went down here on Mobius at one point. He was captured and interrogated, among other things, and the end result of that was him being hooked on a drug I've only ever heard him call by its street name 'Zero'. It's extremely powerful and very, very famous for its intense euphoric symptoms. But as a by-product of its strength, the drug simultaneously causes _incredible_ pain and severe addiction. And these few symptoms he's showing…" Once again, he trailed off.

The hedgehog gritted his teeth with bitter agitation. "Whatever fucker took him injected that drug into his system?"

"That's… the best guess I have right now," Tails said quietly. "It probably happened just before he was properly attacked, too, since it doesn't generally render people unconscious. Not unless they've had too much, of course. And since his pulse is pretty normal and so's his breathing, I don't think he was given terribly much. Just… you know, just enough to be… effective." _Did they do this... just to slow us down again? Was it just meant to make him suffer? Is there some other purpose behind it I'm not seeing?_

Steam viciously scratched at his head for a long moment, hard enough to cause a degree of pain in an attempt to stave off the stress and agitation. "God damn it… Is there anything we can do?"

It was hard to admit, but Tails said, "Last time… we were barely able to help at all. Mostly, all we were able to do was keep him safe from himself while his mental and emotional states tried to recover from all the withdrawals and such. We did our best to keep him hydrated, fed, that sort of thing, but we could never… get him to let us involve a proper professional. Anyone who would have actually known what to do. It's probably going to be the same thing this time. And it's not… gonna be a painless process for anyone involved."

"I… think it'll be fine. We've luckily got Rose around, you, Sonic, and me. Sein, too, and Wave when she's around. We can manage," Steam murmured, sighing faintly. _He didn't deserve this shit._

Tails nodded a little before saying, "Even still… we're gonna have to _really_ watch him. Last time… Last time, he went downhill _extremely_ fast. There's a huge risk it'll happen again and he'll disappear on us just like before." He dropped his gaze. "I mean, there's also a chance that he'll still be in his right mind enough not to try to take off, but… we just have to be prepared."

Steam nodded. "I'll let the others know the situation when we get back so that everyone can be prepared."

"We'll need to try to gather medicine, too," Tails sighed. "He spiked a lot of fevers the last time, on top of being so sick to his stomach that he spent most days throwing up constantly unless we were able to get the proper meds into him. It usually helped with the anxiety, the insomnia, and so on as well."

"I can go around and work on that. Might even be able to get Sein, Alana, or Wave to go to Babylon for medicine from there, if you think we'll need it."

That reminder brought a measure of relief to Tails's face. "Right… I'd almost forgotten about that. See, back then… we were almost never in contact with Jet anymore. As a by-product of that, we rarely had contact with Wave and the whole of Babylon, either. We had to rely on Mobian treatments which, comparatively… are pretty lacking. If you guys can get your hands on Babylonian medicine, that might make a huge difference." He paused, thinking, then had another small lightbulb moment. "I heard something about Kath being back, too… is that right?"

The hedgehog gave a short nod. "Yeah. He's on Babylon right now, but he's definitely back."

"His advice should definitely be taken into account here," Tails said simply. "I've heard some stories and, trust me, he'll know what he's talking about when it comes to helping with this sort of thing. He'll know what medicine to look for."

"That man always seems to know what he's talking about - _when_ he talks, that is."

"You're not wrong, but this is more of a… firsthand bit of knowledge, unfortunately. Jet's mentioned before that Kath's life got real rough for a while when he was a teenager and he… wound up getting involved in some pretty shady stuff. Kinda messed him up for a while. But it has the small upside of giving him the intel we need now."

"I'll do what I can to make sure we get to talk to him," Steam answered with a glance to Shadow. "What side effects should we watch out for, should he somehow get back out and get ahold of more?"

Another sigh escaped the fox as he said, "There are a bunch… With such a strong drug, how could there not be? There's the stuff I already mentioned - insomnia, anxiety, pain, nausea, vomiting - as well as a host of others. Lethargy, severely diminished or even utterly lacking appetite, fevers, shakiness or even outright trembling as though freezing, general weakness of the body, restlessness… Then there are cravings, of course, and they're extremely severe. There are also sensations of hot flashes or cold spells, migraines and general headaches…"

Tails took a moment to think before continuing. "In relation to the nausea, there's often unintentional gagging when he actually tries to eat or drink, plus he has to constantly deal with the cramping and other feelings you get when you're about to hurl. He also tends to get really agitated really easily, and understandably he's irritable and depressed a lot of the time. He also did engage in some self-injury the last time, though nothing too major and it was only a few times. Disorientation and confusion are a given with these things, but it escalated to full delirium on multiple occasions the last time. I think he might have even hallucinated more than once, but I can't confirm that.

"He had real issues with fatigue, nightmares, and difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep," he continued quietly, thinking back, "but sometimes it was the opposite. Sometimes it was all we could do to keep him from sleeping the days away." He shook his head, worry increasing as he kept on. "Racing thoughts are a normal symptom as far as I know, and he definitely appeared to suffer from that. Made it really difficult for him to concentrate, be patient, and so on. He also experienced a pronounced loss of interest in people, activities, general life… that sort of thing."

"Possibly a rarer symptom," he then said, "would be seizures. He had a couple of those, but they weren't serious enough to warrant hospitalization. His pupils were often dilated, too, and his senses were really… well, _sensitive_ throughout the ordeal. We could almost never get away with touching him, for one thing, since he felt it so acutely that his brain convinced itself each and every time that he was experiencing pain, even though he wasn't." His graze dropped again. "I can't really… remember anything else. It was a long time ago, but I think that was everything."

"That's good information to have, regardless. I'll make sure the others know to watch out for this stuff," Steam answered. "Is there anything else you're wanting to do while we're here?"

Tails shook his head. "No… not really. We should just get back to the others. We can keep an eye on Shadow while you gather things. Talking to Sein and Alana might be good, too, since they can help you talk to Kath."

"Got it. Teleport back, then?" Tails just sighed and nodded. With a nod in return, Steam teleported the trio back to Espio's home. Their arrival prompted the attention of Rose once more, and the woman walked over while tilting her head faintly in a display of curiosity.

"What did you discover?" she asked softly, her gaze shifting to rove over Shadow once more.

Steam sighed, shaking his head. He was careful to keep his voice down so that Sonic, Cream, and Vector (who were having their own small conversation) didn't overhear just yet. "Long story short, whoever kidnapped him injected a very powerful drug into his body. I can give you some more specifics shortly, but for now just know that we need to keep watch over him."

Rose gave a distinctly worried frown, but said nothing more and simply moved aside as Steam began walking toward the gaping hole of the house. "I will help do so, wandering Balancer."

"Good. We could use someone like you." Steam sat down at the edge of the remaining section of the house, running his hands through his hair to try and cope with the stress. _'Cause I obviously can't do it myself._

 **~保護者~**

Wave walked quietly into the room where she sensed Jet resting. With little more than a passing glance at his parents for the time being, she crossed the room and sat down on her knees beside the bed. She reached her hand out and gently smoothed down some of the feathers on his head. "How long has he been asleep?" she asked in a low tone, speaking to neither Sein nor Alana in particular.

"I do not know, exactly," Alana answered, voice just as soft. "It is difficult to gauge the time with so much ash in the sky.

That was understandable… and a harsh reminder of how badly they had failed. Wave strove to focus on other matters, at least for now. "I assume that Rose healed him." _There's no way Kaden let him escape unscathed. Even Jet dying and reviving wouldn't heal him completely._

"She did," Alana confirmed. "His injuries were not life-threatening, but he was wounded nevertheless."

Understanding, Wave inclined her head. She slowly, almost reluctantly, removed her hand from Jet's head. Her presence and touch seldom bothered him when he rested, but she wanted to be certain that he didn't wake up just yet. Though there was no doubt that she would have to wake him soon, for the time being… _He needs the rest. There's no mistaking that._ Turning her head, she looked at Sein and Alana. Delivering bad news wasn't something she enjoyed doing, but here it had to be done. "You two… were thrown into this whole mess at a really bad time," she sighed. "I'm grateful you're here, don't get me wrong, it's just that… this hellscape that was brought down upon this world and Babylon… it was a _very_ long time coming. And none of us had really had the chance to explain _why_ to you, let alone explain much of anything else." Meeting each of their gazes in turn, she quietly declared, "Now, more than ever, those explanations need to be given. That is, if you're prepared to hear them."

"There's no reason to delay them," Sein muttered softly, leaning back with his arms crossed. "Since you're here, you may as well explain it as long as you're willing to."

Wave nodded once. "To start off with… I heard through a mental conversation with Jet earlier, during all the fighting, that you know Kaden to some extent from your timeline. I'd wager, based off what he said, that none of _this_ was going on where you're from. So, to explain it as briefly as possible, the Kaden of our timeline was - alongside the rest of us - taking part in a war against an ancient race known as the Nocturnians many, many years ago. At the time, we assumed he and his partner had died, as we didn't truly knew much of anything about semi-Immortals at the time. However, instead of truly dying, they began to slowly revive following their violent 'deaths'. Only, the previous God of Demons, a _massive_ beast known as Amnikaribah, stole and corrupted Kaden's soul before he revived. That… set Kaden down the path to doing what he did here."

"He's not completely lost to us, however," she continued. "His partner, Analia, also revived and is still out there somewhere. Just as Kaden is the current living embodiment of Darkness, descended directly from the _first_ being of Darkness, she is descended from the first being of Light and exists as the current living embodiment of said Light. As a result, her power is incredibly formidable, and more than powerful enough to stave off _total_ corruption within Kaden… so far. _She_ is the reason why we believe he's still capable of being saved, and why neither Jet nor I have made any plans to simply defeat him somehow and move on. He can be saved, and Jet… to say he's hell-bent on _doing_ it is quite the understatement." She sighed and looked down at her friend. "...Especially… now that Sonic's back."

Sein sighed softly, glancing at Alana. She didn't return his glance, frowning a little to herself as she mulled all this over. "I can't say I'd do anything differently, so I at least get where he's coming from…"

There was little to be said in response to that, so Wave moved on. "The issue of Kaden's corruption goes deeper than the surface issues of murder, world-destruction, and the like. In the past several million years, he's undertaken a thus far _extremely_ successful campaign to systematically wipe out any and every being of Light he can get his hands on."

Alana froze up, stunned. To her, that sounded just like the mass genocides that many beings of Light had undertaken long before her and Sein had even been born. Genocides that had eradicated many species of Darkness in their entirety, driven the ancient Chameleon races out of the Garden of Darkness and into reluctant hiding, sparked an existence-rattling _war_ … Though she and Sein had begun life long after that ramifications of these events had been forgotten by most, she, Sein, and others like them had been taught the truth. _What if something akin to that were to begin again?_

Sein's mind traveled another route, an immediate concern rising within him. _Such a genocide once more would leave existence in a state of disrepair… It couldn't handle losing several beings such as Rose and Analia. Not to mention…_ His mind wandered to Espio and Armaris. _We've seen what could happen if other beings of Darkness get their hands on those two…_

"Alongside that, Kaden has been working on repairing a portal," Wave informed them, tone turning grave. "I assume you two are rather deeply familiar with the Twilight Cage."

 _The realm where Malevolence was first sealed… and for many millions of years. The "gate", "door", "portal", whatever one wishes to call it… was deliberately shattered to prevent anyone from ever returning there, with the hope that without any outside tampering it would never be released. And yet…_ Heart sinking, Alana dared to question, "He intends to set foot in that realm?"

The male hawk's eyes narrowed, a faint twitch of his cheek being the indication of how it bothered him, but he _attempted_ to keep such hidden. "What plan could he _possibly_ hope to carry out by opening _that_ portal?"

Slowly raising her eyes from Jet again, Wave met Sein's gaze. "He intends to _kill_ Malevolence," she murmured, causing Alana to stiffen further, "and to wrest its place of power from it… just as he did with the God who corrupted him."

Sein _almost_ burst out with how _insane_ of an idea that was, and the only thing stopping him was Jet sleeping merely feet away. "What in the absolute fucking _hell_?"

"We don't have all the details, obviously," Wave said, breaking eye-contact. "All Jet and I know is that Kaden _absolutely_ has the power to carry this out and, most importantly, be _successful_. It's why Malevolence is even back in that realm to begin with. Between Kaden's vendetta against it and the rising threat of the Void… it felt the Cage was the last remaining place in existence where it could seek shelter. It just… isn't going to remain that way for too much longer. Jet managed to lay eyes on the portal again a few months ago, and it's closer to completion now than ever before. At best, if Kaden continues retrieving portal shards at the same rate he has been these past few eons… we have _maybe_ a month or so before he's able to reach Malevolence's realm, assuming we're incredibly fortunate."

Alana was silent. What even was there to be said about this? Aside from the obvious "we have to stop this" nonsense people normally spouted during these sorts of discussions, she had nothing to offer. Her mind was far too focused on the issue of how to stop this, anyway. _Taking away the option of killing our enemy, we are left with nothing short of total purification. Is it even possible to carry out such a feat against such a powerful evil? Even if it worked… would it not just kill him regardless?_

"It's kind of the only option we have, then. The _only_ chance we have to not kill him and stop this before everything gets too out of hand," Sein sighed, his gaze fixed on Alana for the moment. "I… I'm sure we could manage it somehow."

His wife shifted her focus to him. "Only a True Immortal could pull off such a purification successfully," she countered, a sort of icy edge to her tone that reminded Wave vividly of the Kath she and Jet had once known. Then Alana continued, "And even if we managed to do it, who is to say our efforts would not still result in his death? A purification such as the one we did on Armaris has a very low risk of death, but one of this magnitude… the chances of it not resulting in death are nearly nonexistent." Wave tensed up at this news.

"But the fact that you're forced to say ' _nearly_ ' means there is some small chance. Even if it doesn't work, and it _does_ kill him, we will know that we _tried_ for it regardless instead of never taking the chance," Sein answered, none of that same icy edge Alana carried. His was more… passionate. Alana didn't answer, looking at their son once more. Would he ever forgive them for such a turn of events…?

Though she didn't particularly like the idea of interrupting, Wave felt she had no choice. "There's, unfortunately, more to mine and Jet's struggles in this era than just Kaden," she revealed quietly. "We are on the brink of a full-blown existential _crisis_ … a war of many, many fronts that is only just getting started."

" _With_?" Sein demanded, eyes narrowing further as his concern grew. He didn't like what that insinuated.

"For one thing… I already mentioned the Void," Wave answered carefully. "I know Jet told you two a _little_ bit about it… but I doubt he confided as to the full extent of what's actually going on."

Frowning deeper now, Alana responded, "No… he did not."

"That's not surprising," the swallow admitted. "Precisely _because_ of what's going on… I don't know how much he even _could_ have told you. Some of it… he, being the victim of it all, may not have the ability to notice or take action against right now."

Alana's fear for her son rapidly mounted. "Explain."

Instead of stating the obvious (namely, the fact that she was going to do just that), Wave merely nodded and proceeded. "The Void… as he may or may not have mentioned… speaks to him. He doesn't like, doesn't passively _let_ it, does everything in his power to prevent and ignore it, but the whispers persist regardless. The things it says are cryptic and, on the surface, can seem like nonsensical ramblings that any sane person would ignore. But with each new message, it gives its previous words deeper and deeper meaning. Those meanings grow darker and more dangerous with each new layer that is unveiled to him."

She looked down again, the weight of her own fears and worries seemingly dragging her head down somewhat. "That, coupled with the Void energy itself that Jet has unwillingly possessed within him ever since the energy came into being, has for a long time been creating a subtle but strengthening... _influence_ on his mind and heart. It isn't corruption or even manipulation, exactly, but it's working somewhat the same way. The Void chose him as a vessel for its energies and power and, so far… he's not been able to control it to any degree. If it persists and the Void carries things too far, there's… no telling how much further hell it will be able to unleash upon us all."

"What energies currently exist?" Sein asked suddenly, scowling. "Including the Void."

Realizing that he meant existential energies, specifically, Wave answered shortly and in order of birth, "Aura, Chaos, Light and Darkness, and the Void." Beside her, Jet shifted, and she instinctively placed a hand on his shoulder as though to soothe away a nightmare. One that, currently, he wasn't even having. Thankfully, it didn't wake him up.

Sein tapped his foot on the floor softly. "That… doesn't sound exactly like it should. Aura has always just kind of… existed. Light and Darkness are opposites to balance one another, but Chaos and Void…?"

"They most certainly are _not_ meant to be opposites," Wave confirmed, following his line of thinking. "Chaos is the direct child, if you will, of Aura. Void is… something entirely new and unique. It wasn't even directly birthed from just one other energy as Chaos, Light, and Darkness were. Chaos comes _directly_ from Aura. Light and Darkness both come _directly_ from Chaos. The Void, however… comes from a volatile mixture of both Light _and_ Darkness. There exists a point in existence where the two realms have met and, at some point in time, began merging. That place eventually separated to form its own realm as the energies further blended, and… the end result was the creation of the Void."

"And _nothing_ else has spawned to even somewhat help deal with the Void?"

"Nothing. And believe me, we have been searching. _Everyone_ capable of it has been searching. Myself, Jet, the other two Immortals before they strayed down their darker paths, most of the Gods and Goddesses… No one has found even the vaguest hint of proof that any other energy has even _begun_ to come into being."

Troubled by this, Alana closed her eyes. _None of this bodes well… None of it._

Sein's gaze quickly turned toward the door. He had someone he wanted to ask, but… _He's got something else keeping him busy. I suppose it'll have to wait._ The hawk decided to keep that out of his mind for the moment before something suddenly came to mind. "There's something else, right?" he asked Wave, sitting up straight.

She nodded once, reluctantly. "One more thing," she confirmed. "And it's not any better than the other two. There's… an army that has been plaguing existence since the time of the second generation of Immortals. I don't know how much you two already know, but an Immortal of that generation created the ability of 'Privilege' which is designed to allow Immortals to grant some measure of their abilities for others during extreme situations and only when it is required. Only, back then, there weren't such limitations in place."

No chance was given for either of them to respond. "By the time the ability was rediscovered and properly limited by a much later generation," she said, "the creator of this power had been tricked into granting extraordinary privilege to a woman who then turned on the lot of them and slew them. She hunted them down one by one, stealing further abilities wherever she could to make herself even more powerful. Ever since, she has systematically repeated the same pattern of behavior as often as she could, raised an army, both crafted and taken over realms for her army to operate in, taken in and irreversibly changed countless demons into mindless, fiery 'Pyrzar' beasts to further bolster the Trokkelar Army's power…"

Shaking her head, she continued, "Amidst all of this, she's been wiping out entire planets, realms, civilizations, races, and even realms in a show of power and who knows what else. She's even taken out her rage on the likes of semi-Immortals. There are roles meant to be filled by Gods and Goddesses that simply don't _exist_ anymore because she wiped those people out before any of them could even _begin_ training future replacements. She deliberately led many beings of Light straight to Kaden, knowing he would kill them. And Kaden… she's been antagonizing him for many, many eons as well. Just as we are on the brink of war with the both of them, he is on the brink of war with _her_. This latest stunt her people pulled with Shadow is likely going to be the final nail in her coffin, as far as Kaden is concerned."

Sein shook with anger for more than a few seconds, understanding _exactly_ who this person was. "That fucking _bastard_ ," the man spat, still trying to keep his voice down. Faint traces of his aura loomed over his body for a moment before he managed to quell what surely would have been a fairly destructive outbursts. Jet shifted again, nearly woke, but Wave quickly set about soothing him again in an effort to prevent him from getting up just yet. "I know… who _that_ piece of shit is." Alana had gone utterly silent and still, expression blank and oddly vacant.

Wave looked at him, looked at her, looked back to Jet, and then released another sigh. "...I know you do. Your history with her is… something I unintentionally read in your minds when we first met."

The man carefully wrapped an arm around his wife in a protective and comforting way. "Don't worry about that." Despite how calm he was trying to sound, the words were practically being bitten out with anger, anger that managed to keep him from fully noticing Steam slip into the room.

"I-" Steam glanced around, biting his lip. "Is this… a bad time…?" His voice roused Alana from her frozen state and she blinked slowly a few times, mind gradually beginning to refocus on the present.

Wave was quick to take the opportunity as it came. "...No… No, you're fine. A distraction is welcome, honestly. What's the matter?"

"I wanted to talk about a few things… more specifically with Sein and Alana for some." Steam answered, watching the three for a moment before deciding to continue. "To… start then… I need to explain what's happening with Shadow. To keep it short, whoever kidnapped him _also_ injected him with a powerful drug that he's been addicted to before. I want to get Kath's opinion, and aid if he can provide it, to know what to do while Shadow is recovering."

Alana straightened, a look of surprise and confusion flashing through her eyes as the implication of what Steam had said sank in. Sein didn't even know of that part of her father's history. _She_ wasn't even supposed to know, truth be told. How did _this_ boy know? "How do you…?" she started to ask, trailing off. Sein's anger noticeably ebbed as he listened, his gaze finally shifting over to the hedgehog.

"It's a long story, but the easiest way to explain it is that Tails told me because Jet told him at some point or another. You can ask either of them about it after this, but I _really_ want to get these things across before I potentially end up going somewhere." As Steam spoke, Wave entirely shifted her focus to Jet, as she knew he was definitely waking up and she wanted to monitor his emotions and stress levels as he did so.

After taking a long moment to consider the potential ramifications of approaching her father about this matter, Alana relented and said, "We will take you to him, then, once you are finished with your discussions here. Speak."

Steam didn't spare time for a thanks, instead continuing along. "The next major thing is regarding something a little more related to Jet and… Rose." Sein raised an eyebrow, motioning for the hedgehog to continue. "The woman you know as Astra…" Alana frowned again, recalling the tidbits of information Sonic had shared about the woman with Sein and Alana since the fighting had ended mere days ago. "Her real name is Eila, and she was once a being of Light."

 _Once?_ Alana thought to herself.

"After some sort of envy or jealousy as a result of something her parents did, something I won't get into detail about, she ended up practicing Dark Magic. She ended up damaging her mind and body in some blind pursuit for power. However… in my timeline, Rose and her parents were able to catch Eila and purify her. Obviously, that either didn't work out here, or she corrupted herself once more."

Sein frowned once more. "You said it has to do with Rose… but…" he trailed off momentarily, unsure of how to ask his question.

"They're sisters, Rose and Eila. They possess powerful Light and Light _Magic_ , respectively." Steam sighed softly. "Don't talk to Rose about it now, I'll say that much. She's sensitive about her sister, but the thing is that she's been corrupted a second time over now. Eila is _distinctly_ demonic on top of her previous corruption. I sensed it last time we ran into her, back on New Babylon."

 _Dormant Light._ Mulling over all everything that had been said, Alana began to wonder, _What does any of this have to do with our son?_

"I wouldn't have thought a being of Light could be corrupted in such a way," Sein idly commented, tapping his foot on the floor once more. He shook his head lightly and decided to ask what he and Alana were both thinking. "What's this got to do with Jet?"

Steam paused faintly, debating the worth of _really_ explaining how bad this could be. "Astra and Jet… likely have a _long_ history by now. Her mental abilities… well… she's capable of _fully_ controlling people. Minds, memories, and more. There's a good chance that… she's been heavily involved, or maybe even just somewhat involved, in some of the events that have scarred him mentally." That revelation made Alana tense up anew, her thoughts briefly fading away as her mind became stuck on the fact that this woman had likely had a hand in hurting her _child_.

The hedgehog watched Sein, who had dropped his gaze in favor of keeping his attention somewhat focused on something else. Steam grimaced faintly before adding, "And… with how easily she was able to mess with him mentally, there's a chance that she's done something to make it easier than it should be naturally. I wish I could say more, but I don't know _Astra_ as well as I know _Eila_."

Wave suddenly spoke up again, tone wooden and suddenly devoid of normal emotional inflection. "Jet was tortured," she revealed to his parents slowly, "a very long time ago. Whatever he endured was _far_ beyond extreme and even outright savage in nature. His mind was left… shattered for years following his ordeal. To this day, his ability to guard himself mentally from further torment and the like is drastically diminished from what it _should_ be for someone of his overall caliber. It doesn't help that his mental walls were already weak due to how he was brought up and the hardships he faced back them. The idea of someone trying to capitalize on that…" She trailed off briefly, then admitted, "It's something Sonic and I feared for _years_ would happen. We just… never realized it was actually…" This time, she didn't continue and let her sentence hang.

Sein muttered something hateful under his breath about _not_ letting that happen before Steam decided to change the topic. "I've… got one more thing to talk about." Hoping that this wasn't too much to unload at once, he continued, "I'm going to be speaking to the Gods and Goddesses as soon as I can about… various things. One of which being attempting to find Analia, and another to try and get everybody to the same level of understanding about the enemies we face as quickly as we can. Is… there anything you need me to ask them?"

"Question them about Lady Teyan," was all Alana said. They hadn't heard so much as a _whisper_ from the Queen of Chaos since her unexpected interjection into the fight with Astra seemingly so long ago, and Alana was determined to find answers. If anyone else knew anything at all, she wanted to know.

Steam nodded softly, then glanced to Wave and Sein quietly, as if prompting them to speak as well. Wave just shook her head, still almost entirely focused on Jet and not this conversation. There was a moment of silence from Sein before he decided to speak, a flare of his anger in his voice. "I'll ask them my damn self, but I've got a question for you before we go anywhere." Steam nodded once more. "Did another energy ever come to exist after the Void appeared in your timeline?"

The hedgehog sighed softly before replying, "I was well acquainted with one."

"And?" Sein asked, motioning a bit impatiently for the hedgehog to explain.

"The Aether."

 **~保護者~**

 **10,798 words this time. So sorry for the delay, again, but I hope you guys enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 8: p.m.) 02-07-20.**


	54. Ends and Beginnings

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of planning and recovery… especially for the tiny one.

 **~保護者~**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! As in, the song fro Boruto? XD Yeah, Shadow has really been put through the wringer, and Kaden's not gonna be happy about it... but it wasn't actually Astra's doing at all. It was someone else entirely... ;) Analia is most certainly missing. People can sense her, yet no one seems to know where she is. It's quite troubling, isn't it? But who can really say, perhaps someone knows more than they're telling... Anyway, thank you as always for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Ends and Beginnings"**

 **~保護者~**

The fires on New Babylon had long since been put out by the time Sein, Alana, and Steam arrived on the palace grounds. Though many parts of the planet were in dire condition, the palace itself included, it had fared far better than Mobius had. For one thing, most of their cities were still _standing_ , and most of the citizens had survived. Many worked the grounds, doing their best to clean up in the aftermath of the great disaster. Kath, however, was no longer out here among them. As Alana had suspected would be the case, he seemed to have disappeared inside what remained of the building.

Sein quietly took in all of the destruction as he walked, crossing his arms in a bout of dismay. _Could've lost this place…_ He quietly shook the thought away, glancing back to Steam. "I got a question, again."

Steam raised an eyebrow, his eyes trained forward. "Yeah?"

"Did… Kath actually die in your timeline?"

The hedgehog blinked once. "Yeah, during the Nocturnian War. Killed by a man named Kethro." Recognizing the name due to the sheer infamy of Nocturnian race and their leaders, Alana's eyes subtly widened. But, had they not been sealed away in a special orb millions of years ago?

"Wh-..." Sein was shaken up for a moment. "Wait- _Nocturnian War_?"

It took Steam a moment to figure out the cause of confusion before piecing the information together. "You're asking if he died during the attack on Babylon, right?"

At that point, Alana cut in. "We, _all_ of us, believed that the scant few people who escaped with ourselves and my mother were the _only_ survivors," she revealed as they stepped inside. "Certainly not enough to repopulate a world of this size."

"You're right. He and the people who followed him had the same belief about you guys, Laralei, and everyone who escaped with you three. And Kath, he didn't die. Not for a _long_ time," Steam explained, frowning faintly. "It was… jarring when it did happen, though."

Sein glanced away after that explanation. "So… he essentially led the people of Babylon to a point where the population was sustainable, after all of that…"

A nod served as the initial response. "Yeah. And he did pretty good, all things considered. Eventually even wound up meeting Jet, and the two ended up becoming really close."

 _Jet does seem very well familiar with him… but not the same version of him,_ Alana reflected, beginning to ascend the stairs. Still, she found herself wondering, _Will they grow close again regardless?_

Steam was quiet for a moment, before letting his attention rest on the two hawks. "I've always kinda wondered. What was Babylon like during your times?"

Alana nearly sighed, but refrained. "It was… quiet," she murmured, "and peaceful, when the Therians were not on our doorstep. Our world was prosperous, our society evolving, our people's capabilities growing almost endlessly… I suppose, to me, it felt rather like… a paradise."

A small chuckle escaped Sein. "The entire world, per my opinion, was honestly an adventure all its own. Outside of the society evolving, the various areas marked off on maps that I explored were absolutely _beautiful_. Snow-capped mountains, canyons, oceans, _floating islands_ … God, the place was amazing. If you wanted an adventure, all you had to do was go look for it."

The hedgehog gave a slow nod to this, smiling. "Sorry to bring that up. I just… never got around to asking due to some personal issues." Sein cast a mildly concerned gaze back to Steam, as if asking if the hedgehog wanted to talk about something. No verbal or physical response came.

"It is alright," Alana murmured. True to form, she didn't say anything else, focused instead on where she was stepping. There was more than a small amount of debris and ash to walk through, after all.

Sein shifted the subject after the trio went quiet. "So, Steam. You seem fairly well acquainted with everyone else, but nobody really seems to understand who you are. You met me and Alana in your timeline, right?"

Steam raised an eyebrow, but gave a nod. "Yeah. I did."

"So, I wanted to know more about…" Sein glanced away, unsure of how to approach this. "How to talk to and act around Jet…" At the mention of their child, Alana immediately resumed paying closer attention to the conversation.

The hedgehog gave a faint smile. "Firstly, I'd recommend you talk to Nier, the God of Runes. Jet and Nier are very close to one another, and the two get along well. He's gonna be one of your best chances in understanding how Jet is currently. Second, definitely Wave, Tails, Cream, and Sonic. Those four have known him for a _long_ , _long_ time. Wave and Sonic were considered best friends, Tails was his student for some time, and Cream was like his baby sister. They could tell you some of the finer details of his personality, small quirks, and some of the disorders and trauma he's endured." Steam managed a small chuckle. "Hell, Wave and Jet even dated at on-"

Sein cut in with a gasp, turning immediately and walking backward to face Steam. "They _did_?" Alana turned her head to look at them in mute surprise. Though, none of her surprise was directed toward Sein's display of sappiness. That much, she was well used to.

Steam snickered at this, nodding. "Yeah. They did."

There was a faintly giddy sound that escaped the male hawk, the man absolutely overjoyed to hear that as his arms splayed out to display his excitement. "Amazing. Absolutely amazing." Steam didn't make much of a response, a bit too busy trying not to laugh at this. He simply found it… amusing.

Though she was now sporting a small smile, Alana wasted no time in ushering them along. "Come, you lot. I believe I sense Father on this floor." Sein suddenly refocused on their current endeavor, jogging along. Steam smiled at the enthusiasm of the male hawk, choosing to follow behind him.

Alana led the way down the hall toward a fairly large room where it was clear that groups of people were being organized and sent off to work on various projects and the like in a coordinated effort to send relief to the people of the many devastated cities worldwide. As Alana had suspected, Kath and the young queen Saraya were both in there dealing with all of these people. Though, mostly, Saraya was being left alone to do her job as she saw fit, with Kath only ever stepping in when it was clear she wanted or needed some assistance. As such, when Alana caught his eye and beckoned him out into the hall with them, he approached without hesitation and followed quietly along while she led them into a separate and more private room. She shut the door behind them, then seated herself on the cleanest chair available. Kath waited silently by the door with crossed arms, waiting for someone to speak.

A glance between Sein and Steam allowed them both to agree on who would speak first. The male hawk approached Kath, an expression of mixed emotions on his face. "So… it's… really _you_ , yeah?"

Kath raised a single eyebrow just slightly, but seemed to decide to indulge his son-in-law for once instead of being sarcastic or simply not responding. "Yes," he answered. His voice was a touch quieter at the moment than it normally was. The scale of this catastrophe had even him in a somber mood.

It was clear that Sein _wanted_ to hug Kath, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he gave a gentle smile. "It's great to see you again. I… I'm really happy to." In lieu of a verbal response, one most would have known better than to expect from him in this sort of situation, Kath inclined his head in mutual acknowledgement of the sentiment Sein had shared. Sein glanced back to Alana, as if worried about asking his main question. She met his gaze evenly, not making any effort to dissuade him whatsoever. Kath looked on in silence, knowing full well that they were communicating but being uncertain so far as to what they were communicating _about_. Sein took a long, deep breath before turning back to Kath. "I… wanted to ask about your past. More specifically… the things to do with drugs…?" he pulled back a bit, as if worried that this was simply like prodding at a lion.

Briefly taken aback, Kath sort of just stared at him. He recovered after a few seconds, however, and found himself asking stupidly, "What?"

"I mean… kinda just… what I asked." Sein looked everywhere but at Kath, unsure of what to do. _Alana help me, please._

Not giving Alana a chance to jump in and help save his ass (not that she appeared terribly inclined to do so), Kath frowned and responded, "Why bring up _this_?" His tone had taken on a slight icy edge, a note of cold irritability that had earned him _quite_ the lasting reputation amongst their people.

Sein gulped. _Shit._ "You never told me about it. Obviously you hid it... " The hawk then decided to turn a completely different path, grabbing Steam and pulling the surprised hedgehog forward. "It's relevant to something he needs to talk to you about, but _I_ want to know because it's _you_."

Kath's jaw tightened briefly as he ground his teeth together, mulling all of this over before finally answering Sein. His words were still tense, but he seemed to be biting back the iciness for the moment. "It was not _mentioned_ ," he muttered, "because it was meant to be left in the past. The mistakes I made in my youth never had any place in the present day."

The blue hawk fell quiet. "Right, right… Sorry." He took a few steps back, prepared to just leave this where it was.

"Father," Alana gently interrupted, drawing their attention over to herself, "we will not ask further details than are required, but when you were lost in that lifestyle… did you ever encounter a substance known as 'Zero'?"

A faint flash of recognition showed in his eyes just before Kath looked away. Eventually, he relented with a nod. "Yes," he admitted. "A friend of mine was… fond of it. But it is a lethal drug to most. The people who crafted it are… vastly more resistant toward its effects than our kind."

Steam cut in, knowing that Sein wasn't likely to talk much further. "Well, the brother of one of Jet's friends was kidnapped at some point during the most recent battle. Whoever took him injected him with that drug. The reason I wanted to ask you about it is for advice on what to do, what medicines to use to help, if any, or anything you might be able to offer us while he's recovering."

There was another brief moment of silence before Kath let out a sharp breath of frustration over the situation. "The drug originates from one of the da Asani's lunar territories. Their medicine is best suited to dealing with their drug." He glanced over at Steam. "Acquiring any will be a chore. However… a few of our medicines will be sufficient enough if his condition is not too severe."

"I would appreciate that help, since… I assume people wouldn't want me traveling there."

"No," Kath answered shortly. Then, pushing off the wall he'd been leaning against, he opened the door and started walking out. "Come." Shooting a look at Sein, Alana got up to follow. Sein walked out after them, but then began walking the other way. He felt bad for bringing up what he had, but there was the matter of some friends of his that he also wanted to check on. Steam was quick to walk along with Alana and Kath, glancing back to watch Sein blur away.

Kath led the way to the room where all the surviving medical equipment and supplies were currently being stored on this floor, sparing them no explanations before disappearing into the depths of the room in search of the medicines he sought. A few moments later, he returned with a couple small bottles of pills and tossed them to Steam. "The original medicines are likely no longer produced in this era, but these are similar enough. They will suffice, provided he is given them regularly."

Steam deftly caught the bottles, glancing over them before giving a thankful nod. "We got someone who can manage that, and plenty of others who can help."

Alana glanced at the provided medicine and asked, "How often should these be given?"

"Whenever severe symptoms begin to present themselves," was the curt reply, "or else every few hours."

"Any idea how long it'll take for them to take effect?" Steam decided to ask. Kath merely shrugged, which Alana had somewhat expected. These weren't the precise medications he was familiar with, after all. There was a moment of silence from the hedgehog before he spoke up once more with a new question. "Is there anyone who might be able to actually get the original medicine?"

"If anyone still produces it, in theory any doctor with enough skill will be able to provide them," Kath responded. "But that is if it still exists. It may well be considered obsolete these days."

Steam fell quiet again as he thought it over. _Best chance is… probably someone like Jet, or someone who has been around for a hell of a long time._ "Hey, Kath. Mind if I ask something about Sein?"

Huffing a little, Kath re-crossed his arms. Though, tellingly, he did so in a loose manner that didn't indicate any current irritation. "Be quick about it. There is work to be done."

"Well, I wanted to ask more about his temperament. I know he's a _fierce_ protector, and he's one _hell_ of a warrior, but do you know where his temper sparked from?"

It was Alana who answered. "Part of it stems from his past," she said. "He was orphaned or otherwise abandoned as a baby during a war, and he was discovered by my family. As a teenager, he came to understand these facts more than he had in his younger years, and it weighed heavily on him."

Steam nodded slowly, glancing back in the direction they'd come from. "Makes enough sense, honestly. Something like that could weigh on most people." She merely nodded.

"It has," Alana confirmed simply. Then, addressing her father, she said, "I will not ask you to hunt down the proper medicine for us, nor anything else that may in the future be required. I know you have no desire to be around any of it anymore. If ever something comes up again, I may consult you for help but will seek out the items myself." He glanced at her and nodded to signal that he heard and understood. She turned her attention back to Steam. "It would be best for us to go. Father and Lady Saraya have things well in hand here, and people are waiting for us to return."

The hedgehog gave a slow nod before turning to Kath and giving another thankful nod. "Thank you for all of your help."

His earlier icy demeanor finally melting away, Kath allowed his tense shoulders to relax some and nodded. "Contact me immediately if anything goes wrong with your ally." Giving no time for Steam to respond, he turned and walked out of the room.

Alana watched him go, expression thoughtful, then said, "Perhaps it would be best to send you back alone for the moment. I worry what trouble my husband may get himself into if he is left _entirely_ alone."

Steam sighed and shrugged, running a hand over his head and hair. "Yeah… you're right."

"Does this bother you?" she inquired, looking at the hedgehog.

"No… just… a lot of things. A lot more than I can say I'm personally used to. That's all," he explained, clutching the bottles tightly. "It'll be fine."

"You refer to things that are different from events of your own timeline, yes?"

There was a moment of hesitation before he gave a shrug. "That too."

Her head canted. "There is something else?"

"Plenty, yeah." His answer was vague, and he didn't seem all too keen to get into it now. Despite attempting to keep his composure, he was noticeably tapping his foot rapidly yet quietly.

The female hawk regarded him closely for a moment before deciding not to press the issue. "Alright, then. Whatever it is, be sure not to bottle it up for too long." With that said, she immediately switched the subject. "If there is something else you must do here, feel free to do so now. Otherwise, I will assist you in your return if you so require."

"I… I think I'll head back on my own, actually." Steam began walking, throwing a wave back to her. "Thanks for the help, Alana."

"Of course," was the quiet reply. She gave him a small wave of farewell before walking out of the room and disappearing down the hall.

Steam landed back in Espio's home quietly, his eyes closed for a few seconds as he took a breath. "Back with some medicine that can help…"

With Sonic and Rose outside, only Cream, Vector, and Tails were present to greet Steam. Tails stood up, surprise evident on his face. "Really? You found medicine?" he asked, hurrying over.

The hedgehog managed a small nod. "It's not perfect for the situation, but Kath said it should be able to help. If he said that, I'd be willing to trust it."

 _Kath did?_ Tails considered that before nodding firmly. "You're right. If he says it'll help, then it will. I believe it." Reaching out, he took the two bottles from Steam and looked them over. "What did he say about administering this?" Steam reiterated what Kath had told him and Tails nodded again. "Right. Got it."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Cream piped up. "You look prepared to leave again, Mister Steam," she observed. "Where are you going?"

"Planning to go speak with the gods and goddesses about various things. Got some ideas and plans I wanted to present, and something to ask a few of them about," Steam answered, leaning himself up against a wall.

"Gods and goddesses, huh?" Vector mumbled. "So those are really a thing? Always thought they were just… made up mumbo-jumbo."

Tails tossed him an apologetic look. "There's… erm, a _lot_ we haven't been able to catch you up on just yet. I'll explain as much as I can in a few minutes here, okay?"

The croc shrugged. "Okay. Not like we gotta be anywhere today, anyway. Don't rush it."

Cream watched the two for a moment, listening to their conversation, then returned her attention to Steam. "When will you go?"

"Probably in a few minutes. Got something I should try to do before leaving," Steam answered with a faint shrug. "Why?"

She almost hesitated, as though she didn't want to somehow bother him. After a few seconds, however, she sighed and relented. "I have been meaning to talk with you for days now about a few things, but it can wait until your return." Her gaze briefly met his. "That is, assuming you are willing to put up with being asked questions about upsetting matters once again. I will not ask you to do so if you do not want to."

Steam's eyes grew distant for a moment before he seemed to shake himself back to reality. "That's fine, Cream. I'll answer what I can when we talk."

Somehow, she managed a little smile that was only barely forced. "Thank you," she murmured, inclining her head.

The hedgehog returned this with his own small smile before teleporting away. _I'll go… when I'm alright._

 **~保護者~**

Novei stood over Li and quietly observed as he bandaged his wounds, the closest thing to concern she could manage to show on her face. "Are you sure you will be alright?"

The wolf winced as he wrapped a bandage around his arm. "Yeah… Just banged up. I've experienced far worse than this."

"If you say so," the Therian said softly, crossing her arms and continuing to watch him. "You still manage to impress with your mastery of blades."

Li chuckled softly. "I never got around to explaining it, I guess. I'm not meant to be as combative as say, Sona or Cere, but I was given _some_ offensive abilities." The wolf sat up more properly and rolled his shoulders. "As God of the Forge, I'm actually able to choose to have mastery over a few weapons at a time. So… when a situation calls for it, I can choose to know exactly how to wield it and use it properly."

"So you are a filthy cheater?"

A snort served as the only response, followed by some laughter from Li. "I suppose you can put it that way. I guess that the Faein felt bad that we couldn't fully defend ourselves otherwise." The wolf smiled and winked, making sure that Novei knew he was only kidding.

"Practically disgusting."

"You swing a big sword around with as much strength as you can and just crush enemies before they can even be cut apart."

"Is that such a problem?"

"No, no. You're just calling my ability disgusting and cheating."

"It is."

Li rolled his eyes softly, glancing over her body. "You realize that, well… you're pretty banged up too, right?"

"Yes. Your point?" Novei asked, raising an eyebrow.

The wolf sighed. "Sit down. I'll tend to your wounds since you won't."

Knowing better than to argue with the wolf on this matter, she conceded and sat down beside him, allowing the god to carefully clean and bandage her wounds. Before she had a chance to speak again, Sona strode into the room. The Therian noted how _terrible_ she seemed to look and feel and decided to comment. "You look like shit."

The cat hissed weakly and threw herself against a wall, groaning. "Fucking _awful_."

Li coughed to grab their attention before a fight could spark between the two of them, glancing to Sona. "You should take some time to take care of your own injuries."

The goddess waved that off, laying herself in the floor and curling up for the time being. "I wanna take a fucking nap."

"Then do so," Novei idly remarked, blinking.

"Shut the fuck up."

The wolf coughed again, huffing. "I can't have you guys in the same room if you keep doing this."

"What?" Novei asked, unsure as to what he meant.

"He means we just go back and forth."

"Come here, Sona. I'll take care of your wounds," Li said, sighing. "Just get up."

"Make me."

Novei seemed to take this as a challenge and stood suddenly, walking to the cat and picking her up by the scruff of her neck. Sona seized up and managed a hateful snarl at the Therian as she was carried to Li, the man deciding it wiser to step out of the way the moment Sona was set down. The two women were going at it by the time he had moved, causing the wolf to sigh and facepalm.

The only thing that managed to make them stop was Sein wandering into the room. The three already there immediately took note of how low his mood was, Li quickly walking forward to check on him. "What's up, Sein?"

The hawk glanced up with a somewhat pained expression, forcing a small smile. "Eh, not much. I wanted to check on my friend. Make sure he was alright." Sein set a hand on Li's shoulder.

Novei walked over and grabbed Sein's hand with a tight grip. "You're lying."

Li glared at her for the unnecessarily obvious statement, then turned his attention back to Sein as the man's composure fell apart. "I upset Kath… brought up something from his past that he didn't want to talk about."

Sona watched from the background for the moment, concerned but not willing to be involved. Li was better at this, and she would prefer for him to handle this. The wolf carefully wrapped an arm around Sein's shoulders and pulled him into a gentle hug. "I'll be honest with you, man. Knowing Kath… I don't think he's really gonna be mad at you. There _is_ such a thing as being upset and not being mad at the person, you know?"

"Yeah, but… you didn't see… I can't even tell you what it was about."

"Then don't. Just sit down with us, okay?"

Sein hesitated before giving a nod and following Li over to the somehow mostly intact couch of a sitting room. The hawk managed to idly remark how this room had been somewhat lucky to have not had a full wall simply blown out of it, our worse. _Unlike the rest of the palace..._

At right about that moment, Alana walked into the room. Spying her husband on the couch, she crossed the room to sit beside him. "You are still upset?" she questioned, frowning slightly.

He didn't want to get into it, but he knew better than to listen to that part of himself. "...Yeah. I am…"

She sighed. "Why? Father is not angry with you." As she spoke, she belatedly greeted Li and the others with a glance and a nod. They all returned it to some degree.

"It's just…" Sein hesitated. "I don't remember many times I've ever seen him _that_ upset. And this time, _I_ caused it."

Another sigh, this one deeper than before. "It upset him… yes," she agreed slowly. "But that is not your fault. He is upset at what he views as his own stupidity and mistakes, as well as the… darker path he was walking in his life at the time. He does not like to recall it, but you bringing it up does not mean he is at all prepared to direct his anger and disgust _at_ you."

"And the other thing is that you of all people know that Kath isn't very likely to stay mad at you even if he _was_ ," Li explained.

Sein idly leaned against Alana. "Yeah… you guys are right…"

"And Sein," Alana added quietly, "if you give him time to simmer down, you will be able to have a proper conversation with him again sometime soon. He is not going to hold this small incident against you, especially not when he saw for himself how upset you were."

The male hawk's eyes drifted away and he gave an idle nod. "I guess so…" With his mood not lifting, Alana silently implored Li to step in and lend a hand if he could. Her strengths did not often lie in the area of comfort and support, much like her parents… but she knew their friends were often far better skilled than she was.

Li gave a faint nod and shook Sein's arm. "Hey. I know now isn't really the _best_ of times to bring it up, but remember how I made you that pair of gauntlets all that time ago?"

Sein raised an eyebrow, but gave a little nod. "Yeah. You gave me one of them when I was revived."

It took a few moments, but Li teleported another gauntlet into his hand and held it out, the piece of armor similar but not quite the same as the other. "Well, I made some others some time ago, and… before my forge was destroyed, I was able to put some away. This one should be able to contain aura as well."

The hawk gave a small nod and accepted the gift by putting it on his left hand. "Thanks, Li," he murmured with a faint smile.

"Why don't we go and test it out for a few minutes? Make sure that thing is combat ready?"

This proposition managed to elicit a slightly stronger smile. "Sure. I'd love that."

Li gave a gentle smile to Alana as he stood up, followed by Sein. "We'll be back shortly, unless you wanna join us."

Alana also stood. "I cannot," she murmured. "I must check on Jet again. I do not enjoy being away while he is recovering."

Sein almost was swayed to join her, but Novei grabbed his arm tightly. "You made an agreement. Finish that before you head back." Her words seemed to be enough to convince him to stay here.

"I'll come back when we're done, alright?" Sein gave a small smile to Alana.

She nodded vaguely. "Of course. If he wakes before then, I will inform him that you will not be too long."

Sein gave a nod and followed behind Li as the wolf left the room. Alana, meanwhile, left to say farewell to her father before returning to Mobius. It just felt so wrong to leave without saying goodbye…

 **~保護者~**

It was with a heavy heart that Locke returned to his home within the ancient Temple of the Sun. Since the dawn of the existence of semi-Immortals, this place had been a sanctuary, one passed down from one commander of the sun's might to the next on and on throughout history. He had hoped to keep this place safe… to be able to raise his adopted daughters within it for longer than this… to be able to keep evil far, far away from the place that held so many good and happy memories for him. But that was no longer possible. Not with the threats (no, _promises_ ) Kaden had made toward him, his home, and his family. Those words were _not_ to be taken lightly.

Now, looking at the floating structure, Locke just felt tired.

All of this fighting, and for what? Nothing had been accomplished. At least… not compared to what had been lost. So, so many innocent lives had been cruelly snuffed out. As a God, he was sworn into a service more important than most knew. It was his job to help those like himself - and all those above them - maintain order, uphold the critical pillars of existence (such as, for one thing, the critical balance between all of existence's key energies), fight off evil and protect those who were good… He had done his job as well as he had been capable of recently, yet it didn't feel like enough. He and all of his allies had been beaten down worse than they ever had before while Kaden had escaped with hardly a scratch.

The loss of so many demons hadn't even seemed to concern him in the slightest. And the way he'd smirked when a horrible trembling had started to break massive segments of his planet apart… _There was something under the surface. Something that's very awake and very, very malevolent._ The idea that whatever that thing was might well be unleashed upon the lot of them sooner rather than later was alarming, to say the least. It played a role in why Locke was returning here now, intent on collecting what was important inside and then immediately leaving. It felt too much like running, something he internally railed against, but there was no other choice.

Stepping inside, Locke set about collecting several things. There were various ancient artifacts that had to be transported to a more secure location and multiple Sun weapons and, of course, the girls. With the items and weapons sent away, he walked quietly into their shared room to rouse them. It was time to leave. They couldn't remain here. Not with his old friend so intent on killing them _all_. So, collecting his half-asleep children into his strong arms, he turned and began walking away.

 **~保護者~**

Things were pretty quiet inside, Tails reflected, with Sonic and Rose outside, Armaris and her mentor gone as well as Sein and Alana, Steam having left elsewhere, Wave still in the back room with Jet, and Shadow still… unconscious? Maybe he was asleep. Tails wasn't sure. With a drug as powerful as Zero, withdrawals often set in almost immediately (if not just about instantly). One of the symptoms Shadow often suffered was a sense of extreme fatigue and exhaustion. In the past, it sometimes got so bad that he had to be forcibly awakened to eat and drink and get a bit of exercise. _Might have to do that again, if he really is sleeping…_ He looked over at the hedgehog in silent worry. _I'll give it a little longer before trying to wake him up, since he was put through a lot. His body needs the rest._

While contemplating this, another thought occurred to him and he very quickly turned around on the floor to face Cream and Vector. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you guys something huge!" he exclaimed quietly, eyes wide. "I had a chance to mention it to Sonic already, but I forgot to say anything to you two."

Blinking twice, Cream asked, "What is it?"

Tails started to answer, caught himself, then shifted his attention to Vector. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were informed about all the crazy B.S. with the magic needles and whatnot, yeah?"

"Yeah," the croc confirmed with a nod. "She and Sonic told me just before all the fighting broke out, actually."

"Good. No explanation required, then. Anyway," unable to help it, Tails smiled a little, "I actually have some good news regarding that. During my scans on Shadow earlier when Steam and I were assessing his condition, I found that the effects of the magic on the chip in his brain is no longer there. The chip is functioning normally again, meaning that his motor skills aren't going to be all screwed up anymore."

His friends' eyes went wide. "Truly?" Cream asked, astounded. "But how is this possible?"

"My best guess is that these effects were only temporary," Tails answered. "And not just for him, but for everybody who was attacked. It makes sense to me. I mean, what kind of magic would ever be able to block a person's access to a crucial existential energy, you know? ...Referring to Sonic's Light, of course." He paused, considering, and his smile faded. "Of course, they _did_ still last long enough to have a _massively_ negative impact on the result of the fight with Kaden and the demons, regardless."

"Even so… this is most definitely a good thing. It means that our friends will no longer be harmed by these things." Cream offered a smile of her own, albeit a smaller one than was normal for her. As she spoke, Tails spied Armaris out of the corner of his eye when she slipped back into the house.

"Yeah, that's nothin' to sniff at," Vector agreed, crossing his arms with a firm nod. "It woulda been better if that crap wore off faster, but it's still good that it happened, either way."

His mood a bit lightened by their responses, Tails's lips quirked upward in another smile and he returned his attention to his communicator screen. He had so much data from around the world to monitor…

 **~保護者~**

Shortly after Tails's return with Shadow, Sonic and Rose had stepped outside for a bit of privacy. And, honestly… Sonic also needed the space. Tails had informed him about what had happened to his brother, but he knew no good would come from succumbing to anxiety once more. In in an effort to stave off that emotion, he was focusing as much as possible on his conversation with Rose. "...What all did Locke tell you when he asked you to come here?"

"I was told of your plight. You wish to revive friends of yours, but you need a large amount of Light to do so, speaking frankly. As such, someone like me who could provide sufficient quantities of Light was needed." She smiled softly. "Is there more I need to know?"

"Saying we need a 'large' amount might be the understatement of the century," Sonic sighed. "In my experience, reviving just one person requires enough Light to leave me totally drained as far as energies and powers go for days on end afterward. And we're looking to revive more than just a couple of people."

Rose nodded in a slow manner, taking this in. "I see. That is certainly reason enough for Locke to have asked me for this."

Sonic nodded a little. "Yeah. He seemed pretty convinced that we could do it, so he went to go get you." He paused, almost hesitated, then dropped his gaze and asked asked, "He said he'd be back soon, but he didn't come here with you. Does he… disappear like this often?" It felt like a random and silly question, but he just had a sort of gut feeling, and he'd been chastised for not trusting his instincts enough anymore… so here he was. Trusting his instincts. ...Sort of. _Maybe I'm just worrying about him too much. Maybe I'm just fucking paranoid after all this shit._

"He does disappear often, as far as I am aware. Like many of the other gods and goddesses, he finds himself very busy with many matters," Rose answered, sighing softly. "It is something I am not fond of, but something I _understand_."

Thinking it best not to dig too deeply into that topic at the moment, Sonic steered the conversation elsewhere. "So… how do we even do this?" he asked after a second or two of somewhat awkward silence. "I know how to gather my own Light to do this, but how are we supposed to use our Light together to revive someone? I've never had help before."

"The simplest way I know to explain such a thing is as a transfer of Light. My Light traveling to you, a place where you are able to use it for the revival process."

Another slow nod, then Sonic started again with a new question. "As for who should be revived first… obviously I don't expect you to have too much opinion, but I'd still like help anyway. Our options are essentially another being of Light, various fighters, and a fighter who also doubles as a healer." He looked up from the ground to meet her gaze briefly. "What do you think would be best?"

Rose pondered this for a moment, before deciding to ask. "What types of fighting styles are within 'various fighters'?"

"There are a few melee fighters," Sonic answered, "a couple fire users, the being of Light also has psychokinetic powers, the healer has basic psychic powers… that sort of thing."

"I would prioritize the healer, truthfully. Should a situation arise, that increases the chance of injuries being healed in a timely manner. After that, the being of Light. Their mental powers would likely be very helpful on the front of handling demons, as most are practically immune to fire that is not True Flame."

 _Amy, then…_ Sonic had to take a moment to process his emotions regarding this matter before clearing his throat a little and nodding. "Yeah. Okay. That… makes sense."

"Is there something the matter?" Rose asked softly.

This time, Sonic shook his head. "No. Just… hard to believe we'll finally get to see them all again, you know?" He reached a hand up to tug lightly at an ear somewhat impulsively. "I was honestly starting to think I wouldn't see them again until I was finally killed. You know… again. And our healer, Amy… I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her, or any of the others, before I was revived and dragged into the middle of this mess."

Rose nodded, understanding lighting up in her eyes. "Though I did not perform the revival, I am deeply sorry such a thing happened. It is always… painful when situations like that arise."

Sonic offered a one-shouldered shrug in response, then said, "I don't blame anyone for it. I guess it had to happen. Just… sucks, is all." Upon noticing that he was pulling on his ear, he released it and dropped his hand back down to his side.

The cat was quiet for a moment, giving a nod to substitute a response in her silence. "Regardless… We should speak more on this matter another time. Or, you can speak with those you are reviving. Actually, a talk with _anyone_ would suffice. I only hope you _will_."

Another shrug. "Yeah. Maybe." He paused almost immediately upon speaking, ears flicking slightly as he listened to their surrounding area. Close to a minute later, he mumbled, "Not sure how your hearing is, but I'd venture to guess that you didn't catch that? There was a thump or something a little ways away from here."

Rose's hand idly moved to her sword, as if it were instinct. "Which direction?" the woman asked in a low tone, watching Sonic.

Looking straight ahead, Sonic nodded his head that way. "Off that direction, but I don't think you need the sword. I don't sense anything dangerous…" He trailed off, thinking, then asked, "Think you can go fetch Armaris? She might be able to use her weird shadow-power to help us sneak closer and see what's going on."

The cat gave a quick nod, teleporting away silently and reappearing within a few short moments. Armaris murmured something under her breath before glancing to Sonic. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Sonic answered shortly. Armaris surrounded them all with a shadow before pulling them in with her, following Sonic's lead on where to go. They proceeded through the countless dead husks of trees and a couple wrecked buildings, moving cautiously toward what had once been the heart of the former village. They passed several survivors as the recovering shinobi worked on fortifying a structure that they had been using for shelter since the end of the battle. Once past them, the trio continued on another few hundred feet before coming to a halt. Together, they crept forward until an ash-covered stump came into view. It was about the only object in the immediate vicinity, but this was the area where Sonic had heard the noise. Pursing his lips, he looked around. "I swear it came from here," he muttered.

Armaris crawled out of the shadow, still practically invisible as she moved along in a search for anything that might be what they were looking for. Sonic soon followed her out, despite how visible this made him, and looked around. Then his ear flicked again and he turned his head back toward the stump. Frowning, he walked over to it and then around to the other side. It was there that he suddenly spotted a strange, wriggling sack laying on the ground. The placement of the ash indicated it had been dropped for some reason. _The hell?_

Rose was quick to follow him out upon seeing his confusion, by his side in an instant. She wasted no time in carefully picking up the sack and opening it with her magic. Once the sack was open, a tiny and bleary-eyed face could be seen within the confines of the fabric. Deep purple skin showed in the faint light as the small body wriggled around again, teensy little hands shifting around as though in an effort to reach out and grasp at something. The cat smiled softly at the sight and carefully reached a hand down to the infant (they _couldn't_ be any older than a day or two), then removing it from the sack to hold it close.

Sonic stiffened at the sight, mind sharply reminding him of an important piece of knowledge he had learned many years ago. _A chameleon absolutely will kill first and ask questions later if it means protecting their young. Don't make the mistake of underestimating the power of their protective instincts._ Glancing back toward the survivors they had seen earlier, he briefly wondered if this baby was one of theirs… only to conclude that that didn't make sense. They would never have abandoned this baby if it was theirs, purely because of those aforementioned instincts. _So whose baby is this?_ Looking at the baby again, he peered closer and paused again upon noticing the child's eye color. _Amber? That's… That's pretty fucking rare, isn't it?_

Armaris finally approached the two, her eyes widening. "Holy shit-" She leaned in closer, a frown on her face. "Fuck… Let's get back to the others. _Now_."

Aside from the obvious detail of being out in all this ash being an awful idea in general (hence why he'd been using his magic to cloak the house and keep said ash out of it), Sonic wasn't sure what the reason behind her tension was. "...Why?" he hesitantly ventured as the baby squirmed again. The baby's demeanor (Sonic was fairly certain "it" was a boy) indicated distress, but said baby never once cried or made a sound. That made sense to him, again due to his basic knowledge of Chameleon instincts. For the first few weeks of life, their babies seldom cried and such as a means of survival and generally staying safe. It was just how they were.

"I'll explain when we're back, so that I don't have to explain more than _once_." Armaris muttered, grabbing both Sonic and Rose to drag them into her shadow and race back to Espio's home. _He was already born? Why now?_ The group arrived back in no time flat, drawing curious and soon confused and worried looks from Tails, Cream, and Vector in the front room. Shadow still lay asleep or otherwise unconscious where he had been earlier.

Rose shifted the infant in her arms, attempting to keep the young chameleon comfortable. "Armaris. You give me reason to believe that you know the identity of this child, to some degree." Tails and Cream traded looks, then they and Vector got up and walked over.

Armaris groaned and leaned against a wall. "Yeah. A few days ago, I was having a kinda deep talk with Espio. He confided in me that he had a baby on the way, but he didn't know _when_ the baby would be born. Makes me _really_ think that this is his kid."

This revelation made the group properly freeze. Then Vector broke the silence with a hoarse whisper. " _Espio's_ kid?

Almost hesitantly, Tails peered closer before venturing a careful, "It does… _look_ like him. And they have the same eyes."

"His energy feels similar as well," Cream added, reaching a hand out to gently touch the baby's head. The infant seemed to enjoy the attention and relaxed a little under her soft caressing fingers.

The black cat lightly pulled at her hair, tapping her foot. _Did it have to be now that he was born? When Espio isn't even fucking around!_ She vanished into her shadow, intending to merely ruminate over this.

"I wonder if he has a name yet," Tails mused, still peering down at the baby.

"Probably not," Vector mumbled. "He's so stinkin' _little_ … And I'm guessing that woman I've been hearin' about probably dumped him off nearby or somethin'."

"Most likely, yeah. We found him on the ground tied up in a fucking _sack_." Anger burned, but Sonic made an effort to stifle it. With a sigh, he said, "It's more important now than ever that we get Espio back here. It's obviously gonna be _extremely_ dangerous, but for his kid's sake…"

Cream looked troubled. Deeply so. "With the state that he is in… how will we even come close to bringing him back to his normal self?"

"I don't know," Sonic begrudgingly admitted. There was a pause, but soon he broke the almost stifling silence. "The first step is just _finding_ him. From there… From there, _something_ has to be worked out. I know you sought him out," he flicked a glance at Armaris, "and you're obviously not hurt despite presumably running into him. That's gotta mean something." _If he wasn't still in there somewhere, he would have killed her. There's no denying that._

There was some faint show of dismay on Armaris' face, her arms crossing tightly. "Yeah…" She shifted uncomfortably, leaning up more against the wall.

Rose shifted her gaze around the room and frowned faintly, mostly out of thought. She coughed softly, shifting her hold on the infant once more. "Regardless… we should also prepare to care for him. He is in our care, and… I am willing to bet that a child such as this _may_ help with the situation regarding Espio."

"It's certainly possible, but…" Tails hesitated, bit his lip a little, then said, "None of us really know what he thought about all of this. Having a child on the way, I mean. It's not great to think about, but there's a chance to knowing the baby's here now _might_ make his emotional and mental state even _worse_. What if he didn't _want_ a baby or something, you know?"

It was hard to imagine a child causing so much negativity, but Sonic was forced to concede that Tails had a point. "Still, it's important that we find him and do what we can. We just have to find him, like I said, and that's… not gonna be easy."

Tails looked like he was thinking again. "Cream, you knew him best out of all of us. Out of all the places you remember from the past, what places do you think he would go to?"

The bunny frowned. "The world has changed so much," she argued quietly. "I hardly think-"

"Trust me, it'll help," Tails interrupted. "Mobius hasn't changed as much as one might think. It's always been resilient but slow to evolve and grow, much like its people. You might be surprised what's still around these days."

There was more silence, but it only lasted for a few seconds before Cream relented and said, "Usually my first guess would be here," she began, "for he is, as most people, most comfortable at home. However… I do recall him once telling me that he has another home in another village, one on the continent of Artika. I believe the place was known as Candlewick?"

Sonic's ears perked. "I've heard of it. Tails, is it still around?"

"Not sure." The fox was already consulting a map on his communicator. "Let me check." As he spoke, he waved his hand for Cream to continue.

She actually glanced at Vector. "I believe he was quite fond of Seaside Hills."

"Oh, yeah, for sure," the croc confirmed. "We had a few missions there, and I think it was his first time ever actually being that close to an ocean that wasn't so gloomy and so frozen and crap. He really liked it there."

"That place is definitely still around," Tails nodded. "It's a good spot to check, when we can. Anything else, you two?"

Armaris finally spoke up once more. "He's partial to colder climates, definitely. I don't know of any specifics, but hopefully that'll help."

"Well, Cream's already mentioned that he used to live on the northern continent," Sonic said. "Probably not too much of a stretch to think he might be somewhat fond of Untol down to the far south as well."

"Candlewick is definitely still there," Tails confirmed, "and Untol doesn't have a lot of people and never has, so both are valid places to check. But, even still, that's a lot of ground to cover."

Rose shifted her gaze to Tails. "I can cover a majority of a continent through the creation of clones, though it may still take some time for me to do something thoroughly."

"I can send out some robots and drones to help, too, but with all the chaos around the world from the demons… I can't promise they won't be taken out by fires, scared people, or the like." Tails's expression was apologetic. "I intend to fix my ship soon, though, and I can help more then."

Sonic cast a deeply troubled look at his brother, then sighed. "I'll go out and search, too… but someone's _gotta_ be here to help with Shadow."

"I won't be leaving him alone, don't worry," Tails assured. "I'll stick around until we can work something out."

"I'll help ya out," Vector volunteered. "You'll have to teach me what to do and stuff, but I'll lend ya a hand all the same."

Tails smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Eyes still on the baby Rose was holding, Cream said softly, "I can care for him while you are away. I had four children of my own, once upon a time. He will be safe."

Rose nodded gently. "Thank you, Cream," the cat returned softly, walking over. "Your help is greatly appreciated. I will likely still leave a clone here to aid in anything else that is required, however." With the baby securely in her arms, Cream offered a small smile and nodded.

Sonic looked over at Armaris in the meantime. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll figure it out," she muttered. "Likely gonna help search, but…" Armaris didn't bother finishing her sentence, her eyes focused outside.

Sensing that she was troubled (as she had every right to be and every sane person would be), Sonic walked over and knelt down in front of her. While everyone else was busy discussing other matters, he lowered his voice and asked her, "What's the matter? You okay?"

Armaris' piercing blue eyes stared at Sonic for some time before her gaze softened and she slid down into a sitting position. "Espio…"

Heart a little heavy at her obvious pain, Sonic gently prodded, "What about him?" He hated asking, but it seemed like she really needed to get something off her chest.

"I saw him," she explained, remaining vague for the moment. "I… I saw his _blade_."

Confused, Sonic tilted his head. _His… blade? He always has a blade._ "Can you explain more?" he asked, not really following.

"He almost _killed_ me." Armaris blurted out quietly, "Espio almost _killed_ me."

"He… what?" Sonic found himself whispering. He'd known (or at least strongly suspected) that the two had encountered one another earlier during her search, but he hadn't thought that their friend had escalated so _far_ yet… To think he was willing to threaten the life of someone he was so damned _close_ to…

The cat barely held herself together, her entire body shivering and shaking for a few seconds as she pulled her composure back. "I pissed him off and he attacked me… I managed to get my blade up… but he couldn't have been _trying_."

"Not if you were able to block him… no." Sonic was quiet briefly, then he murmured, "But… that's a good sign. That's not to make light of your experience, because you have _every_ right to be shaken up or worse over it right now. It's just… the fact that he _didn't_ genuinely try to hurt you means that he's gotta still be holding himself back to some extent. He's not totally lost himself yet. ...Even if he has slipped a lot farther away than any of us would have liked."

"The only thing that slowed him down was probably _Cere_ being there… Anyone would think twice in her presence…" the cat muttered, closing her eyes.

"That would definitely have an impact," Sonic acknowledged. "But, coming from him… I don't think that was the _only_ reason. His motivations are _never_ so simple."

Her hands clamped over her head and she simply sat there like this for a time, her breath shaky. "He's my… _brother_ …"

Unable to say anything that might help, Sonic only murmured, "I know."

Armaris fell quiet after this, just unable to bring herself to talk any further and retreating into her shadow. "Let me know when you guys are leaving…"

It was apparent that she needed to be left alone. Sonic took note of this and stood with a nod. "I will," he promised. Turning back to the others, he said, "Rose, you and I can probably head out really soon here. We've just gotta decide who's going where."

Rose nodded faintly. "I am fine with whatever choice is made. I simply require time to create my clones and to… wrap a few situations up of my own, if you do not mind."

"I can head to Seaside Hills in the meantime, since I know where those are," Sonic told her. "I don't know where that village is, but I can still help with searching Artika and Untol once I'm done around here. There are a few other places on this continent that I'd like to check out first, though."

The cat glanced to Tails. "Is there any map that you may have available for specific locations?"

"Yeah, sure." Tails stood up and took his own communicator off of his wrist. "My map of Mobius is already open, so you can just scroll and zoom in wherever you'd like to. So long as you're holding onto the communicator, your current location will always be displayed. It's only tracking the device, though, so don't lose it." He offered a smile to show that he meant that very last part as a bit of harmless teasing.

Rose passed along a gentle smile in return, followed by a nod of thanks as she quickly observed the map. She made note of where Candlewick village was located, then various other potential spots that she deemed worth checking out before vanishing in a teleport.

With her gone, Sonic turned his attention to Tails, Vector, and Cream. "Cream, keep your communicator's volume on, okay? If anything happens, we'll have to call you since Tails's is with Rose. And you can call either of us whenever you need to, obviously."

"Of course," Cream murmured. "We will keep in touch."

Sonic nodded, then looked at his brother again. "Will… he be okay while we're all gone?"

This time, the smile Tails offered was decidedly more wan. Still, his voice didn't waver as he assured, "Yeah. I've dealt with this before, and so have Jet and Wave. With both of them here and Vector on top of that, he'll be okay. We'll make sure of it."

Nodding once, Sonic turned back to Armaris. "Hey, I'm heading out. Rose left already, but everyone else is staying here for now."

Armaris moved her shadow and simply attached to Sonic's, murmuring something practically inaudibly before giving a reluctant "alright". Taking the hint that she intended to tag along, Sonic traded one last look with Tails before speeding out the door.

 **~保護者~**

Not a word was spoken for a time as Wave and Jet sat with their backs against a wall, leaning against one another for silent support and comfort. Life was busy for them. Always, always busy and always, always chaotic. Seldom was there a chance for peace, for contentment, for happiness. There was certainly none to be found here. But there was quiet, and in many respects that was enough for now. It allowed them to gather their thoughts, to process their emotions, to bask in one another's presence… There would again come a time when they would be needed, when they would be forced to resume handling the brutal aftermath of the losses they had just suffered. For now, however, they had just a few minutes to try and catch their breath and relax a little.

These few minutes would have to be enough.

 **~保護者~**

Directionless. Wandering. Dangerous.

These words had properly summarized Espio's life since he'd been old enough to walk. They certainly applied to his life these days, and especially now. He had left behind his ruined village and the several that he himself had ruined and was now walking the landscape at an even pace. He was in no rush, was not in possession of any sort of a plan to do anything in particular or for any particular reason. But he _did_ kill. _That_ he most certainly did do.

Despite keeping to the wilderness, far from whatever remained of the world's cities, there were still people to be encountered. He wasn't the only person to prefer nature as opposed to industry. But these people… they each had made the crucial error of making their presence known to him. With the desire for bloodshed never diminishing and the urge to slice seemingly insatiable, he without hesitation or remorse cut down each and every single person he encountered. He didn't care about them or their tiny emotions or their damned loved ones or any of that _bullshit_. All he cared about was sating his newfound desire to inflict pain and suffering with his blades, to use them create agony and spill blood and end lives. That was _all_ he gave a damn about right now. Perhaps his priorities would shift with time, but for now…

Actually, there was _one_ other thing. Idly toying with some Darkness in his free hand, Espio considered the depths of the power he now knew he possessed. He had been practicing with it for some time now already, rapidly working out how to properly manipulate and control the energies with flawless ease. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it to be a matter of instinct to at least some extent. Whether or not that was correct, he didn't specifically know or care. What mattered was that he was learning, and learning well. Already, he had managed to determine how to conceal the aura that his energies had been putting off, rendering him undetectable once more. No longer feeling so fucking _visible_ shaved a touch of the edge off of his anger, but not enough for him to consider sparing the next person he came across.

Fresh blood splashed against the once pristine sand.

 **~保護者~**

 **10,562 words this time. Hope ya'll enjoyed! And many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his amazing support and help. :) Posted (at about 10:00 p.m.) 02-15-20.**


	55. Hunting Ground

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this incredibly risky encounter… especially for the one who's hanging on by a thread.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Well... no, not exactly. It's not a matter of his sanity. Hopefully more of this matter will start to make sense soon. But, yes, being in this state is destroying him, in a way. It's certainly tearing apart his life, his bonds with people, his previous personality, his past way of life... the list goes on. And, as for the kid... I mean, as Armaris stated, Espio _did_ mention this to her a little while ago XD Yeah, here's hoping that meeting his baby for the first time has a positive impact, at least for a little while, huh? Anyway, yeah, I'm not gonna punish Shadow _too_ hard all at once. I like him, too, y'know! XD And yeah, Sonic definitely does need her around. She really helps him out, acting as his rock and helping him stay calm and stuff. But, yeah, being revived like _that_ would be scary, haha!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Hunting Ground"**

 **~保護者~**

 _Loyal. Brave. True._

Gazing down at the tiny baby in her arms, Cream felt nothing but softness and warmth within her heart. Watching him sleep, his slow and even breathing, his peaceful face, she couldn't help but truly, genuinely smile for what felt like the first time in far too long. She saw so much of Espio in this child… so many positive traits that she could read from his mind and even his aura to some degree.

 _Swift. Strong. Silent._

Lifting her head, she looked again at the entrance to the remnants of Espio's home. There was no one out there now, but she knew there would be soon. Perhaps when they had been more in touch with their Darkness this had not been the case, but Cream had long ago learned how the chameleons viewed births in their society. They lived very, very long lives and yet did not reproduce often. As a result, when births did occur they were viewed as a cause for quiet celebration. The baby's presence will have been sensed by now. People would come. It would be important to let them.

 _Kind. Protective. Calm._

In dark times like these, Cream knew it was important for people to have something positive to focus on - however temporarily that positivity lasted. She hoped, cautiously believed, that perhaps some of their joy would reach her former guardian, somehow help him come back to himself. These people, they would come bearing gifts for the new baby and his family, as was tradition. Would their generosity have as much of an impact on him as she believed it _could_? Would that happiness have any effect at all?

 _Stubborn. Intelligent. Confident._

Turning her attention away from the door, Cream closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. She felt that she had spent so much energy worrying that all she wanted to do was sleep. Sleeping, however, was something she could not do right now. Not with a baby in her care, not with people on their way, not with her protector still somewhere out there… searching… wandering…

 _...Lost._

 **~保護者~**

 _I can't believe he's not here._

Pursing his lips together in concern, Sonic slowly scanned the area around him. He had arrived at Seaside Hills with Armaris in tow close to twenty minutes ago, but no matter how hard he searched he couldn't seem to find any evidence that Espio had ever been here. With how much Espio had always loved this place, Sonic had been so sure they'd find _something_ here. Anything. Even something small. The fact that there was _nothing_ … It was perplexing. Frustrating, even. Or, at least, it was. Until he recalled what Locke had recently told him about Kaden, that is.

 _"It's not that he's forgotten. That's not what corruption does. But it does morph positive emotions into their most negative counterparts. Love, for example, mutates into hate. Sometimes even outright animosity. Joy becomes rage. It goes on."_

This was… concerning, to say the least. Sonic knew his friend wasn't corrupted (well, only _slightly_ ), but it seemed that Locke's words held true for Kaden and Espio in spite of their differing circumstances. With that in mind, Sonic couldn't help but wonder whether they were going about this search all wrong. _If love turns into hate… then maybe he's avoiding places like this?_ Slowly, he frowned. _...No. With how he is, especially with how he is because of his Darkness, he won't be avoiding anything. He doesn't run from the things he hates. In his current frame of mind… he'll want to destroy them._

Alarmed by the implications, Sonic twisted around to look at his shadow as best as he could. It felt weird trying to look over his shoulder and talk to it, but keeping in mind the fact that there was an actual living _person_ in there helped. ...Well, sort of. "Hey, Armaris…" he said slowly, trying to keep his voice level, "I think we may have a problem. A _big_ one."

The cat's head slowly lifted out of the shadow and she frowned. "What?" Wasting no time, Sonic quickly explained his thought process to her, doing his best not to convey too much fear or worry so as to avoid stressing her out. She glared at Sonic, but not intentionally as she rose fully from her shadow and began walking. "Then what do we do?"

Sonic crossed his arms and walked after her, trailing behind several feet. "I don't know," he mumbled. "But if there are _people_ around here, they're in _danger_." Actually, that line got him thinking. Again. Which could be considered a bad thing in some situations, he supposed. This time, however… he thought he may have actually had an idea of what to do. Or, at least, where to go. "...Listen, I _really_ hate asking this and you can stab me for it later or whatever if you want, but when having your state of mind altered by evil energies… you - and I mean that as a general term, I swear - tend to be drawn toward… erm, _prey_ , right?" He didn't dare look at her, chose instead to keep his gaze firmly locked on the ground. "So, in this case, groups of people? At least during periods like he's in now, where he's not able to totally control his actions in response to his Darkness and stuff."

The urge to smack the ever-loving _hell_ out of Sonic was certainly present in Armaris at the moment, temptation to deck him for asking such an intensely personal question showering over her body in waves. She refrained, however, instead shooting him a minutely hateful glare. "Or whatever pisses you off first."

"Well… yeah. I knew about that bit." There was a pause, then Sonic sighed, ears lowering. "I'm really serious here, though, Armaris. I'm _sorry_ , but I _need_ a straight answer to the question."

She hesitated for a moment before growling under her breath. "Yes. In my case, I was attracted toward anything I knew I could just _kill_."

Sonic's ears drooped further. "...Since he isn't _here_ … I think I know where to go." Still avoiding looking at her, he gestured vaguely with a hand. "Further south are Splash Hills. Back when he still worked with Vector all the time, I remember him mentioning off-hand that it was 'nice' there. Maybe he went there instead… especially since it's a lot more common for people to be _there_ as opposed to here. Or, at least, it used to be. Might not be true now for all I know, but it's worth a shot. Maybe."

Armaris turned briefly and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him along after her. "Let's not waste time, then," she murmured.

Deciding it best not to anger her further (not that he'd been trying to in the first place!), Sonic allowed her to drag him to their destination. Only then did he tug his arm free. He quickly determined that giving her some space would likely be a good idea, so he said, "I guess I'll check… over here." He gestured vaguely to the rough area to their left, decidedly far away from the shoreline he saw in the distance. If he could avoid going there, he absolutely _would_. Armaris, meanwhile, wasted no time in stalking off within her shadow, leaving him to do as he had said. Sighing, Sonic turned away and began searching the area he had indicated.

Finding nothing, Sonic quickly switched his focus to the other surrounding areas. Still nothing. Nothing at all. He skidded to a halt, having been running as fast as he felt he could get away with without missing any potential clues, then looked out unhappily at the distant ocean. The thought crossed his mind that he might have to go there, despite how much he tried to convince himself that he didn't. . _..This is gonna suck._ Nerves made his steps heavy, but he soon forced himself to walk to the nearest beach despite that.

For close to ten minutes, his luck didn't change. He had just begun to think that he might have put himself through this crap for nothing when something glittering out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to it with a frown and walked closer, feeling puzzled upon discovering that it was some sort of a necklace. One that had been… cut? _...Aw, shit._ Dread pooling in the pit of his belly, Sonic scanned the area further… and on the other side of a rock, he found what he been fearing. A body. And the way this person had died left no doubt in his mind as to who was responsible. _Normal people don't kill this cruelly._

"Armaris?" he called out in a slightly nervous voice, not knowing whether or not she was close enough to hear… or if _Espio_ was.

The cat materialized in front of him, raising an eyebrow before glancing to the body. Her mood and eyes darkened faintly and she instinctively set a hand on her sword. " _Fuck_."

"You know shinobi way better than I do," Sonic muttered. "Will he have stuck around?" _If he's still here… we'll have to be ready._

Armaris grabbed her sword and unfolded it, stalking back into the shadows. "Maybe. Just be on the lookout. If you even so much as _think_ you see him, say something and I'll drag you into my shadow."

"I doubt I'd have the time," Sonic mumbled, repressing a shiver. Then, trying to steel his nerves, he looked around again. "I haven't completely searched the beaches yet. There might be more people here."

"Just don't stray away," Armaris murmured as she began moving.

Sonic nodded and followed after her as he had done earlier, eyes carefully scanning the ground all around them as they went. Before too long, he found himself cursing under his breath as he pointed ahead. "Shit… there's another one."

The cat growled faintly and muttered something under her breath. "Let's go take a look."

As they approached the body, Sonic grimaced at the state it was in… only to tense up when he noticed two others. And then another two. _Fucking hell… he found a whole group of people…_

Armaris expanded her shadow on instinct, making sure that Sonic was always touching it as she moved to inspect the others. "Shit… There's no doubt there's more somewhere nearby."

"Yeah." Sonic swallowed hard. "Doesn't look like this place was attacked too severely by all those demons… no telling how many survivors have been coming to the area." _There could be hundreds of bodies that we haven't found yet. Maybe even more._

"Come on. Let's keep moving."

Without a word, Sonic did as he was told and pressed on. That only lasted for about a minute, however, before he froze up and grabbed Armaris's arm to make her stop as well. Then, wisely, he released his hold on her, using his hand to instead point a bit ahead of them. There, he indicated multiple kunai knives embedded deeply in the ground. Each one of them had a paper tag with dark inked writing tied to their handles. "Don't… don't those _explode_?" he demanded softly. Scanning their surroundings, he quickly picked out many more of these weapons and he tensed up further.

Armaris _very_ quickly grabbed Sonic and pulled him away from the kunai. "They do explode when thrown. _Unless_ they're planted carefully. Any shinobi with decent skill can lay these out in no time flat. Especially with speed like his..." Her grip was tight and tense, and her movements were currently stiff.

The implications of this entire situation made Sonic's blood run cold. _This place is largely intact. Survivors are obviously coming here. He left tons of those knives just… laying around. Which means… he doesn't care who he kills._ Swallowing thickly, he glanced around the area. "If he's still nearby… what do we do? He'll know we're standing here."

The cat lifted her hand and removed all of the kunai from the bodies with her black Darkness Magic, surrounding them in a bubble before making them all explode by slamming them into one another. "If it comes to that, I'll get us out of here…" Armaris' body slowly became wispy as she prepared for anything to happen.

"One of us needs to keep a watch out, just in case," Sonic said after a moment, "while one of us contacts Rose. If we're to have _any_ chance of getting through to him, we'll need her Light. I don't know anything about purification and crap, but… from what I understand, Light is what we need." Not that purification like what Tails talked about with Kaden would be applicable here, Sonic knew, but _dammit_ he didn't know how else to explain his thoughts here!

"I'll watch. You contact Rose," Armaris said shortly, her eyes narrowing as she examined the area further.

Sonic nodded once and immediately put a call through to the communicator Rose was borrowing. _Please answer. Please don't be fighting or some shit. Not now._

It was several long and tense seconds before Rose answered. _"Ah, forgive me. I am afraid I do not understand these well as of now."_

Taking in a deep breath, Sonic steadied his tone. "No, it's… it's fine. Listen, do you still have that map open? We're in Splash Hills and we really need you here."

 _"Give… me a moment… Ah, yes. I know the area you are in. I will arrive as soon as I can."_

"Great. Listen, though, be careful. We're not sure if he's here still, but… he's already killed people here. A bunch of them. He might attack any of us, too."

Rose's answer came much more quickly this time. _"I am searching for you all now."_

"We're on the shore," Sonic answered, eyes lifting to the sky. "I can't give any better description than that, unfortunately. Just… ...look for the bodies."

 _"I will be there."_ The reply was short, yet confident. However, it was followed by, _"How do I end this call?"_

"Red button," Sonic answered distractedly, still scanning the sky. "It's on the screen. Just tap it once."

The call ended shortly after, Armaris glancing back. "So… she's clueless with technology?" she asked, turning her gaze back forward.

"It's just not some people's thing," Sonic shrugged. Though it was hard to talk about, he soon added, "My dad… he had a couple friends like that. They weren't exactly clueless, I guess, but did deliberately resist learning about tech if they didn't have to. They were always more… low tech, for lack of a better term." He glanced at her. "Actually, one of them was a cat like you. But, only half-cat. Also like you. Not for that reason, per se, but I think you two would have gotten along."

"Tch." Armaris huffed faintly. "It happens. Cere has _no_ clue sometimes. Then again, she's got this whole 'born close to the beginning of time' thing going on."

"Yeah, I get it. The guys I knew had a similar mindset. Something like, 'we got by in ancient times without tech, we don't really need it now'. Or something close to that."

Armaris snickered faintly. "I had to learn at one point. Integration into society would've been a shit time otherwise." Sonic nodded, fully understanding what she meant. The cat fell quiet, unsure of what to talk about next. She was taken completely off guard when Rose suddenly appeared, stopping her run on a dime and somehow managing to not kick up a massive cloud of sand. Armaris almost attacked the woman, and would have if it hadn't been for the amazing amount of Light she was radiating.

"Forgive my delay. I had a matter to attend to as I searched," Rose said softly, gently inclining her head in an apology.

"It's fine," Sonic answered quietly. Already, the brief lightness that had entered his mood before began to fade away again as reality came crashing back into focus.

Armaris let her Darkness fade in the presence of Rose's Light as the white cat walked forward slowly. "Would you like me to take the lead as we search?" Rose asked.

"If… you want to," Sonic shrugged weakly. "No one's gonna force you to."

Armaris was completely taken aback as Rose simply walked on, blinking rapidly. "Are you _seriously_ just going to do it?"

"Yes," came the simple, almost pleasant response. "I would not wish to force either of you to do so."

Almost reluctantly, Sonic walked after her. As he followed, he said, "If he's still here, he's probably gonna be up on higher ground. I mean, guy's used to living in the mountains. Higher ground is appealing or whatever." He scanned the area a bit, then indicated a particular cluster of hills. "What do you think, Armaris? Think that's high enough up? It's about the highest elevation available that I can see."

She paused momentarily before giving a slow nod. "Possibly."

Sonic pursed his lips together. "It might be a good place to check… right?"

Rose closed her eyes and quickly produced a clone, letting it continue along the coast as she began walking toward the hills Sonic had pointed out. "I will do so, then." Almost as soon as the clone reached the spot and well before Sonic could speak, the clone's head exploded in a shower of blood before "poofing" out of existence (as clones did when destroyed). A single knife fell to the ground where the clone had been an instant before. Armaris's gaze sharpened as she put herself in front of Sonic while Rose walked fearlessly forward. "I see…"

With a hammering heart, Sonic hesitantly followed after them. _I guess that answers that question…_

Armaris moved after Rose quickly, as if worried about what plan the Light cat had in plan. Rose glanced to Armaris with a soft smile and walked a touch faster to the hills, slowly making her way among them. Armaris deadpanned at her before moving directly after Rose. "You're _fucking_ insane."

"I am entirely sane." Rose answered simply. She scaled the first of the hills she came across, looking around as she did so. _Where is Espio…?_ As if on cue, yet another knife sailed past her head, mere millimeters from the side of her face. The fact that he _missed_ , even if only by an impossibly _tiny_ margin, was incredibly abnormal, and Sonic knew it could only mean one of two things. Either he had missed on purpose (which was unlikely) or, for whatever reason, he wasn't giving his attempted attack enough of his focus… despite so little of it being required from him. Either way, it didn't make sense.

Rose's attention focused on the path the knife had taken, her walk slowly resuming in the direction the weapon seemed to have come from. No fear was evident in her features. _This bitch is crazy,_ Armaris thought to herself, resisting the urge to grumble.

Not two seconds later, several more blades sailed toward them. Sonic barely dodged one of them, and the other missed by just as small of a margin as the first. He frowned, equal parts perplexed and afraid. "The hell's he doing?" he mumbled under his breath.

Anything coming at Armaris and Rose was stopped within an inch of making contact, potent Dark and Light magic respectively catching the various blades and discarding them. Rose gave Armaris a smile, nodded a thanks, and walked on once more. Her walk was adjusted slightly in that direction, intent on finding the source of the weapons. Soon, the three of them reached the crest of one of the hills, allowing them to finally lay eyes on their attacker. Espio sat with his back to them, irritably tying an already soaked bandage around his leg and seemingly ignoring them _just_ for the moment. Though his aura was hidden now, Sonic still felt a soul-crushing sense of dread and sheer _malice_ being in his friend's presence, and he _hated_ being made to feel that way toward someone he cared about.

Rose initially resisted the urge to immediately approach but, seeing the bandage, slowly walked a few feet closer before kneeling down and watching momentarily. _Speak or approach…_ Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Espio. May I speak with you for a moment?"

The ninja gritted his teeth and yanked the bandage tighter to properly stem the blood flow. "Fuck off," he told her sharply. The only reason why he didn't throw another knife at her or something was because his hand was currently busy tying a knot in the cloth. His wording and demeanor caught Sonic off-guard, further revealing to the hedgehog just how different his old friend was in this state of mind as opposed to when he was normal.

"I wish to help. I can heal your wound so that it will not get infected," she said softly, a frown slowly forming on her face. He didn't directly answer her, muttering something crossly under his breath in Japanese instead as he moved to stand. Rose also stood, concern lighting up in her eyes. "Espio, may I please see your leg?" she asked a touch more directly, her hands coming together gently in front of her.

"No." His response was curt and almost… strained? Sonic couldn't be sure, but it seemed like Espio was sort of… forcing himself to be sort of civil? Or something? _He might… be trying not to attack us,_ he realized, eyes widening slightly.

Armaris took a chance and spoke up. "What happened to you? How'd you get hurt?"

Jaw clenched, Espio stooped briefly and picked up his _very_ bloody (though Sonic tried not to think about that) sword off of the ground. He seemed totally prepared to ignore the question but, at the same time, he seemed to sort of consider answering. Sonic fully suspected it was because she was the one asking. He tossed Armaris a glance, silently urging her to go on. _He's being just a little less hostile with her than he was with Rose a second ago… maybe she can get through to him?_

"Espio… I have to tell you something really important." Armaris paused momentarily, glancing to Sonic as if asking if this would be a good idea to mention. _His child..._

Sonic's eyes glistened with worry as he considered everything that was at stake here (namely, their freaking _lives_ ) should this go wrong. He watched Espio for a moment, taking in his tense demeanor and the obvious fact that he still wasn't attacking them. _He's out of control when left to his own devices… but can reign himself in a bit when we're here?_ Biting his lower lip, Sonic made one of his famous (or _in_ famous, according to Jet) split-second decisions and gave Armaris a tiny nod. _Maybe some good news… and a bit of Light…? Will that be enough to force all this Darkness back for now?_ He closed his eyes briefly. _Goodness and Light… that's what Mom always did for Dad._ Following this line of thinking, he subtly gestured at Rose as well, hoping beyond all hope that she would know what to do.

Armaris hesitated, her voice low."Your… child. He's at your house. Cream's taking care of him right now." Her words immediately made Espio tense further and he visibly frowned, mind likely racing in response to this sudden news.

Rose gave Espio less than a single moment to take this information in before suddenly allowing Light to flow from herself to him in an attempt to help soothe his rampant energies. That, alongside what Armaris had told the chameleon, was their most powerful weapon right now. Knowing they basically had one shot at this before they _lost_ that chance completely, Sonic immediately jumped in with his own Light to help subdue the Chameleon before he could attempt to break free. As expected, the level of Light they were forced to use was _high_ despite his Darkness being _nowhere_ near as volatile and active as it _could_ have been, but soon Sonic could tell that they were meeting less and less resistance in their efforts. Seconds later, the Darkness collapsed in on itself entirely and, as so often happened with Sonic himself and Kaden when they exited a Dark state, Espio promptly collapsed as well. Sonic tried to lunge forward and catch him, but was just a split second too late to do so.

Armaris, however, managed to react quickly enough to use her magic to catch the both of them, sighing in relief as a tear fled from her eye. She then hurried over to the chameleon and slowly removed the bandage as Rose walked over calmly. As the two quietly inspected the wound, Armaris came to a startling conclusion. "You've got to be _fucking_ kidding me…" Rose wasted no time in beginning to heal the wound as Armaris glanced back to Sonic.

Sonic hurried over when he heard her swear like that, already concerned anew. "What?" he asked quickly. "What's wrong?"

She took a moment to think of how to explain this before speaking. "So… not sure how much you know about Hollows, but they're demons that were sealed away in the Highlands. _Apparently_ , those bastards have been let loose and are now roaming. One of them did this to Espio's leg."

There it was again… that sense of cold dread. " _More_ demons?" he breathed. Then, steeling his nerves as best as he could, he asked, "I'm guessing… there's not a small number of these things?"

"No," came the short, almost snappy reply. She didn't _want_ to sound angry, but _damn_ was she pissed about this.

Rose cut in, glancing at them both. "I will have my clones navigate the planet to attempt to stave off the threat as best as I can. Make sure that Wave, Jet, Alana, and Sein are made aware of this matter." The last part seemed more intently directed at Armaris, to which the white cat received a nod. Rose soon had the wound healed and stood up. "Can you both make it back?" she asked gently, her gaze now intently roaming the area.

With a nod of his own, Sonic tossed a glance at Armaris. "...Yeah. We'll be fine. I can get us back quickly."

"Take Espio back. I will send my clones around the planet as I am making sure the dead are buried. I will return soon, as… something incessantly worries me."

Looking at their unconscious friend, Sonic pursed his lips together and nodded again, but he was really only barely listening. _To think he escalated so far, despite having only just been forced into this state for the first time… How much worse can this get. How much worse will this get? Every time he slips back into that state, it will be worse…_ Struggling to push those thoughts aside, Sonic forced himself to look at Rose again. "Be careful, then. We'll keep in touch."

Rose gave a gentle nod of farewell and teleported away, leaving Sonic to teleport himself, Armaris, and the unconscious Espio back to the house.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,664 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 8:30 p.m.) 02-18-20.**


	56. Black Revival

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this gathering… especially for the one who's curious.

 **~保護者~**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, it really is... yikes. And things definitely can and will escalate, as both you and Sonic noted... Which is pretty darn scary.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Black Revival"**

 **~保護者~**

Steam was glad to arrive at Gardenia (where the Gods and Goddesses were all currently gathered) after having taken a few minutes to himself back on Mobius, sighing softly to relax himself further. He was some distance away from the people he wanted to meet, so he teleported the rest of the way. It was already a bit anxiety inducing, despite having done things like this before. His gaze fell on Cere and he walked over to her. Sensing his presence, the Hexan turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Steam?" she asked.

"I had some things to discuss with all of you. Information I've had that I think you all could benefit from." he explained, glancing over the others quietly.

"Alright. Stand by for the moment and listen. If you have anything to contribute, feel free to do so," Cere answered, turning away.

Taking the hint, Nier resumed what he had been saying prior to Steam's arrival. "...Right. Like I was saying, we've been seeing an incredible uptick in incidents with the Trokkelar Army. The fights we've been dealing with the past week or so were particularly violent and deadly. We _need_ to find a better way to handle this threat without stretching ourselves too thin." He frowned down at the lush grass beneath his feet, arms crossing. "While we were all off in space fighting miscellaneous battles, the God of Demons launched a coordinated attack against New Babylon and Mobius, nearly resulting in the destruction of the latter and seriously crippling the former. Something _must_ be done about this."

"It's hard to say _what_ we can do. Any gathering of beings strong enough to fight these battles will draw too much attention, and there's only so _many_ of us," Li sighed, unsure of what else to say. "The best idea I can come up with would be something about dealing with their respective armies, but doing so is just as likely to result in a bad ending."

"Even with her," Therin jerked a thumb at Sona, "and Mister Almighty God of the Sun fighting, too, there just weren't enough of us to handle in and try to lend a hand elsewhere. Like you said, we're spread too thin. The hell were we _supposed_ to do?"

Steam decided to speak. "I am going to note that this is a hypothetical possibility. In my timeline… somewhere around this series of events, Kaden actually attacks the Trokkelar Army. If that holds true, it may be a chance to do _something_."

"That sounds _hella_ risky," Therin groused. "If he's pissed enough to try _directly_ going after her and _her_ armies, he'll be _more_ than pissed enough to actually, really _try_ killing all of us for once." As he spoke, a portal opened within this planet's sun, though nothing emerged from it straight away.

Sona glanced up at this portal before shifting her gaze to Steam. "What exactly are you _getting_ at with your idea?"

The hedgehog also gazed up, but seemed to hesitate. "I think _he_ should be here to hear the idea, since his help and input will matter a lot on a personal level."

Almost as if on cue, there was a burning flash of sunlight. It died down seconds later as Locke passed through the portal, allowing it to fall shut behind him. He alighted softly on the ground and set his still half-asleep children down in the shade of a tree. His tension was obvious in his posture and general demeanor, but what most caught Nier's attention was the fact that the echidna was, for once, _fully_ armed. It was _beyond_ unusual for Locke to have even one of his weapons on him, let alone all of them. _Why would he have pulled them all out now, when things are relatively calm?_

Li covered Novei's mouth when she attempted to speak, glancing to Sona. The cat frowned as she watched Locke for a moment. "Locke? The actual fuck is going on?"

"The Temple has to be abandoned," Locke answered in clipped tones, turning away from his daughters. "The location is no longer secure. Kaden's real pissed about a lot of things, and he's made direct threats against the Temple and everything in and around it. I tend to believe him when he makes statements like that."

Sona's stance straightened and she growled softly. "He did what?" she asked, standing up from her sitting position. Locke shot her a tired and irritable look, strong arms crossing in a stubborn refusal to repeat himself.

Li sighed softly and set a hand on her shoulder, making her sit down slowly. "Hey, take it easy for a moment. Calm down, alright?" The cat gave a soft nod, sitting down on the ground once more beside him.

A cough escaped Steam, his gaze wandering to Locke. "I know you've got a lot going on, but I need your opinion on this idea." He turned his attention back over the group as a whole, taking a deep breath. " _If_ Kaden attacks the Trokkelar Army, I think we should try to use that time to find and _maybe_ attempt to save Analia from where she's trapped."

Locke's eyes flashed with some unspoken emotion, but his voice was level when he replied. "You know where she is." Technically, it was a question. But the way he said it made it sound drastically more like a _certainty_ than anything else.

"I don't know _exactly_ where she is, since things vary from timelines, but I already did some scouting. I am _sure_ that we could find her, if not free her as well," Steam answered. "And as of now, I think that's one of the best things we can go for."

Therin cut in. "Won't… he be expecting something like that?" he muttered.

After tossing him a glance, Locke inclined his head. "...Yeah. He's not the sort to just fail to account for something like this to happen." He closed his eyes for a second, frowning deeply as he thought this over. "...Kid's right, though. If we're ever going to have a chance of taking Kaden down and restoring him, we'll _have_ to free her. That was _never_ destined to be easy, let alone without risk."

"And to take advantage of him being busy mitigates that risk _somewhat_. At worst, he could have some of his demons such as The Messenger or Astra guard the area." Steam explained, frowning.

"Yeah, tha-" Sona blinked a few times, fixing the hedgehog with a confused look. "Demons… Astra? Did you just say that Astra was a demon?"

Once more, Therin cut into the conversation. "Who the fuck is Astra?" Locke silently was questioning the same thing, but he nevertheless rolled his eyes as the way said question had been voiced.

Cere decided to speak up, knowing Finis wouldn't and couldn't. "Astra _was_ a being of Light. She is now corrupted with Dark Magic, _and_ she has been corrupted by Kaden into a demon as well."

Novei blinked once, tilting her head. "A being of Light was _corrupted_? More than once?"

Silently huffing, Finis signed to her with his hands (something he seldom actually bothered doing), _"She did it to herself, initially. Her Light was dormant. It was her own wicked magic that was her undoing."_

When the Therian showed absolutely no sign of understanding this, Li quietly translated for her. She nodded slowly, then looked back to Finis and gave him a nod. Steam cut in after this, wanting to get back on track. "Regardless, the worst he could do is have his demons protect them, and doing so doesn't sound likely since that would give the position away."

Locke immediately shook his head. "No. You're forgetting something." He met Steam's gaze with every ounce of seriousness he possessed. "He's a semi-Immortal, a being of Darkness, _and_ a God. He can clone himself if he so chooses. If he _does_ choose to do this, we'll be forced to contend with that as well."

"That's generally something he doesn't do, as far as I'm aware. Though, it _is_ something we'd have to watch for," Steam sighed, running his hands through his hair.

Li frowned softly. "Something else I want to mention is that if several of us were to show up, it would raise a _lot_ of suspicion. Enough for him to send plenty of his forces after us. We could only go in small groups, most likely."

"It'll need to be a single group," Nier agreed, "and a tightly coordinated effort. Time _cannot_ be wasted. The longer anyone is there, no matter how hidden we _think_ they are, the more likely it will become that he'll detect an enemy presence."

"Which also means that some level of stealth and speed would be needed. I can't in any way advocate for people like Sonic or anyone else in his group going, either because they're not capable of handling a fight if one breaks out, and just generally… not being a good idea to send." Steam grimaced at a few thoughts that passed through his mind.

Sona shrugged. "Doubt I'd be helpful with the whole… _stealth_ thing. If nobody's noticed, most of my powers are _inherently_ loud. However…" Her gaze flicked to Therin. "He wouldn't be much better since he's not that good as a fighter," she remarked, snickering.

"The hell!" Therin snapped, leaping to his feet. "I'll beat the shit out of ya right here!"

"Not now!" Nier interrupted a touch irritably. "Honestly, can't you guys _ever_ get along?!"

Locke shook his head again and allowed himself to sigh. "I'll go," he said, steering the conversation back on track. "I've fought with Kaden and his demons enough times. I can handle myself with them and cover anyone else who goes along."

"I'll vouch for myself, if only for the fact that I've got very strong ideas as to where we need to look _and_ I can bring Light to free her without being easily detected. I can drain it from my body as we go," Steam said before frowning. "Though… I don't know exactly who else should or _can_ go."

By this time, Therin had sat back down and was resting his cheek in his hand. "Why not send Jet?" he grumbled. "You're after speed and stealth, as well as somebody who knows their way around. He's got both those in _spades_ and the guy's been there _way_ more than the rest of us have."

Steam bit his lip. "There's a _bit_ of a problem with that. He's not really… in the best of places after the last two battles. I don't like the idea of potentially subjecting him to the exact _same_ traumas again."

Nier's eyes clouded with worry. "What sort of state is he in?" he asked. "How bad is it?"

"Intense levels of stress, coupled with some direct mental damage. In the first of the two battles, Astra directly attacked both him and Sonic, assaulting them mentally and forcing them to relive traumatic memories. In the second battle, Jet and Locke both had to fight against Kaden. Who _knows_ how many times he was killed during that?"

Locke looked away. "Too many," he murmured. "Sometimes because he was making damned sure that I didn't die."

The hedgehog nodded. "And to throw him back into all of that just feels cruel."

Cere sighed faintly, closing her eyes. "I could not well send Armaris for some similar reasons, and I do not like the idea of having Jet go either. Though, I certainly can't. My presence will be noticed, no matter how much we attempt to mask it. Kaden _will_ know that something is happening, and _will_ investigate or have a party of demons do the same."

"I still say Jet's your best bet," Therin insisted. "You want to avoid arousing suspicion? Jet's there _all the damn time_. Kaden _knows_ he's tougher because he's killed Jet before. He might not even care enough to notice right away that Jet's there again since he's there so damn _often_."

Li grimaced faintly at the thought. "I don't like it either, but Jet really appears to be the best option. Sending most anyone else either isn't something optimal or just is a horrible idea." _Not to mention that I just… can't go._

In response to that, Locke directed his focus back at Steam. "You should discuss it with him later, when we're done here. See what he says."

"I will. There's at least one other thing I want to discuss on Alana's behalf, though," Steam answered, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably. "It's about Teyan."

Nier's eyebrows shot up. Everyone was now staring at Steam in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Lady Teyan?" he echoed. "What about her?"

Cere frowned immensely, her attention locked on Steam intently. "Explain," she softly demanded.

The hedgehog cleared his throat, a bit taken aback by the reaction. "Well… Alana told me that Teyan directly spoke to one or both of them. I was wondering if any of you knew anything about Teyan's current state."

Finis straightened in his seat and openly frowned for once. _She spoke?_ he signed rapidly. _That should be impossible._

It took Steam a few moments before he was able to catch up on the sign language, giving a nod. "It _should_ be. However, whatever was binding Teyan and Ythene to their realm is slowly being weakened."

"That's… incredible…" Cere glanced to Finis, unsure of what else to say. He returned her glance. "It seems we should… attempt to investigate this matter. That is a revelation we must understand."

Li spoke up now, seeming a touch unsure. "Since you and Finis now have a mission, as well as Locke and Steam, what should the rest of us do when we're not dealing with various threats? Surely, us sitting by idly isn't the only plan we've got?"

"Someone should inform Miss Goddess of Life about all this," Therin responded simply.

Nier huffed, but agreed. "Yeah, Cosmo will need to be caught up to speed. Since we're on her world, that'll be pretty easy. I'll talk to her, then head to Babylon to help out there."

"At the very least, if there's nothing imperative for me to work on, I could house and protect your kids, Locke. I've got a place, but I just never really use it," Sona said, shrugging.

The look Locke shot to her was visibly and immensely grateful. "...That would be a good idea, yeah. And they know you, so they'll be comfortable." He turned his head to look at the girls, who were dozing now where he had set them down.

Sona nodded softly. "Of course. Once they're awake, we can talk to them."

Novei nudged Li, hard enough to accidentally knock the wolf over. "You should, at the very least, hang out around Sein. Your interaction with him greatly improved his emotional state."

The wolf scrambled back to a sitting position, huffing at her. "Yeah, you're right." His gaze flicked to Cere. "Before you get going, I may also recommend you go see Jet, Sein, and Alana. I have no doubt that they would appreciate your company, even if it was only for a few minutes."

The Goddess of Judgement gave a slow nod. "I will attempt to do so." Her gaze flicked to Finis, fixing him with an almost demanding expression. "You _will_ be coming with me." He frowned and started to sign an argument at her, but she vanished with him and tow before he even had a chance to properly retort.

With them gone, Nier stood up, gave a nod of farewell at those remaining (and a glare at two in _particular_ ) before turning and walking off with his cape flowing gently behind him. "See y'all later, then." Locke said nothing, merely went to retrieve his daughters before opening up a portal to Sona's home. He walked through it in silence, leaving her to either follow or go home by her own means. Sona was quick to stand and hurry along after him, stepping through the portal just before it closed. Therin left shortly afterward with a quick teleport.

Li glanced to Steam as he stood alongside Novei. "Do you wanna go with us, then? I can teleport us back if you'd like."

The hedgehog managed a faint smile. "Nah, thanks though. I'll catch up in a few minutes."

A frown appeared on the wolf's face for a moment before he sent a nod to the other man. "Alright. I'll see you there, then." With that, he teleported himself and Novei off to Mobius.

Steam shivered as he let himself finally sit down on the ground, forcing his breathing to stay somewhat steady. _You'll be fine… just calm down…_

 **~保護者~**

"Finally…"

The word was practically hissed from the mouth of the corrupted cat, an almost calm yet somehow malicious tone. Astra glanced over the area she'd finally arrived at. The graveyard of the village of Hyale. Dark grey magic glowed around her hands as she carefully set about creating a dome around the entirety of what was to become her playground. "Why do I waste so much time…?" she asked herself.

The dome vanished as it was erected, as if it had never been created in the first place. The air became charged with the intense magic she was exuding, lifting up pieces of the ground as it sought new places to infect. She walked forward, her hand lifting as magic surrounded and pulled the many gravestones from the ground before launching them away. "They won't be needing these, anymore."

Her gaze flicked over to the village itself once more, feeling a level of contempt. "If it wasn't for them being around, I would've grabbed the ones who died in that battle. But they _had_ to stay where they felt safest." She snorted angrily and walked closer to a grave, kneeling. The palm of her hand was carefully planted against the ground as she activated a short series of spells. Magic circles appeared over every individual grave, glowing with the same eerie dark grey that her eyes were.

The ground exploded all over as her magic surged through each circle and forcefully removed every body possible from the ground, slowly filling them and reanimating them as time went on. Astra's attention was pulled away from the reanimation process as she whipped around in time to produce a magic sword and block a powerful slash of Light that ripped through her shield.

"Astra!" Rose stood in front of the other cat, her teeth gritted as their blades pressed against the other's. "What do you think you are doing?" she demanded.

"Exactly as I have always done," Astra spat, pushing Rose away. "You will not stand in my way any longer."

Rose tightened her grip on her sword, eyes locked on the magic circles. There were a few in particular that stood out, their patterns and size completely different. Her attention would have focused on that, had she not needed to roll out of the way of a storm of magic spikes. _What is she doing here?_

"You should leave before I tear you limb from limb," the corrupted woman muttered, another magic circle appearing in the air above her. "I recommend you stand still."

Rose stood her ground, a beam of Light fired from her hand to hold off the massive links of chains that flew out and attempted to grab her. "I will not allow myself to die until I see your madness ended!"

The corrupted cat growled and created several more circles in the air, flinging all manner of magic weapons at Rose in an attempt to kill her off. However, before any of this magic could get very far, a flash of golden light erupted through the area. When it died down, Astra's attacks were all nullified and had vanished. Wave hovered in between the two cats, arms crossed and eyes sparking with temper. "The _hell_ is happening here?" she demanded, speaking to neither of them in particular. And, yet, she was addressing _both_ of them at the same time.

Astra was about to speak, but Rose cut in before she could manage. "Astra is attempting something and I appeared to stop it. I am not sure what, however."

"What, would you _like_ to know?" Astra asked, a faint grin creeping onto her face.

"I know necromancy when I see it," Wave snapped. "You truly believe you can revive people like _these_ and maintain control over them? Are you that _foolish_?"

"Do you believe you could do _better_?" Astra cackled, a wide and creepy grin plastered onto her face. "Of _course_ I can maintain control of them. I wouldn't do this if I couldn't."

Wave shook her head, arms tightening their hold on one another. "You fail to see into your own future. You may retain control for a time, sure, but they _will_ free themselves. Or, perhaps, someone _else_ will free them first. Do you have a contingency plan for that? Or are you planning to just carelessly _wing_ it?" Her glare intensified. "Either way… you're an _idiot_."

Astra took a few quiet steps backward, laughing. "It's quite simple, but I suppose you wouldn't understand simplicity, what with your thing for the Immortal. You've known him for quite some time, yes?"

The swallow was unfazed. She didn't even blink. "That has little relevance to _this_ conversation, Astra of the Tainted Light," she answered in an even tone. _You're not the only one who can make pointless jabs._

"Enough!" Rose demanded, her attention now fully on Astra. "Stop this plan before you further destroy your life!"

The barely contained anger was obvious in Astra's face, but she did contain it. "The life _you_ ruined." She turned away, already resuming casting spells. "Attack me if you _dare_ , Rose. You as well, Wave. You will _not_ interfere with my plans."

Wave knew better than to take the bait and remained where she was, though she did gather large amounts of magic around herself in preparation for a fight. As she did so, she glanced back toward the house. _We need to wrap this up… If it drags on, Jet may break his promise and come here even after I told him not to._

Rose went pale at the first statement, her stoic composure crumbling as she fell back a step. "E-"

"You will not refer to me as such," Astra snapped, glaring over her shoulder at the other cat. "You are an awful being who deserves nothing less than a slow and painful death for what you have done."

The pure white cat collapsed at the verbal assault, her body and mind suddenly far too weak to give any support. "I-"

"Die, _bastard_." She was once more cut off as Astra whipped around and unleashed several attack spells, all aimed for the now defenseless Rose.

Cursing aloud, Wave moved in a flash, appearing in front of Rose in less than a second. She raised a palm, creating a barrier directly in front of herself to hold off all the attacks so that Rose wouldn't be harmed. By the time it all died down, she knew Astra had already fled… and the many empty graves surrounding them proved she did not leave alone. _Dammit…_ Rose murmured apologies to Wave, incapable of doing much more than lay on the ground and shiver. With a sigh, Wave simply bent down and scooped the other woman up. Without a word, she teleported with her back to the house.

 **~保護者~**

Jet was sitting outside in a tree fairly close to the house when he sensed his parents' return from wherever they had been upon him waking up. Immediately he stood up and scanned the area for them, though he remained in the tree for now. Sein landed in the area nearest to the house, his gaze immediately shifting about as he checked to make sure everything was alright. Alana arrived beside him and lightly dusted herself off when some ash fell onto her clothes.

Seeing them now, Jet felt a measure of relief, alleviating some specific stress he hadn't even realized he'd been feeling up until that point. He jumped down out of the tree and began walking over. Sein's attention shifted toward Jet and he gave a soft smile. "Hey, Jet." Alana took notice of their son as well and murmured a hello of her own. Glancing between the two of them almost as though to assure himself that they really were fine, Jet nodded a silent greeting. "I see you're awake. How are you feeling now?"

Though he didn't exactly recall everything that had gone down when he'd returned here earlier (everything had been just a blur of stress and pain at that point), Jet recalled enough to know with certainty that he was significantly better now than he had been. However, all he said was a simple, "Fine."

Alana could tell that he was understating the truth, but she didn't call him out on it. She was just grateful. "I am glad you are well," she told him instead. "You had us all worried greatly." At this, Jet glanced away. It lasted for the barest of moments and was subtle, but she still noticed it, noticed how contrite he appeared in that instant. "You do not need to be sorry," she was quick to soothe. "It was not your fault."

Sein offered one of his usual bright smiles. "Yeah. I've been worried about everyone, anyway. Kinda just a thing I do, ya know?" He then winked softly, adding, "But you're my kid. I'm _always_ gonna worry about you."

Jet was completely unsure how to respond to that, but something else soon snagged his attention anyway. In a flash, he was standing in a different spot with Sein's brand new gauntlet in his hands. "Where did you get this?" his sudden overwhelming curiosity was, for once, readily apparent on his face and in his voice as he spoke.

The blue hawk blinked once, raised his hand and opened his mouth, then decided against it. _Gotcha… Definitely picked up on the rogue stealing abilities._ "Got it from my friend Li. He apparently made it some time ago, but wasn't able to give it to me for… obvious reasons." Alana looked on in momentary silence, clearly surprised but deciding not to comment on what had just happened. Their son nodded distractedly as he examined the gauntlet over and over before turning around and handing it back to Sein, apparently satisfied with his brief exploration. Sein put it back on without a word in question. "This thing actually doubles as a shield, which I found really interesting."

That caught Jet's attention again. "A shield?" he questioned. He was quite surprised by this, given how few of the people he was generally around actually used those.

Sein nodded, flicking his left hand and making the shield pop out. "It's a bit weird to get used to because of the angle I have to hold it, but it's _very_ effective."

Alana cut in quietly before her boys could get into a full-blown conversation about this. "Let us go inside. I do not enjoy all this ash." Jet didn't even have to stop to consider that suggestion, given that he hated it as well. He'd only been out here to begin with so that he could keep an eye out for them. Now that they were back, he saw no reason to remain outside. Sein gave a nod, letting the shield snap back into the gauntlet as he teleported the three of them back into the house.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,755 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 7:00 p.m.) 02-23-20.**


	57. Nightmares Rising

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in throughout these dark scenes… especially for the one with the big plans.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Nightmares Rising"**

 **~保護者~**

How dare she.

How _dare_ she.

Kidnapping his fucking son and _harming_ him… was she fucking _insane_? Did she wish to be _murdered_? Surely not, her past behavior indicated a careful and intelligent adversary, so what the fuck was her ploy here? Kaden suspected he knew, and it only added to the already vast depths of his fury. In fact, to say that he was simply _furious_ was an understatement. He was _beyond_ furious, enough so that he didn't give a shit about playing into her little game. Nareish, leader of the Trokkelar Army, had been trying to incite genuine conflict with him for many years. Kaden had tolerated many, many things for far too long. If she wanted a war this badly… then he would damn well _provide_ it.

The ground beneath his feet rumbled. Kaden opened his eyes and turned his head to gaze toward a deep scar within his planet's surface. Scowling to himself as he had been almost constantly for the past several days, he funneled more energy into the crack down into the planet's very core. _You would do well to rouse soon, World Eater… or this will be your final conquest._ Irritated though he was, however, he refused to kill the massive slumbering beast just yet. It had been one of his favored _pets_ for many eons, after all, and not without reason. And besides… it was remarkably well-suited to the task at hand. Once it was fully awake, he intended to send it straight to his oldest source of ire - Mobius. The World Eater could easily destroy such a pitiful planet… thus ridding him of it - and the damned _memories_ it held - forever.

But that could wait. It would have to. A hibernation as deep as this was not interrupted easily. It would take a bit more time… and patience. Patience was difficult to conjure up in times like these, but so be it. There was no other choice. Other things required his attention, anyway. Such as, for one thing, _her_. He could feel a new presence behind him, rebellious and unhappy as ever, but familiar and not threatening. Not to him, at any rate. _And she brings new allies… interesting._ With that in mind and a twinge of curiosity making itself known in him, he stood off of the rock he had been seated upon and turned to face Astra. Then, arms crossed, he drawled, "Fancied yourself an army, did you…?" His eyes roved over the apathetic, will-less beings standing around the cat. Each moved only when she allowed them to, thought only what she told them to think, felt nothing but what she let them, said only what they were commanded… _A necromancer, then… and a powerful one, to have wrested control of so many corpses, much less have restored their bodies._

"Eh, I'd be more willing to say it's yours. I'm not terribly inclined to fight alongside others, even when their 'ideals' align with my own."

"Hn." Kaden silently eyed the crowd of shinobi. Due to his role as God of Demons, he could control any demons he saw fit, and anything those demons themselves controlled. As such, her comment made sense. Still, though… he wasn't terribly _interested_ in these puppets of hers.

Astra watched him for a moment. Once she was sure he wasn't going to speak, she decided to voice her reasoning. "I resurrected them for _one_ primary purpose. I need someone _dead_ before they can get in my way again. If I could take two birds with one stone, that would _also_ be nice."

Reading into her mind, Kaden frowned. "Do what you will with them. I will not aid you. Your petty conflicts are of no interest to me."

"It would highly _benefit_ you if I got rid of either of my targets, at the very least. And I _doubted_ you would help me, not that I'd even want it," she huffed before raising an eyebrow. "What happened to piss you off?"

Kaden growled lowly at her. "None of your concern," he muttered, leaving it at that. Then, glancing into the crowd again, he nodded toward a couple specific shinobi he had spotted. "Those two. Their names."

"Shei and Aniko. Why?" she dared to ask, crossing her arms.

He was quiet for a long moment before speaking again. There was a faint light of recognition in his eyes now as he looked the two chameleons over. "They will not aid you in your little struggle. I have a separate task for them."

Astra would have growled if it wasn't for Kaden's current mood. Instead, she settled for a faint and agitated huff. "Fine."

"Read into their memories when you leave," he instructed, turning away. "Send them after their son. It will largely keep him in the state that I left him in."

The cat frowned. "Are you… _sure_ that's a good idea?"

Understanding what her concern was, he let out his own huff and stated, "Control will not last when one is trying to control such powerful individuals. That is why making adequate use of them _now_ is prudent. Waiting will only ensure you lose control before accomplishing what you set out to do."

"You're not acting like yourself, God of _Demons_ ," Astra muttered faintly, beginning to walk away. "I'll do it."

Kaden shot her a withering look, and in the next instant a knife was protruding from her arm. "Mind your tongue or I will cut it out," he snarled.

"'Bout fucking time you started acting like yourself again," Astra said simply, agitated. "Something in that fight changed you a little bit, for just a short time. They _will_ use it against you," she added, teleporting away with the two shinobi.

Kaden would have chased her down, would have _actually_ followed through with his threat, had his slumbering pet not shifted again, sending shockwaves throughout the planet. Grinding his teeth together in frustration and anger, he glared at the deep crack once again… more determined than ever to send the beast after Mobius and grind it into _dust_. That world would _fall_ … taking everything it held - memories, people, places, _everything_ \- down with it.

 **~保護者~**

"And what of the child?"

Nyokae kneeled with her head bowed low in the dark space her master often lingered in. That master, Nareish, currently lounged on her throne with her legs kicked up while patiently awaiting an answer to her question. Nyokae wasted no time in providing that answer. "I did not want it, my lady," she shrugged, "as we had discussed."

"Oh?" Nareish murmured, almost thoughtfully. "I had thought you would use it as further leverage against your lover."

At this, Nyokae's lips quirked upward in a smile. "I considered it, but it seems it is no longer necessary. The God of Demons himself provided the means to push Espio over the edge. Nothing else was required of me."

"Well, now… that is interesting." Shifting in her seat, Nareish leaned forward toward her dutiful servant and asked, "You believe you can further your plans without the need for any more outside aid?"

"I can," Nyokae nodded. "He was stubborn enough to resist before, but with the needle's magic and Kaden's attack…"

"Good. Now I ask again, what of the child?" Nareish's head canted slowly, expression unreadable. "I do not wish to see you become hindered, my dear warrior."

Nyokae's indifference toward her son was apparent in her face when she dared glance up to meet her master's gaze. "I left it near his home, my lady. Whether it lives or dies is up to him. I do not care for it."

"Good," Nareish repeated softly. Then she murmured, almost as an afterthought, "Very good."

A moment of silence passed. Then Nyokae took another small risk, one of many she took day-to-day, and inquired, "What would you have me do now, my lady?"

Nareish openly smiled, and the appearance of such an expression on her face set Nyokae's heart racing with excitement. "Oh, there is so _much_ we have to discuss, my dear. Our small diversion with the needles is no longer a factor in the game, but no matter. We accomplished what we wanted. For one thing, it would seem that your lover went on _quite_ the rampage anyhow following Kaden's attack on that little world… Mobius, I believe it is." Nyokae's heart did a little leap of excitement, among other things, upon hearing this news. "His friends were spared, for now, but the state the lot of them are in now that the demons have finally let them be…" She laughed, voice full of dark delight. "I cannot wait to see what manner of torment and suffering you will bring upon them."

Now Nyokae shared in her master's smile. She bowed her head low again, respectful as ever but still excited. Joyous, even. _It would seem I am able to visit with you once again, love._ "I will keep you informed on everything that goes on, my lady."

Her master inclined her head. "As you should. Now then… I'm sure you caught wind of our dear friend Kaden's bit of fury, have you not?" When Nyokae nodded, Nareish laughed again. "As I said before, our needles accomplished what I had hoped - aiding you in awakening Espio's Darkness and crippling at least _one_ of that demon's children. Well, one most certainly _was_ crippled, and it just so happened to be the one with the most... _exploitable_ weaknesses."

Nyokae could barely contain her own grin. "It was the gunslinger, was it not? From what I have gathered, he is not the most… _invincible_ of soldiers."

"Indeed he is not. And I must say, Kaden is _most_ displeased with us for making use of that… In fact, I believe he may be outraged enough to send his own armies straight here to deal with us." Nareish's grin simmered down into a satisfied smirk. "Perhaps we should have targeted his half-metal spawn years ago, hm?"

Though amused and fully aware that Nareish was, too, Nyokae did not _dare_ agree to her master having made such a drastic oversight in her plans. She didn't directly _dis_ agree either, however, for doing so would suggest that she herself was too foolish to know a good plan when it slapped her full in the face. And that would not do. "Perhaps, my lady." Then, quickly, she shifted the subject to less dangerous territory. "Does any of this affect your plans for the Immortal?"

Nareish's smirk never faltered, though her gaze became distant as her mind wandered away. "No… No, it does not. I cannot risk directly confronting him, irrespective of what the other pawns in our game are up to. All that I can do is continue to monitor him, nothing more." She clasped her hands together, elbows on her knees, and rested her chin atop her fingers. "I have known about the Void's touch since the beginning… how it entwined itself with him until it became an integral part of his being. Long it was dormant - sleeping, growing, maturing… Now that it has truly come into its own and established a proper bond with him… I cannot help but wonder how the two of them are evolving together."

"The Void's power is certainly nothing to trifle with," Nyokae agreed quietly, frowning to herself. "Malevolence itself hides in fear of it, sealed away within the Twilight Cage of its own accord in an effort to escape being wiped from existence."

"Its power," Nareish murmured with soft-spoken delight, "and Jet's will only continue to grow. I, for one, will take _immense_ joy in seeing the day come when it unleashes its vast might through him, presenting me with the opportunity to steal it for myself. And when that happens…"

Nyokae's eyes closed. She knew what would be said next, couldn't even begin to describe her own emotions on the matter. _Everything we've worked for since the together since the day you found me._

"...I will reshape existence how I see _fit_."

 **~保護者~**

 **2,059 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support! Posted (at about 5:36 p.m.) 02-24-20.**


	58. Clear-Sighted

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) for the duration of these discussions… especially for the ones who know so much.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Clear-Sighted"**

 **~保護者~**

"So, you've been running around for the past several years with Novei?" Sein dared to ask, a faint snicker escaping him. He, Alana, and Li all stood on the roof of Espio's ruined home talking after Li had suddenly appeared within the village.

The wolf rolled his eyes at the hawk, sighing. "Yes, I _have_."

Sein raised an eyebrow in amusement. "And Novei's been 'threatening' you all these years over random things?"

" _Exactly_ ," Li muttered, huffing softly.

"You sure she doesn't like you or something?"

The wolf sputtered, coughing. " _Definitely_ not. She wants me around because I told her a while back that I could make weapons for her."

Sein laughed openly, taking a few moments to simply let it out before the display died down. "Honestly, man. She's not that bad of a person. Sure she hits like a fucking train, and she'll more than easily break someone's spine if they so much as look-"

"Are you trying to convince me that she _does_ like me, or that she's a terrifying woman?"

"Both. Because both could be true," The hawk grinned, trying his _damnedest_ to not laugh. Alana raised a silent eyebrow at him, though she chose not to comment on his teasing for now. Li was familiar enough with his own friend to be able to handle it on his own.

The wolf groaned. "Oh, shut up, Sein. There's no way. I'm still teaching her how to smile and not consistently give the 'resting bitch face', as Sona would put it."

Sein sighed softly, his amusement slowly seeming to ebb as he let the topic go. "Fine, but just think about that. Oh!" The blue hawk quickly made the shield snap out of his gauntlet, smiling. "I absolutely love this thing. It's got just enough weight to feel like another sword, which makes it all the better for batting things out of the way."

"That's-" Li put his face in his hands. "Sein, you truly baffle me with how much you _don't_ use weapons how they're meant to be used."

"Says mister master swordsman."

"Blacksmith," Li corrected. "I'm not a swordsman."

"You make swords."

"Yes, and armor. And maces, gauntlets, shields, sometimes even bows. Your point?"

Sein blinked as he appeared to consider this. "Suppose so."

Finally, Alana decided to butt in. She fixed her husband with an unreadable look that somehow managed to still be firm and even vaguely menacing. "Sein, given the fact that he is the one who crafts all of your weapons, I suggest you heed his advice. Listening to what he has to say my well save your _ass_."

Li didn't give Sein a chance to respond, immediately jumping in with more proper techniques for using the shield. He ended the short lecture with, "Don't. Just. Bat. Things. Out. Of. The. Way."

Sein glanced between the two of them in mock disbelief. "Wow. You both just attacked me. I see how it is."

The wolf huffed. "You're an _ass_ , Sein."

"Gotcha," the blue hawk winked and grinned, nudging the other male softly. "Thanks for the info, though. I'll try to make sure to put it to good use."

"Anywa-"

Sein suddenly cut in, eyes widening. "Hold on," he teleported into the house briefly, causing the wolf to look at Alana in confusion.

"Do you know what's happening?"

Alana shrugged. "I do not," she admitted. After a second's thought, she added, "Though, knowing him, it would be fair to say that we will learn soon."

Sure enough, Sein teleported back and turned his attention to Li. "I remembered something really interesting that you might want to know."

"And that is…?" Li asked, a touch confused as to what was even happening.

"Well… Sonic's got a brother. And apparently, he knows how to make guns."

Li blinked a few times, even more confused before it suddenly clicked. "Wait, _wait_ , he knows how to make _guns_?" he asked quickly, his words almost running together in his excitement.

"Yes." Sein answered, a goofy grin on his face. "He makes guns and is apparently _really_ good at it."

The wolf's excitement grew at this, leading to him jumping off the house suddenly and calling out some sort of goodbye as he went off to go search for the hedgehog. Alana watched him go, then turned her attention to Sein. "When did you learn this?"

"Kinda had some suspicions from being around them all. Didn't find out for sure until about…" Sein glanced toward the sky. "Maybe thirty seconds ago."

That caused her to shake her head at him. "You are something else," she sighed, albeit with a note of fondness in her tone.

"As are you," Sein commented lightly, smiling. "Though, I think that's a given."

Alana tossed him a little smile, then said, "I am going to go inside. What will you do?"

"I'll probably hang out here for a bit. Steam still hasn't come back, and he was in the same place with Li and Novei. It's got me a little worried," Sein admitted, frowning. "That guy's tough and all, but he's been acting a bit strange."

"...He reminds me of Father," Alana commented after a moment. "He has appeared… overly consumed by stress, as of late, and he does not seem to be coping well with it - much as Father often does not."

"Yeah, though, the thing worrying me most is how he keeps disappearing. He still hasn't shown back up, and he keeps vanishing after doing something. With his personality… it'd make more sense to see him jump from one thing to another like he's _trying_ to do," Sein murmured, crossing his arms. "Not sure what to think."

"He is likely making an effort to calm himself down," Alana responded. Then, following that line of thinking, she said, "I am heading inside. I wish to make sure Jet is alright."

Sein nodded and smiled. "Alright. I'll hopefully be back in shortly." With a nod of her own, Alana dropped down gracefully from the roof and walked inside. Meanwhile, Sein sat down at the edge of the roof, setting his hands on his knees and looking around. It was… melancholy, painful to see this level of destruction.

All of a sudden, there was the unique sound of claws gently scraping against metal as something pawed at Sein's armored back. There was a low " _wuff_ " sound shortly afterward, but nothing else happened to indicate who or what was behind him right now. "Either I'm about to be eaten or someone wants to get tackled by a body of armor," the hawk remarked, slowly sitting up straight. A low growl sounded off behind him, but no words came. However, there wasn't _too_ much fire contained within that sound. For now, at least. The hawk pushed himself up suddenly onto his hands and twirled around to face the source of the sound, a faint smirk on his face. "Ass." The look Sein received for that mild insult was flat, and the wolf seated before him huffed. Then the wolf got up and walked forward to give Sein a small yet vaguely affectionate greeting in the form of a small head-bump, much like a pet cat would do.

The hawk smiled widely at Azerel, rubbing the wolf's back affectionately. "Been too long, eh?" Azerel huffed again in some sort of agreement, then sat back down on his haunches. He gave Sein a long and appraising look before standing up a second time and circling the Babylonian. Once he was satisfied that Sein was in good health and was unharmed, he came back around to the front and sat back down once more. "So, what's up? Why'd you come all the way here?"

Hearing this, Azerel's head canted and he seemed to think the question over before standing once more. This time, he walked right over to Sein's arm, bent low, and lightly bit down on it. He gripped the armor-clad limb hard enough to tug it, then let it go and looked up at Sein's face expectantly. The hawk blinked, allowing the wolf to do this. "Uh… whatcha doing…?" Seeming annoyed now, Azerel walked behind Sein and nudged him hard with his head. Then, when this wasn't enough, he did it again, this time punctuated with a low and insistant growl. "I don't _understand_. What do you want?" Sein asked, confused.

Now supremely irritated, Azerel gave up on gentility. Gripping Sein's arm in his teeth again, he heaved the hawk up onto his feet, pulled him forward a step with another growl, then released him and fixed him with a glare. The hawk lurched forward to try and keep up, frowning. "Oi! Rude!" Sein then stood up properly and shooed Azerel along. "Fine, I'll follow." Azerel, satisfied that he was finally understood, teleported away without further attempts at communication. Sein teleported after the wolf without hesitation.

The pair of them reappeared back on New Babylon and, apparently pleased with himself for this accomplishment, the young-again wolf trotted off toward the building without waiting for Sein to say anything else. Sein frowned in confusion, continuing along after Azerel. He had no idea what was going on. Azerel led the way inside, then up numerous flights of stairs until they reached the uppermost floor. Once there, he walked down several long halls toward the (formerly closed) double doors leading into the observatory Sein and Alana had been granted permission to explore seemingly so long ago. It didn't seem from here to be too badly damaged, and it was no longer so dark in there, either. The flickering light of candles illuminated the space, giving it some life. The hawk cast Azerel a confused and somewhat concerned look. "Azerel, why are we here?"

Azerel shot Sein a look, then simply walked into the room. He walked around various tables, bits of rubble, piles of books, and so on before reaching his intended target. Upon reaching said target, he reached out with his teeth again, this time snagging the cloth of a long sleeve and giving it a hearty pull. The fabric didn't rip, but its owner whirled around to scowl at him. " _Stop_ ," Kath snapped at him, yanking his sleeve free. "You are not a pup anymore. Enough of this." Azerel stared at him haughtily and sat down.

Sein froze where he was, intentionally forcing himself to start backing away marginally. "I- uh… hi…" Azerel was on his feet immediately and shoving Sein back over before the man could escape.

Hearing his voice, Kath glanced over. His irritation toward Azerel bled away momentarily, only to return when the wolf made a comment only he could hear. He shot said wolf a look before turning away to resume cleaning up. _"Piss off,"_ he told his partner silently. Azerel answered with a short growl.

The blue hawk stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do further. This wasn't the situation he wanted to be in as of a few minutes ago, and it certainly wasn't the one he wanted to be in _now_. Unsatisfied with this, Azerel returned to Kath, this time to give his arm a sharp nip. Kath reacted almost on instinct, cuffing the wolf's ear and giving him another glare. However, with his attention back on Azerel, the wolf was able to speak with him again. They had a very short mental conversation, and afterward Azerel actually walked away and laid down in a corner, apparently satisfied once more. Kath glared after him for a second, then returned to what he was doing. However, after a long moment, he relinquished a sigh and addressed Sein finally. "...You were upset earlier."

Sein cleared his throat, slowly attempting to speak to the other hawk. "Yeah… I was…"

Another long and somewhat awkward silence passed before Kath responded. "Why?" he asked bluntly, seeking to understand as he always did.

"Well…" Sein started, unsure of where to go with his statement. "I just… felt awful for bringing that up. You obviously didn't want to talk about it for a reason…" His tone dropped as he spoke, uncertainty and anxiety entering his voice.

Though not normally skilled at reading people, Kath was starting to suspect he knew what was going on here. "It was not _you_ I was upset at," he murmured, setting aside some ruined books to be tossed out later.

Sein shrugged softly. "Even then, I upset you regardless. I don't like doing that…" he mumbled.

"It was not you that upset me, either," Kath admitted, still keeping busy. He often did that - busied himself - when attempting to deal with his emotions, be them his or someone else's. It just made things easier for him, in a way.

"I just worry about it. I don't like even indirectly causing someone to be upset," Sein admitted in kind, his gaze tearing away from the older hawk. "It _hurts_ me." Unsure what to say to that, Kath focused momentarily on freeing some more books from the rubble and searching them over. Those that were salvageable were placed on a nearby shelf and those that weren't were piled off to the side. Sein eventually glanced back to Kath, a worried look on his face. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Kath shook his head. "Do not be." There was a pause, then it occurred to him that more of a response might be required. "I long suspected it would come up. I should have been more prepared for it. _You_ did nothing wrong."

The blue hawk didn't want to accept this for a few reasons, the most prominent being that he felt responsible for being the one to bring up the conversation in the first place. Though, he made a strong effort to listen to Kath and accept that maybe he was telling the truth. "You couldn't have prepared… you didn't know I would find out."

This earned an audible huff from the older hawk. "I did," he argued. "You are nothing if not nosy, as I seem to recall. When even a hint of new information comes your way, you dig for more until you know the whole truth." He set more books aside, then stood and dusted his legs off a bit. "Though I supposed that may be my fault."

Sein scoffed softly. "Not true. I don't _always_ dig for more. Only sometimes. Or when it _really_ matters to me." He smiled for a second before gazing at Azerel. "You're an ass, ya know?"

Azerel lifted his head, but soon laid it back down on his paws again. Keth let out an indelicate snort and reported (despite not usually deigning to translate Azerel's comments to other people), "He says he is not going to apologize to you." As he spoke, he bent down and picked up a tiny pebble-like piece of debris.

"Did I ever ask for him to?" Sein asked boldly, crossing his arms. "Last I remember, I _didn't_."

By all appearances, Azerel made some sort of snarky comment… if the pebble that sailed across the room and thumped him in the forehead was any indication. The wolf leapt to his feet, growling and bristling, but Kath dutifully ignored him, continuing to clean up as though nothing at all had happened.

Sein watched this with amusement alight in his eyes and a smile on his face. "I'd love to stay, but I've been-" The hawk cut himself off, turning his full attention back to Kath. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Pure blue eyes glanced at him from under long bangs, then Kath nodded. "Ask."

"You and Steam met a bit ago, so you've at least seen him. I'm starting to wonder if he might have a similar problem to you when it comes to stress and management of said stress." Sein frowned for a moment before continuing. "I was wondering what the possibility was that you might actually… both have that same particular issue."

As he often did, Kath thought fairly deeply about the question before asking his own. "...He is part Babylonian, is he not?"

Sein thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, definitely. Maybe like, a fourth or a bit more, judging by his aura."

"His energy is akin to a sparrow's," Kath commented a touch distractedly, mind still working over what he'd been asked. Eventually, he stated, "The rates of the disorder are highest amongst our species, sparrows, and one or two others. It remains uncommon, but it is not impossible for him to also have it.:

"And there's no telling the chance he'd have based on the other parts of his heritage," Sein shrugged. Kath merely nodded. "I'll make sure to mention it to Alana and ask her about it. I'm getting worried because he keeps vanishing for longer periods of time." After waiting for and not receiving a comment, Sein gave a thankful nod. "Thanks for the help. It means a lot." Kath answered with a nod of his own but, as per usual with him, didn't feel the need to directly and verbally reply. The blue hawk then cast a smile and a wave toward Kath and Azerel before teleporting away.

 **~保護者~**

The moment Jet walked through the door (seriously, how the hell did he even sneak out without anyone noticing?) Sonic was on his feet and ready to let loose a barrage of worry-induced words that were maybe-kinda-not-so-nice. Only, he never had a chance to voice _any_ of those words before he felt a harsh _thunk_ on the top of his head. He reacted on reflex, dropping back down into a sitting position and clutching at his now throbbing head. "Ow! What the _hell_?!"

Jet scowled quietly at him. "The next time you see a demonic portal, do _not_ go leaping through it."

In the brief silence that followed, Sonic had something of an epiphany. _I scared him just as much as he scared me._ Simmering down a bit but still rubbing at his head with one hand, Sonic sullenly mumbled an agreement, only to follow it up with a quick, "Only if you promise to stop throwing yourself head-first into shit like that _without help_."

Jet huffed and, tellingly, didn't say anything about that. At all. Instead, he swept his gaze around the room and asked, "Where are the others?"

"You're changing the subject," Sonic accused. Jet glanced at him. In the end, Sonic relented. "Yeah, okay, fine. Whatever. Pretty sure you can sense most of them, but fuck it. I'll humor you. Cream's in the spare room with Armaris and Vector. They're trying to get some rest before Espio wakes up. Wave left Rose in there, too, but she took off somewhere a few minutes ago. I don't know where. Tails and I took Shadow to a little hut that's still standing nearby, since Tails doesn't think Shadow's gonna want to be around anyone too much right away. Shadow's up now, and Tails is staying with him. Steam's who-the-fuck-knows where." He paused, thinking, then added, "Oh, and I have _no_ idea where the dragon went."

Jet let out a vague hum and took a seat beside Sonic. He was nowhere near as closed off in this moment as he often was, providing an unprecedented opportunity to read the variety of emotions he was experiencing. There was concern, anger, lingering anxiety, a tentative dose of calmness, some hesitation… There was likely more, but Sonic didn't have a chance to sift through it all before Jet leaned back against the wall, largely closing himself off again as he did so. Then he spoke into the silence, offering words Sonic hadn't at all expected to hear. "...I'm sorry you were forced to find out the way you did."

Sonic knew what Jet was referring to. He couldn't _not_. But, though his own emotions were an absolute _mess_ over all this and his heart fucking hurt and his brain could barely wrap itself around anything he'd learned yet, he didn't hold any of it against his friends. They had done their best to protect him from the truth until they could tell him in a way that wouldn't be so damn scarring. They had wanted to let him down easy. They'd had such good intentions. Life… life just didn't always go according to plan. He knew that better than most people. "It isn't your fault," he sighed, looking away. "I know it's not what you guys wanted to happen, and I get what you guys were trying to do before everything suddenly went to shit. I don't blame any of you for what happened." When Jet still seemed unconvinced, Sonic reached over and nudged his shoulder. "Look, take it from an old guy who's already been dead - properly, that is - once before. Don't waste your life worrying over shit that you can't control. At least, not comparatively minor stuff like this." He gave his old friend a small smile when Jet finally looked at him again. "Besides, I already said it's okay. I'm not upset with you. I _promise_ I would say so if I was. Okay?"

After a long moment, something about Jet's posture seemed to loosen up a bit and he nodded. "...Alright." Alana walked in but, seeing that the two of them were fine and in the middle of the conversation, she continued onward to quickly check on Cream and the others.

Pleased that Jet had relaxed and was overall just relaxed in general (especially compared to earlier), Sonic managed a slight smile. Then a thought occurred to him and he shifted to turn toward his friend. "Hey… let me see your arms. You were gripping them pretty tightly before we got back to the house. I want to make sure you didn't bruise yourself up again." _I mean, I know Rose went around and healed everybody, but… still. Can she even heal wounds dealt by an Immortal?_

Although reluctant, Jet soon relented and held out his arms. Sonic quickly checked them over, making sure to do so with as little touching as possible. Sure enough, there were dark circular bruises concealed under those vibrant green feathers, each roughly the shape of a fingertip. Sonic winced at just how dark they were. "Don't these _hurt_?" he mumbled. Jet just shrugged a little, neither confirming nor denying Sonic's assumption.

At about this time, Sein teleported back to the house and dropped into the front room of the house, blinking as he looked between Sonic and Jet. "Hey… what's up?"

Jet glanced at him, then dropped his gaze while Sonic sighed and answered, "It's…" He trailed off for a second, then looked at Jet. "Look… I know you're not gonna like it, but I've gotta go ahead and explain this to him. Okay?" Though Jet was clearly upset about this, he didn't argue the point. Sonic took that as the (unhappy) permission it was and addressed Sein again. "Remember what I started telling you about before, the fact that Jet sometimes unintentionally hurts himself when really stressed out?"

Sein gave a slow nod to this, a faint few flickers of concern on his face. "Yeah, why?" he asked softly.

Sonic gestured for Sein to come over, much to Jet's continued upset. Once Sein was there, Sonic took hold of one of Jet's arms and gently parted some feathers to reveal a few of the bruises. "This is one of the things you have to look out for. He bruises up his arms like this sometimes." Sein grimaced at the sight, not liking what he saw at all.

"It's not… _usually_ … intentional," Sonic continued slowly. Alana walked back into the room then and, upon seeing what was going on, immediately walked over to listen. "These sorts of behaviors, some people refer to them as SIB's. That means self-injurious behaviors. In the case of Jet and a couple of others I've met, these aren't done for attention or anything like that. It's usually in response to stress, due to emotions the person in question isn't equipped to handle, or that sort of thing." He looked to Sein and Alana. "Sorry if this is stuff you guys already know. Not sure if Kath's ever done this sort of stuff, so I wanted to explain just in case."

Sein gave a soft smile to Sonic. "In any case, whether we knew it or not, you might explain things in a way that pertains more to _Jet_. That alone makes it worth listening to."

"Father has done something similar at least once that I am aware of," Alana revealed after a small moment. Sonic went ahead and let Jet pull back his arms while she spoke. That pretty much immediately improved his friend's mood to some degree. "I was young back then, however. I do not know what was done about it, though I do know that mother and at least one professional worked with him greatly for many years."

"We try to do that, too," Sonic nodded. "He's… never had any professional help, partly because he just… has a hard time trusting people. But myself and various others, we do what we can." Jet chose not to comment, but Sonic was rather certain he detected a glint of gratitude in Jet's eyes for a second or two. That made the hedgehog smile.

The blue hawk gave another smile in return, watching the short exchange. "I'm glad to hear that," he replied. "Though, is there anything else you think we should know about this?" he asked, a more concerned look on his face.

Sonic glanced to Jet, as though silently asking for his permission to proceed. Jet just shrugged. Sonic took the lack of immediate rebuttal as permission enough, coming from Jet, so he said, "A bit, yeah. Actually, did… Or, I guess, does Kath ever have meltdowns?"

Though mildly surprised by the question, Alana nodded. "Yes, though it takes much more now than it used to for him to lose control and fall apart in such a manner."

 _That makes sense._ Sonic filed that information in case it ever became somehow important. "And I imagine that his meltdowns aren't terribly big ordeals, given that it's _him_."

"They are usually rather… quiet," Alana answered. "For one thing, he often ceases speech for the duration of the incident, and often for some time afterward as well. He was taught sign language for just such a reason."

Well, that was news. _Guess that means there's… eight people in our group who know sign language? ...Nine?_ "Right. Well, that's not really the case with Jet. Although, he does sometimes refuse to talk to people during or after a meltdown, it's not to the point where he has to use other communication methods because of it. And, to put it simply, he deals with a more… ' _standard_ ', I guess you could say, type of meltdown. The kind that's volatile, emotional, out of control, involves SIB's… It takes a lot to get him to that point usually, but the serious nature of the event is why Wave and I have tried to keep so on top of things with him lately. We don't want things to cross the line into being 'too much', and I _know_ that _he_ doesn't want that, either."

Sein nodded slowly, taking this all in. It was a bit much to try and process, but he did his absolute best with it. "In the case that a meltdown _starts_ , what should be our first actions?"

At this, Sonic heaved a sigh. "I hate to say it, but it varies depending on what causes the meltdown in the first place. If it was, say, sensory overload for example, the strategies we'd have to utilize would have to be different than if, say, a purely emotional issue caused the meltdown."

"I thought it would be something like that," Sein admitted, shrugging softly. "What are some of the more consistent things that have to be done? Or is each individual case something entirely different?"

"Getting him away from other people for a while nearly always benefits him," Sonic replied. "He does well in quiet spaces where he can be alone or only with one, _maybe_ two people that he really trusts. That blanket trick I told you about a while ago also tends to help regardless of what his trigger was." He thought for a moment, then added, "Oh, and I mentioned a TV back then, too. That usually only helps when understimulation was the root cause of the incident in question, but sometimes letting him just lay down and relax with a show helps with stress-related meltdowns, or with sensory overload by offering controlled stimulation that can sort of help… level him back out, I guess? And music _always_ helps."

Sein was about to respond when Steam suddenly landed in the room from a teleport. This wholly grabbed the blue hawk's attention, turning to face the green hedgehog. "Hey, everything alright? You've been gone a while." He cast a glance to Sonic, saying that they could continue this later if he felt the need to.

The hedgehog was slow to respond, taking an almost worryingly long amount of time before finally speaking. "Yeah, sorry. Got caught up in something. I need to speak to Jet, though. Something really important that I want his opinion on."

Jet's demeanor shifted from uncomfortable and upset to serious in a heartbeat. "Speak, then," he commanded quietly.

"So, we're pulling together a team of people to try and rescue Analia if Kaden decides to attack the Trokkelar Army like I _think_ he will. It was unanimously decided by the Gods and Goddesses that you would be one of the best fits for the job, seeing as you've been there many times and you're able to be incredibly stealthy." Steam paused for a moment, putting his words together before continuing. "However… none of us want to drag you through that since you've already been through enough shit lately."

Whatever reaction Jet had to this news, emotional or otherwise, was hidden with perfect skill. Sonic, however, did not share in Jet's stoic demeanor. His shock and sudden pain-filled hope were plainly visible on his face. Jet's expression, however, was unreadable as he mulled over what he'd been told, then he eventually stood up. "Fine, then," he muttered. There was something akin to a sigh in his voice. "When did you intend to leave?"

"I want to be sure that you're actually willing to do this and _not_ because you feel obligated," Steam answered, ignoring the previous questions. "That's something that matters to me."

Stubborn arms crossed. "It is _irrelevant_ what I want," Jet responded a touch snippily. "This is something that _must_ be done. If her location has finally been discovered, then recovering her and ensuring her safety is paramount."

Sein cut in, seeing that Steam was about to get snippy (or worse) in return. "Easy now," he said softly to Steam. "When _are_ you planning to go and do this?"

"As soon as Kaden leaves his planet," Steam murmured, glancing away. "As soon as that happens, the timer starts ticking. We've likely got one shot at it."

Much to Alana's surprise, Jet suddenly utilized a power that had only previously existed within her father… the power of Vision, the very power he often used to gaze into the depths of space. Eyes visibly filled with stars, as this power caused to happen, Jet murmured, "He is preparing to do so now… Many ships are already departing from the surface."

Sein noted a sharp change in Steam's aura at hearing that. He could've sworn it was something akin to anxiety, but he hadn't the time to comprehend it before it was covered up. "Locke is the one who's planning to join us in this. If you're wanting to go ahead and get him, we should get moving. Unless you think we have time to do any other preparation necessary," Steam answered, crossing his arms tightly.

Jet's eyes cleared and he shook his head. "He is already there, waiting just beyond the reach of Kaden's senses." Sonic chose not to say anything for now, but the knowledge that Locke was also there made his heart hurt even worse.

Steam gave a slow nod. "Then we're going?"

"I am," Jet corrected firmly. " _You_ are going to take the time to calm yourself first. Nervousness will not serve you there. It will only contribute to you being harmed. The demons will be drawn to the scent of your emotions."

The hedgehog froze temporarily, shock running through his system before he suddenly teleported away. Sein frowned a bit and looked to Alana, concerned. "Should I go talk to him, then…?"

Though she gave it some thought, ultimately Alana was more focused on the larger matter at hand. "It is your decision," she eventually said. "If you believe a conversation may be beneficial to him, then there is no reason why you should not go." As she spoke, she noted that Sonic and Jet seemed to trade some silent words with one another before Jet teleported away as well.

Sein gave a quick nod. "I only hope I can calm him down in time…" He teleported away, intent on helping the hedgehog recover.

 **~保護者~**

Li poked his head around the frame of an open door, looking around for any signs of the black hedgehog he'd been told about. His interest had been piqued by a conversation he'd been having with Sein, someone having mentioned to the wolf that Shadow was capable of making guns. The thought of this (considering Li was a blacksmith for most traditional types of weapons) was something that he wanted to learn about. If he'd been honest… he had never thought to make _guns_ before. "Hey, uh, Shadow? You in here?"

The hedgehog in question sat in silence in the only remaining room of this hut-house-thing (he really didn't give a damn what it was supposed to be called) with his arms and legs crossed. Keeping his jaw clenched to force his teeth not to chatter, he cracked his eyes open and glanced at the doorway. _Why can no one leave me be?_ He understood why Tails was here, as much as he hated that it was necessary, but why was someone _else_ now here? At least Tails was sleeping, however unintentionally that was, and leaving him alone.

Li's ears folded for a moment, unsure about how to approach this. He was always a careful person, and as such hesitated before stepping inside. "I heard that uh… you know how to make guns?" he asked meekly, chuckling nervously.

His teeth refused to stop chattering. Or, at least, attempting to. As such, Shadow didn't speak, merely agreed with a silent nod. Does it matter? he wondered irritably, though he refrained from voicing that comment aloud for now.

"Well… I was curious about that." Li glanced around before suddenly seeming to remember something. "Oh! Right! I forgot to introduce myself! Name's Li. God of the Forge."

 _God of the-_ Now Shadow's own interest was piqued. He turned his head to look over the other man, taking in his appearance and even going so far as to give him a brief scan as well. This gave his eyes a faint glow to them for a few short moments before he finally looked away. _A God, indeed… hn._

Seeing the intrigue subtly displayed by the hedgehog, Li was quick to continue, hoping to not lose this bit of progress. "So, uh, yeah. I wanted to ask you about that, since I've never actually… _made_ a gun."

Only once he felt that he could force some words out without interruption via various unwanted _symptoms_ did Shadow speak. "Would it not be necessary?" he muttered.

"To some degree, not _really_? I come from what I guess you may call ancient times. We never had guns, so we learned to make do with other weapons we could make. I also have to prioritize making weapons that can handle various powers, such as something like the God of the Sun's weapons," Li explained. "I kinda… never thought about making guns," he added, laughing sheepishly.

After a long moment of focusing on fighting back some harsh shivers and chills, Shadow responded simply, "Firearms can also be built to withstand the use of one's powers. There exist guns that wield the power of aura, guns that concentrate radiation, guns that channel Darkness, and more. They are not useless in your field."

The wolf coughed. "Y-yeah…" he admitted. "I'm just really slow to adapt, but when I heard that you can make guns, I thought this might be the perfect chance to hear about something like that, ya know?"

In answer, Shadow picked up one of his prized handguns (which had been resting on the floor beside him) and tossed it to Li. "That one was modified to channel Darkness. It was not a complicated process. With a proper forge, it would likely be rather easy."

"Well… about that…" Li glanced toward Espio's house, almost distantly. "There's a reason I was traveling with the Therian. My realm kinda got… attacked."

Shadow caught on immediately and he had to force himself not to openly scowl. Attempting to keep the growl out of his voice, he said, "I assume Father was behind it." There was a slight pause, then he moodily clarified, "The God of Demons."

Li was properly taken aback, blinking rapidly. "Wait, wait, wait, you're _related_? I didn't know he even had family _alive_."

"He was not born demonic," Shadow muttered. Explaining this wasn't something he wanted to do, but it was relevant despite how much he hated that fact. So, for the time being, he sucked it up and continued. "He had a life, a long one, before he was corrupted. A by-product of that was four children, two of which remain alive."

The wolf's mouth would have been agape had he not taken care to close it, taking a second to process that. "Wow… That… makes a lot of sense. The uh, not born demonic part, that is."

Shadow turned his head to look at Li again, frowning unhappily as he did so. "He was behind the attack, was he not?"

There was a slow nod in response. "His inferno still rages. I can't go in there, or it'll kill me."

"Speak with Jet." Shadow turned his head back around to resume gazing out the window he'd seated himself beside. "Or his parents. They may be able to aid you while things remain calm."

Li blinked once. He had not thought of that. "You… yeah, you're right." The wolf flashed a smile. "Thanks for the idea." Then he suddenly realized that Shadow had tossed one of his guns over, and that he had reflexively caught it. He quickly turned it over in his hands a few times as he stared the gun over with an analytical gaze. "Wow, you're entirely right about the modifications. It's similar to what I do for channeling energies in blades."

Shadow glanced at him, mildly surprised and interested at the revelation but not feeling up to saying anything about it. In fact, he suddenly felt sick. Again. Which was frustrating to _no_ end. But he did his best to ignore it. These symptoms were _incredibly_ mild compared to what he would be suffering later. If he allowed himself to feel miserable _now_ , there was no telling how absolutely shitty he would feel in the future. _Breathe,_ he reminded himself in an effort to force himself to move past his nausea. _Breathe._

The wolf frowned as he watched Shadow, concern on his face and in his tone. "Hey, is something wrong?" he asked, taking a small step closer. "You don't look like you're feeling so good."

In response, Shadow nearly snapped at him due to a surge of sudden irritability. He was able to mostly quash the urge to follow through with that emotional reaction, but his tone still had a bit of a bite to it when he spoke. "I'm fine."

Li managed to not recoil at this, having been the unfortunate man to have been indirectly subjected to his own best friend's anger made it a bit easier. Nonetheless, he was worried. "Hey, what's wrong?" the wolf asked softly, wanting to offer his help.

Irritation dissolved into sudden and deeply unwanted and utterly irrational nervousness. _Damned mood swings._ Taking another breath to steady himself because he _knew_ this was only going to continue to escalate, he muttered, "Nothing."

"D-do you want me to go? We can try talking again some other time, if that's better…" Li murmured, not wanting to make the situation any worse.

Shadow didn't answer. He really didn't care _what_ this man did right now. All he cared about was not _heaving_ in front of the guy. It… was one thing with someone he trusted. Someone who had already seen him at his lowest point and didn't think less of him for it. Around a total stranger, however… _Not fucking happening._ He absolutely _refused_.

Li took this as a sign that he should go, giving a small yet thankful nod to Shadow. "Thanks for letting me see your gun. I hope we can talk again soon." He didn't waste much time in hurrying off, not wanting to potentially upset the hedgehog.

With him gone, Shadow finally relented, caving into the exhaustion he'd been fighting with since regaining consciousness earlier in the day. Settling himself against the wall in his chosen corner, he closed his eyes and tried to just let himself fall asleep. It would make his life so much easier if he could… even if only for a short while.

 **~保護者~**

Everything fucking _hurt_.

That was the very first thing Espio's mind registered when the beginnings of consciousness began to return to him. Then came the memories - terrified faces, fights, screams, cuts, blood, _death_ \- and he jolted upright from where he had been laying. It took a moment for his pulse to calm and his vision to focus, and another moment after that to understand where he was. Namely, in his house, in his room, on his mattress. Which was… on the floor… for some reason. But that realization was swiftly dismissed as irrelevant as he moved to stand, instinctively grabbing his sword as he went.

Glancing around his room (or, at least, what remained of it) he quickly deduced that was alone for the time being. He took the opportunity to check over his own condition, and that of his mother's sword. The latter was fine, albeit soaked with blood which was… _mostly_ … not his. He himself was similarly covered in the stuff, and much of it was fresh enough to still be wet. Noticing this caused him to grimace slightly with a sense of distaste - not for the blood itself, per se, but just the overall fact of being _unclean_. Blood in and of itself didn't bother him. Though, in light of his current situation… perhaps it _should_ have.

He once again dismissed his thought as irrelevant and made some effort to focus. It occurred to him somewhat distantly that his thoughts only ever bounced around like this when experiencing some sort of negative emotion… stress, maybe? But he didn't allow himself time to dwell on that. Instead, he focused more on other, more important matters. Such as the fact that he could actually _feel_ something that he absolutely should _not_ have been able to feel. At _all_. Frowning deeply, he looked down at his (formerly?) ruined arm and slowly, gingerly, flexed his fingers. Then, just as carefully, he stretched them out. He shifted his hand a bit, even moved his arm itself.

Without thinking, he slashed what remained of his sling with his borrowed sword, allowing the tattered fabric to fall to the ground. Much to his mute surprise, he was able to hold his arm up and prevent it from simply dropping limply to his side. In fact, he was able to stretch it out, move it around, even use his hand to grasp the handle of the blade. It was frankly _jarring_ , to suddenly be able to feel the things he was touching, to have mobility, to not have a part of himself be just _useless_. And yet, jarring though this undoubtedly was, he knew there were still other things he needed to be dealing with.

The rest of his memories prior to this moment were fading into focus. He remembered now the bloodbath in the hills, being attacked by a Hollow, his exchange of words with Armaris and the others, the searing agony of all the Light that had suddenly engulfed him… and something she had _said_ just prior to that… those words strangely chilled him, causing his grip to tighten on his blade. _A child… ...No… the child._

His bedroom door opened, wrenching him free of his thoughts. Cream walked in, alone, her face awash with relief. "You're awake," she breathed. Heedless of the blood still covering him, she rushed over and embraced him. He allowed it, for now, though the urge to retreat from the sudden touch was there. "We were so _worried_."

Armaris stood at the doorway, arms crossed as she watched them. "Yeah. I got worried that the Light fucked you up…" She glanced away, sighing softly. Espio gave her a short, knowing look before turning his head away without a word. He knew what had happened... what he had _almost_ done.

After another couple of seconds, Cream released him and checked him over. "You are not hurt?" she questioned with obvious surprise.

"Darkness based regeneration? Something like that would have to be the cause, considering that he's never had any sort of healing powers," Armaris murmured softly, tapping her foot lightly. "Probably came to be when his Darkness flared up really bad the first time around."

Cream thought that over very briefly, expression turning thoughtful. _This… was not mentioned in the book. What other information was missing?_ Equal parts relieved and concerned by his lack of injury, she let out a sigh and said, "You had us all terribly afraid." Then, more quietly, she murmured, " _I_ was scared."

Out of the blue, Espio bitterly admitted, " _You_ scare _me_." He refused to admit it aloud, certainly not to _her_ , but she had been part of what had pushed him over the edge earlier. The threat of her safety, the threat against her _life_ … it had been too much. That, amongst other things. But these were not things he would mention. Not here, not now, not around other people.

Fittingly, Cream was rather stunned. " _I_ do?" she whispered.

There was a small second of silence. Espio took that second to think through his next course of action. Then, mindful of a similar request she had asked of him when she had been smaller and more innocent, he muttered, "Promise _me_ something."

Wide and still-innocent eyes blinked at him once. "Yes?"

Meeting her gaze, he curtly ordered, "Do not die."

Everything about her softened all at once into one of the brightest and warmest smiles he had seen from her since her recent revival. "Of course not," she said softly. "I won't die. I promise."

"Hey, Espio," Armaris said, turning her attention back to Espio. "I want to ask you something." Still avoiding her gaze, Espio answered with a simple nod. At the same time, he busied himself with using his frankly already ruined blanket to wipe his sword clean. "You don't want to do any of what you did right now, do you?" Her question was frank and her tone was quiet yet intent on gaining an answer.

Espio scowled. "No," he answered tersely, dropping the blanket and sheathing his sword.

Armaris managed a small smile. "That's all I needed to know. It's good to have you back." Her attention shifted back out of the room for a moment before she stepped out of the way.

Rose gently knocked on the door and poked her head around the corner. "Espio, may I come in?" she asked softly, eyes scanning the chameleon's body for any sign of injury by instinct. He wasn't entirely paying attention, given the fact that he was now busy untying the makeshift bandage he had put on his leg earlier, so instead of speaking he just nodded. What was the point in denying her access? It seemed that everyone _else_ was congregating in here at this point… The cat quietly walked in, holding a small bundle in her arms. "I thought you might want to see him sooner rather than later," she whispered as she walked closer, smiling gently.

 _Him?_ That caught Espio's attention instantly and he dropped the bloody bandages as he turned to look at her. Then his gaze snagged on the bundle she held in her arms. When he didn't immediately speak, Cream helpfully interjected, "A few villagers stopped by with gifts. One of them brought a proper blanket and a couple of traditional bottles. Although, he has not wanted to feed yet. Is that normal?"

It took some genuine effort to conjure up what little knowledge he even _had_ about chameleon babies, then Espio answered with a short, "Yes. They do not eat much, initially." As he watched, the bundle shifted enough that some of the blanket fell away, revealing purple skin and tiny limbs. Then there was more shifting. The baby rolled over a little, yawned, then blinked open bleary amber eyes. Temporarily unable to come up with a reaction, Espio simply stared.

"What is recommended as a diet for young chameleons?" Rose ventured to ask. "I can begin preparing for when he _is_ hungry as well, if you would like."

Once more, Espio didn't immediately answer. Cream suggested, "Would it be something akin to juice and the like? I know your people typically eat many plant-based foods, such as fruit." A long pause, then Espio conceded another nod. Meanwhile, the baby wiggled around in Rose's arms, his own arms outstretched and legs moving around awkwardly. It may have seemed like random motions to most, but Espio understood what was going on. The baby was following their instincts and trying to climb, to cling, and soon he would be able to do so. It was how babies stayed close to their parents and were carried around. Within the hour, perhaps…

Rose continued to smile and gently waved a hand, using her magic to clean off Espio's body as best she could manage. "Forgive me for doing it so suddenly, but I did not assume you wished to be in such a state for long."

Though he sort of huffed at her, Espio didn't argue or complain. He didn't give a shit when in the heat of battle, but otherwise he did not at all enjoy being dirty… let alone filthy to that degree. Especially not when it reminded him so strongly of what had gone on prior to that blast of Light earlier, things that he did not want to be remembering right now. There was a time and a place for dealing with such memories and this was not it. Besides… he had a _much_ bigger problem to deal with right this second. Namely, the _child_. More specifically, _her_ child. _Their_ child. _... My child…_

Whatever stunned and stupefied state he'd been in shattered and a wave of resentment crashed over him. He didn't want this. He didn't want _any_ of this. With the virtually nonexistent fertility rates of his race, what were the chances of this having _ever_ occurred? Why had this _happened_? Why, with her of _all_ people? And then the thought struck him, albeit belatedly, that it was possible that these negative emotions weren't even entirely _genuine_ , either. How much of these emotions were really his own? How many were simply brought on by the Darkness he could still feel swirling inside of him, gnawing at the very furthest edges of his self-control in a desperate bid to be free once more?

Either way, he needed to distance himself. Not just from the baby, but from everyone in this room, in this house, in this fucking _region_. He couldn't trust himself around anyone anymore, not after what he had done. Leaving seemed the only solution, the only option presented to him in this moment. Running away was a course of action he frowned upon, but in this case… what other choice was there? It was necessary to separate himself, at least until this violent energy calmed down further. ... _If_ it ever did.

Dammit, his thoughts were spiraling out of control again. There was too much stress, too much general upset, and he _knew_ he wasn't handling it well. Cream didn't seem to notice any of his turmoil as she watched the baby wiggle around some more, meaning it wasn't that obvious, but even so… _Stop being an idiot,_ he mentally chided himself. _Shinobi display vastly more control than this._

His urge to retreat must have been noticed. Cream acted swiftly to prevent him from acting upon his newfound desire. Taking the baby from Rose, she approached him again and passed it over before he had the chance to refuse. He very much _wanted_ to refuse, but found himself instinctively taking hold of the child instead once it was placed in his arms. A myriad of emotions swelled up inside of him in that moment, and he was dimly aware of the fact that not _all_ of them were negative, suddenly. Whatever those apparently positive emotions were, however, he was helpless to name them. He was too distracted by the tiny, fragile life he was currently holding… with hands that so recently had been used to end lives. _I should not be doing this._

Once more, it was Cream who pulled him back from the brink of full-blown anger, hatred, and who even knew what else anymore. "Do you have a name for him?" Slowly, very slowly, Espio shook his head. He had no idea what to _call_ this child…

"Pick a letter you like," Armaris said softly, noting the potential hesitation. "Or just think of a letter and I'll help you."

When he didn't immediately answer her, Cream suggested, "How about… what letter did your father's name start with?"

A long pause followed, then eventually Espio mumbled, "'S'." Unable to look away for now, he continued to watch the baby.

Armaris thought briefly for a moment and rattled off a few names. "Suen. Shien. Shoto. Satsuko. Shoji. Suren. Sako. Syrut. Sett. Skon." The cat glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "Any of those work?"

Espio immediately ruled out "Satsuko", simply because that had been the name of one of his past senseis. Skon sounded rather… Babylonian, so he ruled that one out as well. Following that, he ruled out several others that didn't quite fit the norm for a chameleon name. That left "Suen", "Shien", "Suren", or "Sako". The problem was… he didn't know what the hell to actually _name_ this child. And that overwhelming feeling of not wanting _anything_ to do with this was returning, bringing with it a flood of negativity that he fought to push away. Passing off the child and getting the hell out of here suddenly seemed like a fucking _great_ idea.

No doubt keenly aware of his inner turmoil, Cream strove to be a voice of reason. "Those four names…" she said softly, cutting into his thoughts, "which do you like the best?" He didn't answer, largely because he didn't have an answer to begin with.

"Which four is it?" Armaris lightly probed, turning and stepping into the room. Ever the helpful one, Cream listed them off for her. The cat nodded slowly, thinking to herself. "Well… Shien and Suren give me the mental image of people who are a bit older. Maybe a bit more traditional. Sako and Suen sound younger, and sort of give the impression of softness, whether or not it's the same kind of soft I had as a kid. Sako sounds a bit more modern, too, if you care at all about that."

Cream suddenly had a thought. "I know that not as many people anymore still understand your native language, but you do, yes? Do any of these names have meaning in that language?"

Knowing she wasn't referring to Japanese, which his people had adopted well after coming to live on Mobius, Espio took a minute to think. "...Sako means 'swift blade'."

"Sounds a bit fitting, potentially," Armaris responded, a faint smirk on her face. "That the one you like?" Another short pause, then Espio responded with a decidedly weak shrug. The baby, meanwhile, decided to redouble his efforts to latch on to whatever he could grab and climb it. His energy and determination were both good signs, indicating good health and strong instincts. But none of that quite kindled the positive emotions Espio supposed he was meant to be feeling right now. Though, he naturally didn't say anything about it. "Unless you change your mind, I'd go with that one. You seem to be somewhat inclined toward it."

"It is a good name," Cream further encouraged with a smile. She knew better than most that, right now, his lack of refute was agreement enough. "I quite like it as well."

Rose nodded her agreement gently, smiling brightly. "I as well," she said, turning to step out. "I'll go prepare food for young Sako, in any case. You may wish to awaken your crocodile friend."

Espio remained silent as she walked out and when Cream volunteered to be the one to fetch Vector. He wasn't left entirely alone with his thoughts and emotions and fucking _child_ , but with how quiet Armaris was being it certainly felt as though he was. And he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that all of this was inherently _dangerous_ … for _everyone_.

 **~保護者~**

 **9,922 words this time. Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Hope y'all enjoyed! Posted (at about 9:05 p.m.) 03-01-20.**


	59. Old Wounds

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this series of discussions… especially for the one who is needed by so many.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Old Wounds"**

 **~保護者~**

Sein was quiet as he followed after Steam, watching the other man curl up by a tree with his hands clutching at his head. A few thoughts ran through his mind at seeing this, primarily that of it being extremely similar to something Kath had done in the past and that Jet may also do. His arms crossed momentarily as he took a few moments to try and decide how to approach before slowly walking in a circle around Steam and walking up, making sure his footfalls would be able to be heard (provided the hedgehog could focus on anything else at the moment). When he approached, he knelt down in front of Steam and spoke softly, "Hey, Steam. What's up?"

The hedgehog gritted his teeth in response, tightening the hold he had on his head. He couldn't force himself to verbally respond in this scenario. Once Sein noticed this, he moved himself over by Steam and sat beside the other cautiously wrapping an arm around the hedgehog's body. Anxiety flooded through him as Steam tensed up immensely and his muscles faintly twitched, but this went away as he watched the other man slowly relax into it. _Seems like he needs a bit of support…_

Sein decided to take this chance to speak again, pulling the hedgehog in a touch closer. "I know you don't like accepting help, that much is obvious. For your own sake, though… I need you to _let_ me help you. Talk to me about what's bothering you, since it's obviously tearing you apart lately."

"I-" Steam choked momentarily on his own words, unsure of how to begin. He hadn't really spoken of anything personal since he had left his own timeline. Though, Sein was obviously being genuine… and he _wanted_ to help. "I… I feel like a failure."

"Why's that?" Sein dared to ask, tilting his head as he looked over Steam's body. "You've done really well, as far as I've seen. Jet's obviously got a bit of trust in you, since he agreed to join in on your plan. Sonic and Cream definitely care, at least to some degree. Wave was willing to entrust the safety of everyone else to _you_. Despite her agitation and general level of, well… violence at times, Armaris obviously trusts you. She doesn't seem like the type to simply _trust_ someone straight off the bat. And on the same note, there's Espio. He hasn't _killed_ you. Those two seem to bear no ill will toward you."

Steam's arms slowly fell to his sides after hearing this, much to Sein's delight. "I just… I feel like I should have done better. Espio was attacked and his energies were stirred up. Armaris was corrupted temporarily. Shadow was kidnapped, and so many people _died_. What if I hadn't done so awfu-"

"Alright," Sein cut in, tightening the one-armed hug he had on Steam. "First off, you did amazingly. You kept fighting even when you were full of _holes_. You got near-fatally injured not just once, but _twice_. You protected Espio, you did what you could to help Armaris, you were a major force in driving those demons back, and you made sure to separate yourself out of fear of hurting Armaris and Espio. You did everything you were supposed to do to an _extreme_."

"I could have done be-"

"Steam. Let yourself have this one victory. You did it all and more. Just because something went wrong, that doesn't mean that you fucked up. For all you know, everything you did may have just been the best choices. Your decisions might have been the things that _did_ keep everyone alive." Sein smiled softly. "You fight too hard for your own good."

Steam sighed softly, resisting the urge to lean on Sein in this moment. The man's aura simply felt so… comforting and inviting. "I've got to." With that said, he pushed himself to stand, eyes closed.

"Fighting so hard all the time… It hurts, doesn't it?" Sein asked, standing up as well. "It hurts to feel like you've got to give it your all."

"Yeah. It really does. I can't lose anyone else, not again."

Sein walked up and patted Steam's back gently. "You're a really good man, Steam. I wish I could meet more people that care as much as you." He chuckled softly, slowly walking past the other man. "Though, a tip from someone who understands, don't beat yourself up over every little thing."

With the not-so-cryptic advice given by the Immortal hawk, Steam managed a smile as Sein teleported away. _I wish there were more people like you._

 **~保護者~**

Steam teleported back to the house to get his bearings and make sure everyone was fine before he left. He knew he would have a few minutes to spare due to a glance at his communicator and several educated guesses. The idea of the mission was returning some anxiety to him, but it all felt so much more manageable now that Sein had spoken with him. He knew that Sein was really good at comforting people, but having it happen so suddenly opened his eyes once more to how purely in tune Sein could be with emotions and people.

Suddenly, the hedgehog realized he was standing completely still and looked around quickly, wandering toward the various people in the home to make sure they would be alright. His primary concern still lied in taking care of them. Sonic and Tails were off a short distance away with Shadow in another hut, that much Steam could glean from sensing the other hedgehog and fox's auras. His gaze shifted over to Li, the God of the Forge, and he frowned as he walked over. "Hey, where's Novei?"

The wolf hadn't exactly been paying attention and was startled briefly by the sudden question. "O-oh! She's wandering around at the moment. Never been here, so I guess she's just curious about everything." Li blinked once and then frowned. "You about to leave?"

"...Yeah. Kaden's already on the move, so we have to go as soon as possible," Steam answered, crossing his arms with a short sigh. Alana, who had been leaning against a wall lost in thought, opened her eyes and looked at them. "I'd hoped he wouldn't go _that_ suddenly, but oh well."

Li nodded slowly, understanding that sentiment entirely. "Best of luck on your mission. If you guys end up needing help, don't hesitate to contact. The last thing I want is to lose more friends." He shifted his gaze to Alana. "I know you're not talkative and all, but do you wanna say anything before he goes?"

Alana blinked at Li, then levelled Steam with a flat look. "Do not allow yourself to die, or I shall ensure you regret it."

Li and Steam were taken aback, the wolf quickly cutting in with, "Hey! You're supposed to try and encourage him or give advice!"

Her eyes closed again, almost dismissively. "My _advice_ is to remain alive," she answered coolly. "Nothing more is required."

Steam managed a faint smile. "Not bad advice, but I've gotten enough of 'not dying' from my mother. Enemies have always found it hard to actually kill me for a reason."

The wolf looked between them both rapidly, confused and concerned. _The hell is happening here?_

At this, the hawk huffed softly. "This is no ordinary foe, young Balancer. Evade his senses. Get in and fulfil your duty as quickly as possible. Do _nothing_ that will draw attention toward yourself or your comrades. Be intelligent and careful, and _perhaps_ you will manage not to be maimed." She shifted her gaze to Li. "Is that advice _encouraging_ enough, now?"

Li deadpanned, unsure of how to respond to something so outrageous yet so correct. He eventually sighed and relented, giving a nod. "Sure, whatever. You win." Ever quiet in light of her victories, Alana simply closed her eyes again and returned to her thoughts.

The hedgehog gave them both a small smile. "Thanks, both of you."

"Anytime, Steam," Li responded with a smile. "If you ever wanna talk, I'm always down. Alana, not as much." She silently huffed, but didn't disagree.

At about that time, Cream walked out of the back room to see what was going on, having sensed Steam's aura and heard their voices. Steam glanced over to the bunny. "Hey, you wanted to talk about something, right?"

Cream looked over the three of them, then returned her attention to Steam. "Yes," she nodded, "provided you have the time."

"I should have enough time," Steam answered, ushering her over. "What did you want to talk about?"

She approached when he beckoned and clasped her hands in front of her comfortably. "I wished to discuss the situation regarding Espio," she admitted, looking down. "That was the topic of serious nature that I had mentioned to you before."

Steam's lighthearted demeanor faded at this before he gave a nod. "Right, what about it in particular?"

Sighing, Cream said, "To start with… I suppose I have been wanting to know just how… _far_ it all went in your timeline. How severe was it? Was it ever controlled? Just… things of that nature."

"The first thing I'll mention is that it definitely got more severe than it is at this time. Everything we've seen so far is really only the beginning of what _can_ happen," Steam explained as he thought of what else to say. "He also did manage to maintain some control of it later on, otherwise he wouldn't have trusted himself to raise his child, Sako."

His answer caused her eyes to light up and she straightened. "Sako?" she repeated. "He exists within your timeline as well?"

Steam blinked a few times. "Wait, is Sako _here_ now?"

"Yes," Cream murmured, faintly smiling. "Armaris only just helped Espio to name him a few minutes ago."

The hedgehog was baffled. He'd missed so much while he was gone. Though, that didn't matter now. He shifted his attention back to responding to Cream. "Are they both doing alright?"

"They appear to be so far," Cream replied. "Sako seems very healthy and Espio is… calmer now than he has been as of late. Although, I believe he is somewhat distressed over Sako's presence." She nearly sighed again, but refrained. "I believe he will come around, but this… was by no means the best time for such an event to take place in his life."

"It's better that it… _does_ happen, even though it's a bad time. As far as I know, it's better that Sako is with him," Steam answered. "He's gonna need a lot of help, though."

Cream nodded her agreement. "I had already assumed he would. I recall how much he struggled with me as a child, and I was not as young. To suddenly saddle him with a baby is… a bit much to ask. It would be for _most_ people."

"He should be able to manage, especially with all of the supportive people around him," Steam said with a faint smile before glancing to his communicator. "Hey, sorry to cut this short, but is there anything else you need to ask?"

"There was one more thing… yes." Cream took a second to gather her thoughts before continuing. "The village elder granted me permission to read what few ancient writings their people have managed to retain up until this era. One tome I discovered heavily detailed their people back when their Darkness ran free. There were two things that it mentioned that I… wished to discuss with you, to know if you had any experience with them at all." Steam motioned gently for her to continue. "Firstly… it mentioned that when an individual's Darkness 'matured' enough, the mark that normally appears on their skin will no longer show anymore, thus no longer easily revealing what clan they are from and so forth."

"It did happen," Steam started, before deciding he should give more information. "When the Darkness _does_ 'mature', it makes it a lot easier to control. It's something that I actually _hope_ will happen."

"It _needs_ to happen?" Cream asked quietly, seeking confirmation.

Steam sighed softly. "Yeah, as weird as it sounds. The thing with energies is that when it first appears, it tends to be a lot more wild and uncontrolled. As you use them and essentially 'mature' them, it makes them a lot easier to control. Darkness, and evil Darkness by proxy, isn't an exception."

She took a long moment to consider what she had been told before forcing herself to continue for the sake of time. "The last thing I wanted to mention was that the book said something about how when an individual's Darkness rises to the point where they can go into a Dark state but the have enough control to not ascend, their eyes will shift into a more metallic version of their normal color. In this instance, amber to gold."

"I don't recall it ever happening," Steam answered honestly. "I didn't even know that was necessarily… a thing that happened." After a few moments of silence, the hedgehog spoke up once more. "Is that all you wanted to ask for now?"

"I suppose it was, yes," Cream said.

Steam gave her a smile. "If you think of anything for when I get back, don't be afraid to ask when you get a chance. I'll answer you as best I can."

"Alright. I will." Cream started to leave, headed for her guardian's room again, but briefly turned back to Steam. "Be safe."

"Of course. Same to you." With this said, the hedgehog hastily teleported away to join Jet. Their mission was about to begin.

 **~保護者~**

Cere landed on New Babylon in a low crouch, her halberd in hand by instinct as she silently looked over the carnage wrought on the area around her. Her eyes narrowed at the sights she saw as she stood and began walking to the palace, which was luckily still standing. The Hexan's attention locked onto where she felt Kath would most likely be. _The observatory… I hope it stands yet still._ In a single jump, she launched herself to the palace and stepped inside, deciding it best for time to ignore anyone she walked by. Her presence alone would suffice in preventing any unwanted attention. She soon arrived at her destination, stepping up to the open doors of the observatory and walking in without a word toward Azerel and Kath.

The pair were together in the room, silently bickering as they often did. But, in a sense, that was a good thing. These arguments, this interaction... they allowed Kath to vent his emotions in a way he normally couldn't. That is to say, in a manner that wasn't overtly dangerous for himself or other people. It could be argued that Azerel, therefore, started these arguments on _purpose_... but who could really say. But that soon ceased to matter, at least for the moment. They noticed her presence at roughly the same time and both turned to look at her. Their argument seemed to taper off, meaning it was (as per usual) about nothing important.

"Kath. May I speak with you?" She asked softly, setting her halberd back into the clip that held it on her back. "There are a few matters I wish to address if you have time."

The hawk shot his wolf companion a look, seemingly in response to some silent comment, then nodded once. "I have time," he confirmed simply.

Cere calmly walked closer, crossing her legs as she sat down. "There is something that bothers me greatly, and it may just come to light if certain situations occur. What I speak of is your past, and how little of it everyone around you knows."

At this, Kath tensed up and crossed his arms. "What _about_ it?" he asked, already unhappy with the situation. There was also a very faint note of wariness in his tone, for he suspected he could guess where she _might_ be going with this.

"I worry that someone, especially those within a particular group of our current enemies, may attempt to use such a thing against you," she responded cooly, crossing her arms as well. "How much are your own children aware of?"

"Only the bits and pieces they learned through eavesdropping," Kath admitted, frowning. How he wished it could stay that way…

Cere sighed softly. "The past comes back to haunt all, especially those who regret." Her gaze shifted away from Kath, seeming to focus onto nothing in particular before returning. "If someone takes advantage of it… What will you do, Kath?"

" _Nothing_ until something is required of me," Kath muttered, looking away. He absolutely _refused_ to discuss his past mistakes, much less with them.

"Unreasonable," she accused lightly. "The gravity of such a situation, I am afraid to say, is far greater than that. You are no _normal_ fighter. You were gifted Light by _Eona_ herself. And Kaden has already shown himself to be _quite_ capable of corrupting Light. Being the descendant of Zenith and his direct heir, I would expect no less. You are _not_ immune."

"I will _not_ succumb to such a form of control," Kath practically snapped at her.

Cere's eyes narrowed lightly, a faint agitation rising in her eyes. "What if you are not given a _choice_? What if instead he _kills_ you because you refuse to be corrupted? What if Nareish _herself_ comes for you? It is not impossible." She calmed herself slowly, taking a breath and relaxing. "I worry that something will happen that you are not given a choice in, that you might be turned into an enemy. Such a thing would tear Sein and Alana apart from their very beings."

"It will _not_ happen," Kath reiterated, more tense than before. He refused to look at her now, having been put on edge by her brief (and, realistically, not ill-intentioned) verbal attack.

"Kath. There are people who care greatly for you. Even something as simple as an attack on you could shake up the three Immortals we have actively with us," she explained softly, her usually neutral face shifting to show a level of her own concern. "You are a strong figure in their lives, whether you wish to be or not."

In a rare moment of sheer, unbending stubbornness, Kath initially refused to accept what she was saying. _Telling them will not change anything._ Eventually, he ceased clenching his jaw long enough to say, "Discussing my past with them will do nothing but cause further upset. It will not help them."

"Would you wish them to find out the same way Sonic discovered his father as the God of Demons?" she asked. "I respectfully cannot respect your sentiment." He was silent in light of her comment, begrudgingly mulling things over in his head. "If nothing else," she continued, "I do wish you will give it thought. I can certainly speak for Sein, knowing that he will appreciate you sharing such intimate information. I am sure Alana would as well."

He dug his fingers into his arms a little in response to a mixture of emotions, chief of all irritation, and continued to think about all of this in silence for a moment or two more. "...I have _no_ desire to discuss any of it," he finally muttered. It was an admission of sorts, albeit a vague and indirect one, of his shame and regret and everything else he still felt all these years later.

Cere nodded softly, setting a hand down beside him. "I understand, Kath. I don't wish to force you to speak of it. I mostly wanted to express my concerns and fears regarding it, though… I did get a touch heated." He only sort of shrugged in response, unsure of what to say and having never been the best at accepting apologies and the like. "Regardless, do think of whether you will or not. There is another thing I wish to speak with you about, however. Do you feel that Sein will be emotionally able to fight this war?"

Kath released a heavy breath. "I don't know." Another admission, one he normally didn't like to make. But this time it was deeply necessary. "Normally he would be fine to handle conflict, but this one in particular has already proved itself to be… _difficult_ for many."

"He is a _strong_ warrior, as seen from the last battles. The issue that plagues me is the target on Li and Jet, two of the people he is close to or at least _wants_ to be close to," she answered softly. "He is very… _righteous_ with his anger."

"He is not likely to go out of control," Kath told her. "However, in the event it occurs, Alana or I are more than capable of handling it."

Cere nodded slowly. "I just do not wish to see him charge into battle as a result of seeing one of them hurt. While justified, who knows the ramifications of a battle that he so passionately involves himself in?"

"As I said, should something of that nature occur, it will be dealt with."

She gave another slow nod, unsure of what to speak about before something came to mind. "I am aware you are not the best person to go to regarding handling of emotions, but I have a question regarding the student I took under my own wing."

The sound he let out was something akin to a sigh, but he didn't refuse her. He _couldn't_ , not after all the years she had spent aiding him… "Ask, then."

"She is a troubled child. A demonic mother and a father who could not care for her when she was young. It has left its scars, and she is still troubled by it all to this day…" Cere murmured. "When you raised Sein, what did you do when he got immensely upset?"

This earned another shrug. This one was decidedly weaker than before. "When he became too upset to calm himself… it was often too much for me as well," he reluctantly admitted. "Laralei would normally step in at that point." He paused, thought for a second, then added, "...She introduced him to the idea of working his anger and aggression out well away from people and animals, in a place where he could lash out as much as he so desired. I believe he eventually crafted his own minor realm for that purpose."

"I worry for Armaris doing such a thing, as she…" Cere grew troubled by the thoughts that ran through her mind, forcing them away so she could speak once more. "She often berates herself for acting out in any form of anger. Especially when the source can be related to her demonic ancestry."

He let out another huff. "I would expect no less, coming from an individual raised amongst the chameleons. They strive for no less than perfection in _all_ that they do."

Cere softly sighed. "Sadly, yes. Though, there is more to it. Much that I will not divulge for her own privacy. Thank you for your knowledge on the matter. One more thing and I can leave you to argue with your well-aged friend." The wolf immediately gave her a glare, but whatever silent comment he started to make was cut off when Kath nudged him firmly with a boot. The Hexan managed a smirk before continuing, "I also wish to inform you of Jet's current state."

That earned another, deeper frown straight away. "What about him?" he demanded. There was an edge to his tone, if only because he did _not_ like people being vague with him about important matters.

"He is not doing _particularly_ well. Steam informed me and the others that he has taken a serious mental toll from the previous battle. He was also directly attacked in a mental assault by Astra," Cere explained. "There is also the matter of the Void having attached itself to him."

Kath's fingertips dug in a little harder as he said, "I am aware of the attack by Astra. I was there, along with various others. Little can be done about it at this time. As for the Void, I know next to nothing about it, save for what little he was willing to speak about following the aforementioned attack."

"We know next to nothing as well. He speaks little of it at any given point, as far as I am aware," Cere admitted. "I dislike knowing so little, but it cannot be helped as of now. We will all learn as we get the chance to." Knowing that Kath was unlikely to answer her, she posed one last question. "What are your thoughts on the wandering Balancer, Steam?"

Once more, he shrugged. "I know virtually nothing about him," was the vaguely distracted response. "Certainly not enough to form an opinion."

"I suppose I simply do not know how to feel about his arrival. Coming from your own timeline to help another is… almost unheard of. Not impossible, but _certainly_ rare."

"It is not as rare as one might believe," Kath murmured. "Many have at least attempted such feats in the past."

Cere nodded slowly. "Yes, but… someone of a status like his? He is meant to be a force that keeps balance. I would believe it unusual for someone like him to show up here as he did."

After a pause, Kath conceded. "Yes, it is unusual. However, his travelling has evidently not endangered the balance here or elsewhere. I do not care why he came, so long as that remains true."

"Y-..." Cere fell quiet for a moment before giving a sigh. "I suppose you are right. I still wonder if he had another purpose for being here…" The Hexan stood up without waiting for a response. "If so, I am sure we will learn one day. Thank you for your time, Kath." Her gaze shifted over the hawk quietly before she murmured something that she had used in the past in attempts to soothe Kath. She could only hope it would help now as she teleported away to find Finis (who had the unfortunate habit of wandering off) once more. They still needed to go talk to Sein, Alana, and Jet, and she was going to be _damn_ certain that Finis was there.

Upon having literally reached into another realm and collected the God of Night (try though he might to resist), Cere teleported the two of them to Mobius where she knew Armaris and the others were staying at the moment. Her senses easily picked up on Sein's strong aura inside Espio's home and she began walking, still dragging Finis along beside her. The man glared silently at her and told her through thought-speech, _"Unhand me."_

"No." Cere answered immediately, jumping up into the home. _"You should be here with me."_ She watched as Sein popped into the room immediately, a goofy grin on his face. "I see you are well enough."

"Oh, for sure. Just getting to a point where we can _kinda_ wind down," he answered, giving a wave to Finis. In response, Finis merely blinked. Alana pulled free from her thoughts at the sound of the two voices and looked over.

Cere managed a gentle smile that slowly faded. "Where is Jet?" she asked, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

"He has departed with Steam for the Demon God's World," Alana answered somewhat curtly. It was clear that she was _not_ happy about having to remain behind. The way Sein rubbed at his arm said the exact same thing.

This wasn't pleasing for Cere to hear, and it showed as she glanced to Finis. "I suppose… Kaden has made his move far sooner than we would have anticipated."

Finis crossed his arms and, making his mental voice able to be heard by all, said, _"This should have been anticipated. He does not take kindly to behavior such as hers."_

"Maybe, but I was hoping that those two would have a chance to collect themselves _properly_ ," Cere muttered. "Jet especially. He's been through a lot in too short of a time."

"There is little to be done. That he needs respite is clear, but it is equally true that he is desperately needed in this war. He cannot do both."

"That doesn't change much of anything. He's practically always needed," she huffed. "The point- Nevermind."

Sein tilted his head and slowly raised his hand toward Cere to gain her attention. "Hey, uh… you okay? Got a bit fiery."

The hexan sighed softly, shaking her head. "I am fine, Sein. I simply care for Jet." Alana glanced at her in understanding silence. Meanwhile, Finis simply crossed his legs and hovered where he had been standing, as he often did.

"I'm glad you care about him like that, Cere," Sein answered with a smile. "It's nice."

She glanced to him, raising an eyebrow before seeming to understand. "Yes. I have done similarly with Armaris. She is like a daughter to me."

"I am not at liberty to explain it myself," she answered softly. "He should be the one to tell you."

This statement made Alana frown. "If he does not wish to speak of it, then why insist that he do so?" she questioned. _Father has never taken kindly to such behavior…_

"There is such a thing as regrets coming back from the past. I want him to stop concealing those, especially in the case that an enemy decides to use it against him," Cere explained.

Sein frowned. _She says it as if she's got a lot of experience with it…_ He held back a sigh and glanced to Alana, then back to Cere. "Is everything okay?"

Cere shook her head softly. "When I was speaking to Kath earlier, I…" she hesitated for a moment before continuing. Alana's attention was immediately snagged again and her gaze swung back to the other woman. "I appear to have stressed him out. I didn't mean to, but I went a bit too far…"

"Is he okay?" Sein quickly asked, stepping forward. "How bad was it?"

"He is well enough that I do not fear any issues occurring from the stress, but it was something that I wish for one or both of you to help with. I dislike having others clean my mess, but I know you both care for him. That is primarily why I came to you."

Alana's earlier frown deepened. "That does not _directly_ answer the question. How serious was it, Cere?" She tossed a concerned glance at Sein. "If there is a serious issue, I want to be aware of it."

Cere sighed. "It has been too long for me to truly gauge how serious it was. I do believe it was serious, but not _dire_."

" _How_ serious?" Alana pressed again, growing somewhat annoyed. But even as she demanded more information, she pushed off of the wall she had been leaning against and prepared to immediately leave.

Sein stepped toward the opening of the home. "She decided it was important to tell us. It's serious enough to check."

"Fine. Come with me." Alana's tone brooked no room for argument, and she was gone in a flash. The blue hawk teleported after her with no hesitation.

Cere sighed and momentarily leaned against a wall. "I am not like I once was, Finis…" He looked at her with his usual silence. "Have you noticed a change?" she dared to ask, looking up to Finis. His answer was a slight incline of the head. She sighed once more and began to leave. "I suppose I will need to look into such. I am not ready to step down from my position." With that, she teleported away to handle other matters with Finis in tow.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,415 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help and support. Posted (at about 9:50 p.m.) 03-15-20.**


	60. Vision

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this worsening situation… especially for the one who can see so much while seeing nothing at all.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Your review to Chapter 58: That's exactly the point, lol. That's why Li's never made any before, but I suppose he's curious about it now. XD Well... not _really_. Most of them don't have plot armor, and I've certainly killed main characters before! Only a select number of the characters right now are for sure going to survive to the end of this story. The rest... well, I can't promise they'll make it. Lol. Anyway, as far as guns being able to kill these guys, _normal_ guns definitely won't cut it. But Shadow's figured out how to make his pack an extra punch. His are powered by and infused with Darkness, which also means that they can be modified to handle other energies as well. It's certainly an intriguing prospect. ;)**

 **Your review to Chapter 59: Yeah, Sein's a great guy. :) And Steam's sentiments are certainly echoed here. Lol, it's okay that you didn't have much to say here. Your review is appreciated as always, regardless.**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Vision"**

 **~保護者~**

 _I was late. To know such destruction was wrought on what was once my home world…_ A lone man shook his head and slowly descended toward Mobius, allowing his cloak to gently blow upward with the wind. _I wonder if the descendants of my family are still alive…_ Deciding not to focus on that as he neared the ground, the man began moving forward, intent on searching the battlefield that was Hyale. He was unsure what he might find, and this thought disturbed him.

He found his way in due time, adventuring toward the smell of ash and remnants of fire, a hand reaching into his cloak to produce a staff simply out of caution. He sensed no threats, but the possibility remained. There was still life among what was obviously the battlefield, that much he was sure of. One area in particular gained his attention, a noticeable, pulsating Light that felt familiar. Who was it?

The one he sought out noticed him before he could arrive in the area, teleporting over and gently setting a hand on his shoulder. "Kial?"

"You remember me, yet still," he answered softly, setting a hand on her shoulder in return. "I presume you are well, Rosalline?"

"Rose," she gently corrected. "Rose is far easier, and I am faring well."

Kial smiled softly, his tail curling around his leg as he turned his head toward the area she had come from. "You are with others? I thought you traveled alone."

"I am aiding a long-time ally of mine. They had need of my Light, and I am providing to the best of my ability."

"I see. Am I allowed to meet them?"

"I cannot see a reason otherwise." With this said, Rose walked briskly toward Espio's home, making sure that Kial was behind her. "You have grown… larger."

Kial shrugged softly. "Inevitable. The training strengthened my whole body, as well as sharpening my mind and senses. It was necessary."

"Where is your sensei?"

A note of sadness appeared on the grey bobcat's face. "He has passed."

Rose immediately regretted having brought it up. She turned her attention forward once more before offering a hand to him and teleporting them both into the house. Almost the instant they appeared in the front room, a huge but very low rumbling began to vibrate the entire house. It was clear that the sound was growling from a large creature's body, and the sound drew people from the back room. Sonic was still in the other hut with Tails and Shadow, meaning it was only Vector, Cream (who currently had Sako), and Espio still present. Only the first two emerged from the room initially, looking equal parts confused and concerned. "The heck?" the croc was mumbling as they stepped into view.

Kial blinked once and turned toward the opening of the home, tilting his head curiously. "A reptile of sorts? Doesn't sound _large_ , but definitely big… and serpentine?" The rumbling stopped shortly after Kial spoke. In fact, it ceased quite abruptly, almost as though the source of the noise had been _forced_ to quiet down. Then Espio silently dropped down off the roof and onto his porch, appearing subtly irritated by what he had apparently just dealt with. Kial tilted his head further, his tail idly morphing into something similar to what he had envisioned (a serpentine tail) the creature around the house being. "I see…"

Cream and Vector traded baffled looks with one another, but for once Espio was the one who spoke first. "Kial. Why are you here?" He walked fully into the house, expression shifting into something unreadable.

"I came to investigate the battle that occurred here. I had hoped to arrive sooner," Kial answered slowly, frowning. "You are different, though I suppose I am as well."

His comment earned a nearly inaudible scoff, but Espio said nothing more. Baby Sako, however, responded. ...Sort of. He suddenly climbed from Cream's arm to Vector's back and unintentionally created quite the ruckus in doing so… by somehow yanking hard on a scale. " _Yeowch_!" Vector cried, jumping a little. "Ack, get 'im offa me! He's on my back and pullin' on my scales!"

Kial stepped forward but was cut off by Rose quickly stepping up and attempting to aid Vector in collecting the baby off of his back. "Hold still as best you can, please," she said.

Powerful protective instincts suddenly flared up against Espio's will, and he was there before anyone could blink. He sort of smacked Vector's hands away and carefully dislodged the baby himself, only to then deposit the child onto a blanket on the floor. He may not have really wanted anyone else handling the boy (which he blamed solely on the aforementioned instincts), but that didn't mean he _himself_ wanted to deal with Sako, either. Rose slowly backed away, unsure as to what to do next before Kial stepped up. "Espio. Are you okay?"

The chameleon tossed Kial another unreadable glance, but this time Cream saw something more in his eyes. It seemed to be more of the irritation he'd been displaying moments before after dealing with Aku's loud growling. "Fine," he said simply, unwilling to answer beyond that.

Deciding not to press it further, Kial turned his attention to Cream and Vector. "I am Kial. I met Espio many years ago when we were children."

Still rubbing his back, Vector sighed and said, "Makes sense. By his own admission, he was kinda more friendly back then. Or somethin'." Espio chose not to comment on that. Instead, he focused more on watching Sako as the baby rolled around on the blanket in an effort to sit up again.

Cream left off watching her guardian long enough to give Kial a small smile. "It is nice to meet you. We have long been friends of his as well. My name is Cream. He is Vector."

"It is nice to meet the both of you," Kial answered gently, just now thinking to stow away his staff once more within his cloak.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Kial many years ago while I was traveling. A true coincidence, but something I can certainly say was pleasant," Rose explained, a bright smile on her face. "He is good company, when he is not asleep."

Kial coughed gently, his head turning to face the opening of the building. "The reptile outside. I presume you are all aware of its presence?"

This earned another quiet scoff from Espio. "Aku is not an _it_ ," he muttered. Then, calling upon his reserves of patience, he more calmly added, "He is an ancient dragon, and he lives here."

"Forgive me. I was not aware," Kial answered quickly, bowing slightly. "I meant no harm."

A rumbling voice from outside called in, _"Then cease your yammering, cat."_

"Quiet, Aku," Espio called back, irritated all over again. "Your bickering only causes trouble."

 _"Then perhaps you should tell your little friend to mind his tongue,"_ was the vaguely aggravated reply. But after that, Aku said nothing more, having dropped the matter as he'd been told to do.

Kial didn't immediately respond to this, unsure of what exactly he should say. He coughed instead before speaking. "Regardless, it is nice to meet you as well, Aku." More grumbling answered him, but that was all for now. Rose leaned in toward Kial and whispered something softly, seeming to draw his attention away from outside and more directed toward the baby chameleon laying on the blanket (who very much seemed to be attempting to flip over onto his stomach). "You… have a child, Espio?"

Espio tossed a vaguely distasteful look at the child in question, then he just looked away. "...Yes," he eventually acknowledged. His tone did nothing to hint at it, but Cream could see in his demeanor that he was unhappy with how true Kial's question was. _Deeply_ upset, in fact. Possibly even… angry?

"I see," Kial replied, slowly crossing his arms. "Well… in any case, I am glad to know that you are well."

Around this time, Armaris drug herself up into the building and visibly recoiled within her shadow at the sight of this new cat. _How many new people are going to show up?_ she asked herself, quickly appearing out of the shadow and walking forward. However, she paused when the cat had absolutely no reaction to her approach.

Rose motioned to Armaris to gain her attention. "This is Kial. A friend of Espio and myself. However, he is… blind."

Kial glanced at her, for all the good that did, and sighed softly. "I generally wish to keep that a secret."

"Someone was bound to ask with you having not noticed the child. This merely keeps things simple," Rose retorted lightly. The bobcat had no real argument with this.

Armaris blinked a few times at this and walked forward. "You're _actually_ blind?" she asked, staring at his eyes intently.

"Yes, I am," he answered, blinking once. "Though, by your breath, I can tell you are in front of me."

The black cat blinked a few more times at this, waving a hand in front of his face incredulously. When he gave no reaction, she backed away with a disbelieving look. "Alright then…"

"He is not lying, Armaris," Espio huffed.

"I just _don't_ get how someone could feasibly live without their senses, especially through the shit that's happened as of late," Armaris muttered, crossing her arms.

At this, Espio gave her a hard look. "My first sensei was _also_ blind," he reminded with a slight edge of harshness. "He got by without complication."

Armaris would have mouthed off something at Espio, but decided now was a bad time to do so and refrained. "Anyway, Kial… nice to meet you, I guess."

"Likewise," the bobcat answered kindly. He leaned over toward Rose and whispered something in her ear, who nodded and stepped away. Kial stepped forward to Espio, a small smile on his face. "Would you mind stepping outside to talk with me for a bit?"

Espio was quiet for a brief moment, sort of mulling over the request before simply turning and walking outside. "Fine," he said as he went. Though Cream worried about letting him out of their sight, she rationalized that he would still be close and so forced herself to relax as much as possible. Vector, meanwhile, focused mostly on entertaining the baby... and thus distracting himself from his own concerns.

Kial followed Espio quietly, erecting a barrier around the both of them to keep the ash away. "You have made many allies over the years," he commented softly. "I wasn't sure you'd ever care to really do that."

"It was _not_ intentional," Espio admitted after a short pause. He didn't divulge any more than that for the time being, but some of the anger in his tone had inexplicably bled away.

"Sometimes the things we didn't try for are the things we needed most," Kial responded, shrugging. "I met someone who became my teacher for many years by a complete accident. It has changed my life for the better." Though mildly curious, Espio's initial response was just a vague hum of acknowledgement. "You have grown stronger as well, old friend. Both by time and training."

"It is necessary," was the dismissive reply. "Shinobi must _always_ grow. I believe I told you that once before."

"Yes, but I felt it necessary to acknowledge. It is something to be proud of. Most are not capable of continuing to become stronger after this long."

"Perhaps not."

"So, what plagues you?" Kial eventually dared to ask. "You are angry, that much is clear. Though, for someone such as you, that is likely only the surface."

Once more, thoughts swarmed about whether or not this damned negativity was even really _him_ or merely brought on by his Darkness, but Espio swiftly decided that it was irrelevant. The emotions were _there_ regardless, and his handle on them was evidently… lacking. He couldn't keep things under wraps like he normally could and it was _frustrating_. Even more frustrating, however, was the fact that he couldn't avoid answering the question. It would only come up again later. Answering it now seemed the simplest option. He just… wasn't pleased with that fact. And, despite his reluctant decision to cooperate, he still hedged around the question momentarily. "...There are many reasons," he eventually muttered, leaning against one of the outer walls of his home.

Kial nodded. "If you do not wish to divulge such information, I will not pry. However, I would like you to know you can speak of things that bother you, no matter how trivial. We have not seen each other in eons, but we need not act as if we are strangers."

"There are things you will be better off not getting involved in," Espio answered, closing his eyes with a small scowl. "Simply knowing will _make_ you involved."

"Much of which I will likely become involved in by proxy of who I am," Kial replied easily, sighing. "Especially considering the circumstances in which we are meeting now."

Silence reigned for a short time before Espio slowly said, "...That baby… is part of the issue." He paused, then corrected, "Or, rather, his mother is."

Kial tilted his head curiously at this. "Why is that?"

"She is a deeply malevolent person," Espio admitted unhappily. The fact that that had _always_ been part of the reason behind his draw to her was… something better left unsaid. Forever.

"I see…" the cat murmured softly. "Is there more to why she is such an issue?"

" _Everything_ about her is an 'issue'," was the muttered reply. Espio hadn't meant to reveal that so openly, but the words were already out there, so fuck it. There were probably… worse people to vent to, anyway. Kial had always been… good at listening, Espio supposed. "Everything she says and does is to fulfill her goals, whatever they may be at any given time. One of them - by her own telling - has _always_ been convincing me to join her."

"So you see her as manipulative, malevolent, and self-serving?" Kial questioned, tilting his head. "Is that right?"

"That is the _simplest_ description of her," Espio remarked unhappily. Though, he made no effort to offer anything better.

The cat nodded. "I suppose my next question is if… you love her or not."

Espio had never directly admitted to this out loud, but he found himself sullenly mumbling a short, "...Yes," as he shifted into a sitting position against the wall.

"Then that makes it complicated…" Kial replied, moving over to sit by Espio. "I will say this as my advice. Do as you think is best for yourself, and who you _want_ to be. Try not to let others dictate what you are." Espio didn't really answer, being unsure of what to say. He frowned to himself as more thoughts swirled against his will. "So… when you say that she has been trying to convince you to join her, what do you mean by that?"

"Games," Espio huffed, frowned deepening. "Manipulation. Fighting. Every interaction was for the sole purpose of accomplishing her goals. As I said, she wants me by her side in this war. Every refusal has simply sparked more determination from her. She does not give up. She merely changes tactics."

"And what side is she on?" Kial questioned further. "You speak as if she is aiding another. Or perhaps fighting her own front."

"She works within the Trokkelar Army," Espio told him, "directly under their sole leader. She is, in many ways, the unofficial _second_ leader. She follows her leaders orders to the letter, but also does what she wants _when_ she wants, so long as it does not go against her orders."

Kial nodded slowly, holding one of his arms. "Is that something you wish to be a part of?"

The answer to that was a resounding no, and yet… there was no denying the fact that when he hadn't been… _himself_ … he hadn't been _opposed_ , exactly. Was that… the same thing? Surely it wasn't. Surely it _couldn't_ be. But he couldn't quite seem to silence that tiny voice in the back of his mind that whispered that all of this was little more than a lie he was telling himself. "...No."

"If that is how you feel, then do not let that be compromised. If _you_ say so, that is how you choose to feel," Kial murmured softly. "Far too often the voices around us can convince us to feel that which we do not."

The urge to admit the truth, that it was no longer just _her_ who he was fighting over this, was there. Ultimately, however, Espio refrained. _Many matters are best left unsaid,_ he reminded himself silently.

"Another matter, where is she now? Did she leave this baby in your care?"

"I do not know where she goes when she is not bothering me," Espio muttered. He was quiet for a few seconds before adding, "She abandoned him here. I do not know when or specifically why."

"If anything, it was likely to affect you in some way. Such a thing could throw a wrench into the lives of most. You are no exception."

Espio didn't doubt the veracity of Kial's assessment. He himself had had similar suspicions. She was, after all, notorious for playing mental and emotional games of _all_ kinds… _Damn her._

"How do you feel about the baby?"

For some reason or another, Kial's question caused a spike in both Espio's Darkness and his emotions. It lasted for only a second or two, but it was long enough for him to respond sharply and without thinking. "I don't _want_ it."

Kial waited a moment at hearing this response, not wanting to further agitate the chameleon in any way. "Is there a particular reason…?"

Once things had settled again, and it thankfully didn't take long, Espio was able to acknowledge that there wasn't. Not really. He just had this _overwhelming_ desire to be rid of this new… _hindrance_ in his life. He wasn't even entirely sure why. "No."

"Hm… Maybe it's more subconscious then. For now, I would personally recommend trying to adjust to the presence of the baby, if nothing else. That may help you ease into accepting it as a part of your life."

In response, Espio openly scoffed. He had _no_ desire to do that. In fact, he was suddenly recalling why he'd been so desperate to leave earlier. Perhaps now would be the best time to follow through on that little idea. Except… the more logical side of himself argued that it wasn't. And it argued that point quite loudly. So, for now, he stayed put. _Soon,_ he told himself. _Not now._

"So, is there anything else on your mind?" Kial asked, genuinely curious. He didn't like dwelling on less than pleasant conversations when it wasn't entirely necessary.

There were many things, in truth, but Espio wasn't sure how much should actually be revealed. Except… revealing them now, when things were calm, would be easier than the alternative. So, with a heavy sigh, he called forth a small amount of Darkness into his palm. "Do you sense this?" he asked in turn, not looking over.

Kial hesitated, a bit unsure that he was _really_ sensing what he was sensing. "Yes… I do."

Hesitation was unbecoming of a shinobi, so Espio forged ahead regardless of how badly he wanted to drop this whole conversation. "This… apparently… runs in my family. It is what they were once infamous for. Recently, it has awakened." He scowled to himself. "It did not do so quietly."

"What do you mean by it not awakening quietly?" Kial dared to ask, a touch more visibly concerned than he seemed before.

"Take a guess," Espio muttered, allowing the energy to dissipate from his hand.

"Violence?"

"An understatement."

Kial sighed softly, sitting up straighter. "I suppose that is lending toward your unusual mood as of late?" Espio muttered some noncommittal response to that but otherwise didn't speak. "I am sorry to hear it happened in the way it did, if nothing else. That is truly awful to hear."

Random irritation (perhaps even anger) surged, but Espio ignored the sudden urge to grab for a knife by clutching his fists closed. _Enough,_ he mentally chided himself.

Kial seemed to understand that something wasn't entirely right in the moment and said nothing, waiting for some time before saying something else. "How long has it been since you've spoken to someone about how you feel?"

"I haven't," Espio muttered.

"Thank you for confiding in me, at least," Kial said softly. "I am glad you were able."

Espio just sort of shrugged, again unsure of what to say. However, after a long moment's pause, he found something to say. Or, rather, an observation that had yet to be voiced. "...Your tail is not _yours_ ," he stated bluntly.

The cat's small smile slowly shifted into something a touch more neutral. "Er… yeah. I was hoping to not have to explain this after having just arrived, but you'll find out soon enough anyway." Kial let his tail turn back into his natural cat tail, standing up. "Over those years of training, my teacher was actually one of the Gods. He took me in, seeing some potential that I wasn't aware of, and taught me how to… essentially take his place."

That piqued enough interest to briefly smother Espio's bad mood. After some quiet contemplation over this matter, he asked, "What God?"

"God of Mythical Creatures, sometimes known as the God of Mystical Creatures. That means…" Kial's body began morphing until the entirety of his being was comprised of water. "I can turn into things like elementals, dragons, magical wolves, and plenty more." His body shifted back into his bobcat form, leaving him to stretch on instinct. "It's still weird to get used to, even after all these years." Kial sat back down, his head tilting up toward the house. "I didn't want to explain it so suddenly and get bombarded with questions, especially since I'd just be appearing and pronouncing myself as a God. Not to mention, a lesser known God since my teacher was missing for _many_ years."

Immediately, Espio huffed. "The two most likely to have questioned you the most are not in the house. You would have been spared." After a second, he asked, "Missing in what sense?"

Kial notably grew saddened at this, but he didn't seem too overly bothered by it. "For a long time, he was being actively hunted by an enemy or _enemies_. He briefly explained that he was worried that he'd be killed one day, and then… it just happened. An enemy appeared and attacked. In the moments before he died, he transferred his powers to me and…" He shifted uncomfortably. "I… made sure that the enemy didn't leave that planet alive."

Espio thought this new information over carefully. The idea of Kial losing control in such a manner was… unusual at best. And yet, he had to acknowledge the fact that such a vast amount of time that had passed since their last interaction clearly suggested that Kial could have changed. Substantially, in fact. He knew that he himself was not the child he had once been. However… _He seems mostly the same._

"Sorry for the… depressing note on that one. Saethrim was someone I considered very close to me," Kial explained softly. "It's still a bit of a sore spot." Eventually, the cat gave a soft sigh, then flashed a smile to Espio. "Thanks for talking to me. It was good to catch up a little bit. Do you want to go back inside with me?"

The response Kial received was a flat, "No."

Kial was taken aback enough that he blinked, for as little good as that did him. _It's really been too long since I've been around you. That normally wouldn't have fazed me._ The cat recovered from his mild surprise and simply smiled. "Alright. I assume you're sticking around nearby?"

 _It isn't as though I have a choice._ He knew full well that no one in that building (or the neighboring one, for that matter) would let him leave. Quashing his emotions as best as he could, Espio simply said, "Yes."

"I will go catch up with Rose momentarily, in that case. I hope we get a chance to talk like this once more, my friend," Kial said softly, teleporting inside but still leaving the barrier around Espio should he choose to stay within it.

~保護者~

Sein and Alana appeared in the palace near to the observatory, the male already quickly walking forward to check on Kath. Alana walked with him, quiet as she pondered what, exactly, might have been going on. _Cere was so unwilling to discuss it… That was unlike her._ Sein thought along the same lines, but was partially avoiding thinking too deeply on the matter so he could focus on figuring out what was going on. As they approached the hall leading to where her father seemed to spend most of his time on this property, Alana asked in a low tone, "What will we do if he is in a serious state? Mother is… not here to calm him."

"Cere would have told us if it was something that serious…" _I hope._ Sein glanced to her, obviously concerned. "We'll make do."

Alana shook her head and reminded, "Even if he was mostly calm before she left, it may have escalated since then. He often bottles things up when in the company of others, only for that control to gradually slip once he is alone. "

Sein set a hand on Alana's shoulder softly, sighing. "I am sure that we can manage. We may not be Laralei, but surely she's not the _only_ person who can help him. We might have been his children, but that doesn't mean we can't help."

"We do not know _how_ ," she protested, still keeping her voice low so that no random passersby could easily hear them. "Mother was _always_ the one to care for him." _And she was never not around… not back then._

"Then we will figure _out_ how," he responded. "We know how to interact with him, and we more than certainly know what _not_ to do. We'll start from there and work our way through this." Sein was doing his best to keep his voice level, but the worry was slowly creeping in. "I… I'm sure we can do it."

Alana stayed silent at this point, deciding it was not a great idea to continue adding to their collective concerns. She didn't speak as they followed the long hall to the double doors at the end. Both were securely shut, and whatever lights may have been on in the room were so dim that they didn't show under those doors. She also noted that it was very silent in there as well. _Was he not still clearing rubble?_

Sein raised a hand to knock on the door, then glanced to Alana for approval. She merely gestured for him to go ahead. He slowly did so, then called out to Kath to make sure that the other man was indeed in there. What answered him was the all-too familiar sound of Azerel growling. However, he was swiftly silenced by a small thump, most likely the sound of Kath cuffing the wolf behind the ear as he often did. Or... was that a rock falling? Alana wasn't sure, and there was no real response beyond that. "Do we just… go in?" Sein asked, frowning.

"We may have to," Alana answered with a small sigh. "He may not be paying attention to who is at the door, as he does when he is very intent on ignoring the world around him - such as while studying." As she spoke, she noted something odd seeping out from under the doors in thick, sluggish plumes. _...Dust?_

Sein nodded and took a short breath before pushing the door in, slowly stepping in. "Kath?" he called softly, glancing around. Alana followed him in, concern mounting over her father's lack of response. Waving thick clouds of dust away from her face, she progressed slowly through the piles of various forms of rubble and debris, and soon had to carefully step around a segment of the roof that had entirely caved into the large room. _This was not here before._ Finding herself pressed against the wall in her efforts to move past this huge chunk of ancient gem-like stone, she found herself stifling some coughs. "Sein, we may need to attempt to move this. But it is comprised largely of the same sort of materials as Mother's palace. It will _not_ be lightweight."

He lightly nodded, fixing the gauntlets on his hands and finding a handhold. With his aid, the pair of hawks slowly and arduously shoved the segment of roof enough to allow passage to the rest of the room. With the pathway open, Alana stepped around it fully and gestured for him to follow. Some bits of rock and other materials peppered her as she went, suggesting to her that this collapse had likely not happened as long ago as it had first seemed. _This must have been from mere minutes ago._ In a way, this concerned more than if the latter had been true. Because though he often masked it quite well, she knew her father to have a strong startle-reflex caused by some anxiety problems that she had never fully been privy to as a child. He _hated_ being startled, for it left him jumpy and uneasy and just generally in a heightened state of distress, even when he'd been calm before. _Cere's account suggests that he was not calm earlier… and he will not have had time to settle down from this event, nor his interaction with her by now._

Sein slowly let his aura grow even more noticeable, having thought along the same lines as Alana. If he startled Kath, this would grow infinitely harder, and the blue hawk was having none of that. "Hey, Azerel? You here?" he called, walking ahead slightly.

Having heard his voice, the distinct sound of clawed canine feet lightly scraping across flooring answered Sein. A few seconds later, the (for once) filthy wolf shimmied his way under some more debris until he was able to stand in front of the pair. Seeing this through all the dust that was clouding the air, Alana frowned and peered upward into the darkening sky. The hole above their heads was much larger than she had previously believed… Sein spotted all of this as well and his heart raced. He rushed over and scanned over the debris quickly to find where he could start removing things. Before long, he began hoisting various pieces out of the way. "Thank you, Azerel," he said between his stunted breaths. If the wolf hadn't shown them where to dig, they could have been here for hours…

Alana knelt down and quickly asked, "Is Father injured?"

There was a second or two of hesitation, then Azerel let out a sound that was rare for him (and his kind as a whole). Namely, a sort of barking sound. She had no idea what it was meant to convey, but soon Azerel was turning tail and scooting his way back through the rubble in the direction he'd come from. Alana tossed her husband a bewildered look before standing to help him move debris aside. Sein was eventually able to lift out a piece of debris and pull a few piles away that let him _finally_ reach Kath and Azerel, his frantic mind hardly able to think as he tossed the fairly large piece of debris out of the way. "Oh thank fuck," he said as he dropped down and quickly pulled Kath into a soft hug. "Cere said that you were left in a bad state… and then I saw all of this…" Sein tried to pull himself together, but slowly felt his resolve crumble as a few small tears slipped out. "I am _so_ glad you're okay."

Alana quickly knelt down beside them, taking in the sight so as to ensure everyone truly was okay. She knew that Sein was, of course, and her father and Azerel _mostly_ seemed to be… but they were certainly banged up. Both were even bloodied in some places, but neither sported truly serious injuries. The pair sat together on the ground, Azerel flopped dramatically in Kath's lap and he with his arms loosely around the wolf's neck and torso. The pair made quite a sight, equal parts amusing, worrying, and sweet, and Alana couldn't help a slight smile. _Thank goodness._

Upon hearing Sein's ramblings and Alana's footsteps, Kath appeared to pull out of the sort of zoned-out state he'd been in before. The onset of this state was likely why he had failed to teleport himself out or something similar as of now. "Hey, Kath. Let's get away from here, okay?" Sein asked, gently, slowly pulling out of his hug. "This area isn't the most safe."

When he was slow to respond, Alana took his hand and tugged him forward and to his feet. This caused Azerel to be deposited on the floor, much to his annoyance. He gave himself a good shake to get rid of some of the dirt. "Come," she gently urged. "The roof is structurally unsound at this time. More of it may collapse with time. It would be best to leave." No complaints or disagreements came, so she began carefully leading him out with Azerel at their heels. Sein followed behind them, just in case anything were to happen alongside the fact that he was visibly shaking as his adrenaline high slowly wore off. As it turned out, just because he didn't feel the strain, didn't mean that there _wasn't_ strain on his muscles.

Alana soon had them all safely back in the corridor and, suspecting that her father wouldn't talk (he long had had the issue of regressing into total silence when deeply upset), she spoke to Sein instead. "Do you recall where any of the sitting rooms are? Or _any_ room with suitable seating arrangements."

Sein gave a faintly shaky nod. "Yeah, I can lead the way," he answered, stretching his body as he walked. "I saw some when I went to talk with Li, Novei, and Sona." The others followed along behind him. He led them to a sitting room that was more or less in good shape still, stepping in and sitting down the first chance he had. Alana guided her father to sit as well, then tossed Sein a questioning glance. She wanted his opinion on whether or not she should find some form of a doctor, but she didn't feel the need to ask it aloud. Rather than answer immediately, the blue hawk took it upon himself to essentially scan Azerel and Kath with his aura. He rather quickly motioned for Alana to go ahead and start looking for a doctor, not liking the injuries he found. Nodding faintly, she left the room.

At this point, Kath seemed to come around a little bit more. Enough so that he managed to mumble with at least _some_ traces of his usual attitude, "I'm fine, Sein." Still, he kept one hand busy idly petting Azerel. He didn't normally do that, didn't normally seek comfort unless it was actually required.

"Kath, I can't agree with that," Sein answered, frowning yet still. "You realize that you were hit with debris that me and Alana had trouble _pushing_ along the floor, right? It hit you really hard and I can't let you not be checked over by a medical professional." Apparently in agreement with Sein, Azerel woofed and growled as he nudged Kath's arm. Kath left off petting him long enough to lightly shove the wolf's head back in very mild reprimand. There was none of the usual fire and agitation behind their silent bickering, but the air of stress from earlier had lessened a degree already. It seemed that merely leaving the room had helped them both. Sein watched this with a faint smile forming on his face. It certainly relieved him somewhat that Kath _seemed_ to be doing better already, even more so that it felt like it was true.

A few moments later, Alana returned to the room with a couple of others who immediately set about checking over Kath and Azerel together. While they worked, she walked over to Sein. "It would seem that the roof has collapsed in multiple other places as well," she murmured, shaking her head. "I have never heard of such extensive damage done to a building crafted of these materials. They are supposed to be close to indestructible when against a _wide_ array of threats. Mother's palace was the same, was it not?"

Sein nodded. "Yeah. The only things I remember that wouldn't hold up were things like _windows_. Anything else was amazingly strong."

"It fell only when our world did," Alana quietly lamented. Then she said, "I do not like this. The implication that these demons were even stronger than the blast that the Astral Babylon unleashed is…" She trailed off and shook her head again.

"That's not something to focus on right now," Sein answered. "There's enough to worry about, and that's not something I can put my immediate concern into."

Alana sat down directly beside him and set her hands atop of his, eyes earnest and almost begging for him to listen. "Sein, you are not _listening_ to me. The strongest of the demons we face were not here. They were on _Mobius_. And yet the demons that were here did _this_."

"And their leader was able to kill me before I could _react_. I _realize_ the threat, and that there are likely _much_ stronger demons, but I don't know what to _do_." Sein murmured weakly.

"This is something that must be _prepared_ for," Alana insisted. "The God of Demons did not bring any of his truly formidable forces to either world that he attacked. Whatever those demons are, they could be _vastly_ beyond any level of strength that we have seen yet. And for all we know, some of them may _already_ be coming."

Sein contemplated this for a moment, concern lighting up his features. "Do you think that he's going to try and destroy both planets somehow? He's already crippled both… One more step and he could get rid of two big threats at once."

"Why else would he have come at all?" Alana asked in return. "You remember Kaden as well as I. He is not the sort to waste time and effort, least of all his own, on meaningless tasks and ventures. This attack had a _purpose_."

The blue hawk attempted to push himself out of his seat, but gave up halfway into the movement and sighed. "Fuck… It's great that Rose is around… but I don't know what we'd do about something strong enough to destroy a planet."

"I do not know," Alana confided. "Until we know the nature of the threat, no one _can_ know." She glanced at Kath briefly. "I had hoped that Father would be able to use his Vision to try and see it, but… I worry about him using that power at all."

"I- Let's wait for Jet and the other two to return. If they don't find anything, then we can go from there." It took the hawk a moment, but then he realized what she was saying. "Why are you worried about him using the Vision power?"

Alana's gaze shifted back to Sein in an instant. "Making use of such a vast range of sight does not leave one unscathed. Using it too many times will inevitably cause total blindness, rendering the user unable to see anything but what can be seen through use of the power. I do not know the extent of the vision loss he has now, but he has made use of his gift _many_ times in the past. It may not take too much more to fully blind him." _And now our son possesses this same gift._

Sein sighed softly. "Then… what else can we do? I couldn't ask him to risk his sight, but…" _It could mean the difference between these planets living or being destroyed._

"I do not know," Alana admitted again. "But… _waiting_ is not a risk we can afford to take. Something _must_ be done." After a few moments of silence, she turned toward Kath. "Father-"

He unexpectedly cut her off. "I heard."

This shouldn't have been surprising, so it wasn't. Alana let out a breath. "What do you suggest we do?" When he didn't reply, she shifted to see his face and was dismayed to realize that he was using his Vision after all… regardless of the personal risk. "Father…"

Her concern went ignored for now. "...Tell me if Therius still stands in this timeline," Kath suddenly and sharply demanded. His tone was such that one of the medics jumped a little.

"We don't… know," Sein answered slowly. "We haven't been around long enough to have heard anything about it."

It was then that the non-jumpy medic spoke up. "With the exception of a few families, their race is extinct."

Alana's eyebrows raised in shock. " _What_?" The idea of one of the four first races being virtually wiped out was… Why, it was _insane_. Only one other had ever been destroyed totally, and it had taken _millennia_ of violent warfare between them, the Babylonians, and the da Asani for that to occur. How could the Therians, the most _brutal_ of the first four races, be in such a state?

The medic nodded solemnly. "The Guardian fought them. I don't know the details, but it was by his hand that they met their fate. Only a few were spared, those who took a stance of at _least_ neutrality instead of the outright evil that had consumed the Therians for so long."

Sein was quiet for a time as he processed this, but eventually questioned, "Why are you asking?"

Kath's posture was suddenly tense in a way that, to Alana, communicated concern. His next words explained the reason behind the emotion. "Who, _exactly_ , was spared?" he bit out, ignoring Sein's question.

"Mostly no one of note," the medic shrugged, "but there was one family… two sisters and one child, the daughter of the younger sister. The older one… I've heard she's ancient. Older than Mobius, even, older than the catastrophe of Planet Babylon."

That seemed to be the information Kath had been seeking, and he relaxed almost imperceptibly. Alana now suspected she knew what was going on. "You wish to seek out Calypso… don't you?"

"She could be invaluable, considering she was a _huge_ ally ages ago," Sein shrugged. "I could see it being a really good idea. And the chances she's still alive are likely pretty high."

"Unless something somehow has _finally_ managed to overpower her," Alana calmly said, "she _will_ be alive. Therians live vastly longer lives than we can. She will not be old yet, not in her years. Not truly young, either, but young enough to be healthy." Kath said and did nothing to correct her, further indicating that she wasn't wrong.

Sein shrugged again. "Absolutely no reason _not_ to check and see if she can help." Alana was quiet in response, focused on trying to determine what to do. Cere wanted her and Sein here, speaking with Kath. They were also needed on Mobius to ensure its safety. _Someone_ had to travel to the far reaches of space to find Calypso. But there was only so much two people could do. Especially when she didn't feel they could risk expending the energy to create clones. Sein's gaze flicked to Alana, and he caught on to her thoughts. "Well, what if we send Li and Novei? Surely those two could manage to talk to Calypso on our behalf."

Alana shrugged. "You are welcome to ask them yourself," she invited with a small wave of her hand. She then walked over to her father to check on his condition alongside the medics.

The blue hawk nodded and simply teleported Li into the room. The wolf was caught off guard and almost tripped in his surprise. "Li! Need to ask you something!"

Li blinked and shook his head a little, trying to catch up to what was happening. "I mean, sure, but I need to find Novei before she gets into trouble."

The small ruckus drew both Alana and Kath's attention back over to Sein, and then to Li. Alana loosely crossed her arms after a second and commented, "She is precisely why Sein is getting into contact with you. _Although_ ," she tossed a pointed look at the man in question, "my husband could _well_ have done so through a simple _call_."

Sein sheepishly laughed, rubbing at the back of his head and giving Li a look that asked for saving. No salvation came from the wolf, merely a look of confusion. Li turned to Alana, blinking. "Why? Do you need Novei for something?"

"In a manner of speaking," Alana agreed. Then she explained, "More specifically, we are in need of a means of contacting her aunt. However, due to her location and the fact that she is not fond of technology, someone will need to physically seek her out. And not many are permitted at her home."

Li nodded slowly, understanding the issue. "Er, well… I don't know where Novei _is_. I lost track of her within, like, half an hour of showing up on Mobius," the wolf explained, crossing his arms. "I'd ask her to look, but she's wandered off and won't answer my calls."

Kath's eyes shifted, but it occured to Alana suddenly that he wasn't actually seeing anything the room. Meaning he was still using his Vision. But he spoke before she could. "Novei is already on Therius's moon, heading toward Calypso's home."

 _Did she know we would seek her out…?_ Li thought to himself, absolutely dumbfounded by this situation. _She is absolutely beyond me._ "I guess… I'll go accompany her or something," he said, huffing softly.

"Don't forget what I told you," Sein piped in quickly before teleporting the wolf away, not leaving the other man a chance to respond.

Huffing to herself, Alana arched a brow at him. "Truly, Sein?"

Sein shrugged softly, smiling. "I think they'd be cute together is all. Is that so wrong?"

"It is wrong to stick your nose in where it does not belong," Alana answered carefully, still giving him a look. At about this time, Kath blinked his eyes clear, finally refocusing on the sights that were physically around him as opposed to what he had been viewing in space. Noticing this, Alana turned to face him once more. "Father… why do you wish to send word to Calypso? She has made clear in the past that she refuses to be involved in conflicts that are anything less than… _apocalyptic_ , in her mind."

Kath leveled her with a truly grave look, one she had only ever had the misfortune to see once before… the day their world had begun to crumble around them. All he'd said to her then was, _"Run for the ships."_ Now, his warning was equally quick and ambiguous as to the cause of his distress. "This _will_ fit her criteria. She will come."

"Do… you think we _need_ her? Or is this just us gathering what allies we can while we can?" Sein asked, crossing his arms as he tried to settle down after seeing Kath's expression.

The older hawk shifted his gaze to Azerel, seemingly listening to something the wolf was saying, but nevertheless answered Sein at the same time. "Her magic is among the oldest arcane magics remaining in existence. It is formidable, even against the likes of demons and their ilk. Her assistance is _required_ , not simply _wanted_."

His specific mention of demons drew Alana's brows downward into a deep frown. "How many are coming?"

Her father's jaw tightened. "...One."

Sein's body noticeably tensed and he resisted the urge to let his aura flare slightly. The thought of _one_ demon being enough to require more help, and from someone as powerful as Calypso… It frustrated to no end him to think that the situation was that bad and was likely only going to get _worse_. Nonetheless, he kept himself calm and let out a soft sigh. _Guess we have to prepare a lot more than we would have, if it's that serious._

Unexpectedly, it appeared that Kath had more to say on the matter. "Your son…" he began slowly, frowning to himself. He took a moment to think before continuing. "He will need to be back before the demon reaches Mobius. It is unlikely to be stopped otherwise, with or without Calypso's aid." That Kaden would specifically target that planet was not knowledge Alana would normally expect someone to have, but given that Kaden had personally wrought death and destruction on the younger planet as opposed to making an appearance on the much stronger and more heavily fortified New Babylon… well, it certainly did indicate a sort of personal grudge, if nothing else. A vendetta, of sorts.

"He'll be back. Jet, Steam, and at least one other person are on Kaden's world, attempting to rescue Analia," Sein answered.

"That does not ensure they will be back in _time_ ," Alana pointed out quietly.

Sein frowned. "If they realize what's happening, they'll come back. There's no way Steam would ignore something that big, much less _Jet_. They _will_ be back in time." Despite the conviction in his words, there was an obvious front that he had to make to fully believe it himself. He had to hold onto hope that they would be back before the demon reached these worlds.

They all did.

 **~保護者~**

 **8,524 words this time. Hope y'all enjoyed! And since it took me so long to put all these scenes into chapters despite them having been written for a while, I'll be posting a second chapter today. Y'all are spoiled. XD Anyway, many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help and support, and I'll be posting again real soon. Posted (at about _ a.m.) 03-25-20.**


	61. The Storm

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these dark times… especially for the one who has standards.

 **~保護者~**

 **"The Storm"**

 **~保護者~**

Novei knocked loudly and forcefully several times on the door to Calypso's home, blinking only once as she realized Li wouldn't have let her knock _that_ many times. She briefly contemplated what he would say, her head tilting as she set a hand to her chin. _Probably something akin to it being rude._ Her hand transferring to her chin allowed just one of the many native pests on this moon to begin crawling around on her cheek toward her eyes. It was a spider, albeit one of the smallest varieties, but this species was known to bite… savagely. The Therian idly noticed this, slapping the spider with much more force than necessary despite hitting herself in the process. This annoyed her, and she began knocking more rapidly and with more force.

After just a few more knocks, the door swung open and a dark figure greeted her. Ancient eyes narrowed at the sight Novei made, smacking the crap out of herself as she was, then the figure huffed. "You come in," she ordered tersely in a thick accent, "before your eyes be eaten."

"Finally," Novei commented simply, stepping in and flicking off whatever remained of the spider on her face, then her own hand. "I am not a fan of _pests_ crawling on me."

"Then why you be outside, eh?" the other woman retorted. She crossed the dark front room to a table littered with candles and lit just one. "There no need for you to be here."

Novei ignored her and glanced outside. "The hell is he doing here?" she asked herself, walking to the door and opening. She then roughly grabbed her wolf friend and drug him inside as he squeamishly shook. "Damn it, Li. You should have told me you would be here. Those spiders kill people."

"I-i didn't… actually choose to come here…" Li answered, still shivering faintly and trying to make sure no other spiders had crawled on him.

The Therian rolled her eyes and walked back to Calypso. "Something bad is going to happen soon. It has been too quiet, and I wished to have your help. That's all."

Calypso eyed Li, a stranger to her, closely as she said, "I know dis. I see wit' magic what be happenin'. Death be comin' to those worlds. A hunger more ancient than I is desperate to feed. Who be you to stand in it way, eh?"

Novei stood there silently, trying to discern precisely why she even _cared_. It wasn't like her to give a damn about anything. Luckily for the woman, Li managed to calm himself and speak up, albeit shakily. "U-uh, well… I think… Kath, Sein, and Alana wanted to ask for your help too… They seemed adamant-" Li suddenly remembered that Novei used to not fully understand the so-called 'universal language' as well, and quickly corrected himself. "They really wanted you to help. Kind of seemed like they… needed you."

The ancient being before them seemed to drift into thought. Eventually, a vaguely creepy smirk crept onto her face. "Kath ask for help, did he now? That be a rare t'ing. He know my standard, that I am busy." There was a short pause, but she soon continued. "So be it. He ask, so I will come. I keep my promise to do so. You tell him that if he ask." Turning away, she disappeared down a hall and called out in her mother tongue, "Trekk! Dani ata ne'lo! Kekal su'lowei ona'i!"

"Eh? Who the fuck you calling for?" Novei called, crossing her arms and resisting the urge to follow.

No one immediately answered as Calypso moved further down the hall and into a room. Soon muffled voices could be heard coming closer to the pair and Calypso could be heard scolding, "You are like a _child_ , wandering around, don't know what to do! Listen to me when I _tell_ you, boy." The teenager she was apparently speaking to stepped into the front room before her, grumbling as he did so.

Novei blinked once and raised an eyebrow. "Who?" she questioned simply, pointing at the teen.

"Trekk," the other Therian introduced simply. "Guessing you're Novei, in which case, I suppose I'm meant to be polite. So _hi_ , _cousin_." This was said with a falsely chipper attitude that earned him a small smack from his mother.

"Not necessary," Novei huffed, already tempted to walk over and smack him on her own. "I am glad that you're _intelligent_ , at least." Li nudged her with a concerned look, grabbing her attention enough to make her look to him. "Eh?"

Li wasn't sure about how to respond, so he simply said, "Is this _normal_ for you guys?"

"What, arguing and shit?" Trekk crossed his arms, contemplating. "S'pose so. Never heard of anybody doing it differently."

Calypso butted in. "Unimportant," she chided both Li and her son. "Time be slipping by. The World Eater will soon be awake. It be comin' for t'ose worlds soon enough."

The wolf noticeably cowered away, worried that he'd upset her until Novei suddenly picked him up and began walking to Calypso. "Let's go, then." Li's surprise left him incapable of resisting. Calypso repeated her earlier command to her son, warning him to stay home and not to follow, then teleported after her niece with a flash of magical energy.

Left to his own devices, the teenaged Therian simply returned to his room. "Good grief…"

~保護者~

Sonic shook his head with a lofty sigh as he walked out of the hut Shadow and Tails were staying in. Worries clouded his thoughts and intruded upon them, despite his efforts to keep it all at bay. Fingers tugged at an ear sharply enough to earn a wince, then another sigh as he dropped his arm back down to his side. _Gotta stop doing that._ Stepping around the withering husk of a burnt-up tree, he made his way back toward Espio's house. The chameleon was currently there, sitting on part of his roof with his gaze on the sky up above. Sonic decided not to bother him, jumped up onto the porch, and gratefully headed inside out of the smoke and ash. _Glad these barriers are managing to keep all that crap out._

"Oh, hello, Mister Sonic," Cream's voice greeted him. She was sitting beside a blanket on the ground with the baby (Sonic wondered if it had been named yet) laying on it. Vector sat beside her, keeping half an eye on the child just as she was doing, and uttered a gruff hello of his own.

Rose quietly walked up to Sonic and gave a gentle smile. "Sonic. I would like you to meet an old friend of mine," she explained, motioning toward the grey cat standing beside her. "This is Kial."

Emerald eyes blinked at the newcomer several times. "Uh… hey?" he finally said, voice upturning into a sort of question without him meaning for it to,

"Ah, forgive my sudden appearance. I used to live on Mobius and I came to see what happened with the… battle." Kial's expression soured temporarily, but he managed to return to his soft smile. "I met Rose many years ago, and Espio much further back."

That caught Sonic's attention. "You used to know Espio?" he asked, genuinely surprised. I was under the impression that he didn't ever know that many people. _...By choice, even._

The bobcat nodded. "I knew him fairly well, I would say. The depth of my knowledge could be up for debate, as he was always a quiet one. Not one to deeply trust or speak of himself often."

"...That was true when I first met him, too," Sonic admitted. "We first met when we were pretty young, like eleven maybe, but it wasn't until we met again years later that I actually got a chance to sort of get to know him."

"I see. We eventually went our separate ways, and we have not seen each other until today. It was… interesting, to say the least," Kial admitted, idly fixing the leather cloak he wore. "He is so different, yet still so much the same."

"Yeah, he's definitely changed a lot over the years," Sonic agreed, ears shifting downward ever-so-slightly. "He's been through a lot, too, which accounts for much of it. Nothing anyone can really do about it now."

Kial nodded slowly. "I understand." The response was vague, as though there were more he could say but didn't want to reveal.

Suddenly, Sonic's ears perked up and his gaze swung to Rose. "Are _you_ doing that?" he demanded quietly, although not in an angry sort of way. As he spoke, Cream also perked up, for she sensed a change in the energies around them. Vector, not being in tune with that sort of thing, watched the two of them in mild bewilderment.

"No, I am not." Rose, despite there being no danger, set a hand on her sword out of instinct and searched around curiously. "It is not what one could call 'average' Light. It has some of the essential properties needed for life, Sonic."

That caused him to frown. _Ythene mentioned to me once that the revivals I carried out in the past were subconscious… which is why they came as a surprise, and why I never noticed the energy it took for it to happen. Guess I also never felt the change in my Light because of it, either._ With this in mind, he committed this sensation to memory just as Espio appeared within the room, no doubt keen to escape the Light's touch up above his shattered home.

Kial frowned, not entirely catching on to what was occurring just yet. "What do you mean by that, Rose?"

"I came here to help Sonic gather Light to revive some of his allies. It seems that is occurring now," Rose murmured softly. Her hand slowly moved off of her sword and she stood more properly upright, extending her senses to watch for their arrival.

Almost as if on cue, there was a flash. Then a prolonged shout echoed down from the heavens. Then there was a thunderous crash that Espio neatly side-stepped… but which creamed Sonic and smashed him into the floor with a loud, " _Oof_!" As the dust settled, he just lay there for a second in a tiny bit of a daze.

Meanwhile, the weight on his back shifted and complained, " _Ow_ … what the _hell_ …?"

Cream was on her feet immediately with a bright, beaming smile. "Silver!"

Rose was over to the two in an instant, checking over both while also attempting to help Silver and Sonic both stand after the unceremonious landing. "Sonic, are you alright?"

"Yes," was the grumbled response. Then it fully registered who Cream had just greeted and his eyes snapped open. "Wait- _Silver_?" he breathed, spinning around.

The younger hedgehog stood where he was for a moment, also a bit dazed with a hand on his head. "Uh… yeah?" He rubbed his head a little and then finally opened his eyes to look around. He stared in stunned amazement at Cream and Vector briefly before his eyes fell upon Sonic. "...Is this some weird new part of the Master Emerald's world or are we all…?"

"...Alive?" Sonic finished for him. "Yeah. We're alive, kiddo. And more or less in one piece." With that explanation given he pulled his son into a quick hug. "Although, I can't say the same for the roof, thanks to your ungraceful butt." Though Espio appeared to agree with that last statement, he said nothing about it, choosing instead to just cross his arms.

Armaris landed on the porch, wind already circling her body as she glared. "What in the _hell_ just happened?" she growled, her eyes locking on Silver. "And who the fuck are _you_?"

Silver quickly separated himself from Sonic at the sight of the new "scary cat woman" (as he no doubt viewed her) and backed away a few steps. "Uh… I fell through the roof… for some reason?" he replied after a second. Then he thought to add, "I'm Silver. His kid." He waved a hand in Sonic's direction.

Her glare didn't fade in the slightest, but the wind did as she stood up. Armaris' gaze then shifted to the roof and she huffed in agitation before resolving herself to hide in her own shadow. "Don't use that much Light around me. Fucking stings," she hissed, moving off to a corner.

"That wasn't intentional," Sonic told her with a little huff. "It just happened that way. Oh, and speaking of that, Rose, that _was_ a lot of Light. Way more than what's needed to revive just one person, right?"

The white cat nodded softly. "That was far more than necessary."

Sonic frowned. "So, what's gonna happen to it? Is it just gonna dissipate, or…?"

"Dissipation is… unlikely. I will keep a watch, however," Rose murmured, closing her eyes temporarily.

It was at that point that Silver had the presence of mind to ask, "Wait, so… why was I revived? Why were _any_ of us revived? What's going on?"

"We'll get to that," Sonic assured, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Just be patient. We're kinda waiting to see what's going on with this whole Light thing, plus we'll have more details on our situation once Jet and Steam get back."

Silver's ears perked up. "Uncle Jet's here? That's awesome!" His grin soon faded as he looked around, however. "...I sense Uncle Shadow, too, but his mind feels like a real mess right now. Plus this place is _trashed_. What _happened_?"

"An attack," Vector informed him. "Couple of 'em, actually. They, uh… really did a number on us. And, y'know, the whole area."

Kial nodded softly. "Much has happened as of late, that much I am becoming starkly aware of."

"Right, sorry, who are you?" Silver asked, suddenly switching topics again. "Think I missed that part."

"You missed nothing. I was not introduced to you, my hedgehog friend. My name is Kial. It is nice to meet you," he explained easily.

"You probably heard, but I'm Silver," he introduced in turn. "Nice to meet you, too." With that, he spun around in dramatic fashion and pointed a finger at the blanket on the floor. "Now somebody _please_ explain the baby ninja on the floor."

Espio quirked an eyebrow but seemed (for the moment) surprisingly mellow about the whole "having a son" thing. At least for the moment, anyway. Maybe, just maybe, all that Light washing over him outside had helped calm his Darkness some more. One could only hope. Still, Sonic watched him closely for any signs of upset. "He is not a ninja yet, Silver. We do not train our children _quite_ this young."

The hint of dry humor in his tone caused Silver's usual grin to return. "If you say so. But, in all seriousness… is he yours?" A slow nod was the only answer he got. Kial smiled softly at this, glad to see (not literally, though) that his old friend seemed to feel better than he had a short while ago.

Before Silver could ask any further questions (and perhaps incite some anger in doing so), Sonic cut in again. "How're you feeling, kiddo?"

His son gave that some thought. "Kinda tired, actually. Like, not totally at my full strength or whatever. Is that normal?"

"Sorta, yeah," Sonic sighed. "Happened to me, too. Didn't seem to happen to Cream, though… so might only happen sometimes. I'm not really sure."

Rose gave a soft smile. "Taking time to rest should certainly help counter that feeling. If you have any concerns, feel free to speak with me and I will help in whatever way I can."

Silver again seemed to carefully contemplate what he'd been told. Then he suddenly broke out into a wide, happy smile. "You know, you remind me a lot of my gramma. She's real caring and nice like you are. Always did her best to take care of others, too, even when she'd only just met them. So, yeah, a lot like you."

Bittersweet though this reminder was, Sonic managed a fleeting smile of his own. _Hopefully she'll be back with us soon…_

The cat blinked a few times before her smile widened slightly. "It is something I strive to do, to the best of my ability," Rose mentioned thankfully.

"That's great," Silver replied in kind. There was a brief silence, then Silver returned his attention to his dad. "...Why're Tails and Uncle Shadow in some other building?"

Realizing that Silver must have sensed them, Sonic answered, "Shadow's not exactly… feeling well. He's resting where it's quieter, and Tails is keeping an eye on him. Hopefully he'll be back on his feet soon, even if he's not entirely better by then." _There's no way he could be better again so quickly… but it'll be good once he's at least up and around._

Silver nodded slowly, then asked a new question. "What about Uncle Jet? I mean, why's he not physically here? You said he's still around, right?"

That earned another brief smile from Sonic. "Oh, yeah, _definitely_. But not _here_ here, like you mentioned. He's off dealing with… some things, but he'll be back in a while. Or, at least, he should be."

"I would be ready to believe that he will be back before long. If I am correct, Steam seemed to be in a rush," Rose commented softly. "They will likely be back as quickly as they can manage."

"Okay," Silver said. "Well, that's good to know." He looked around for a second, selected a spot on the floor, and took a seat. "Now, seriously… will you guys _please_ explain what's been going on?"

 **~保護者~**

As expected, Locke was still waiting for Jet and Steam when they arrived by his side, floating in the blackness of space some distance from Kaden's chosen homeworld. Despite the many miles separating them from that planet and any of the others contained within this realm, heat still radiated so intensely that Jet immediately found himself gritting his teeth in dismay. He hated heat, hated fire, hated everything _about_ this. But now was not the time for old fears to take hold of him, so he forced himself not to pay them any mind. "He has left?" he inquired quietly.

Locke nodded once. "Yeah. Took a hell of a lot of demons with him, too. More than I've seen head out all at once in a _long_ time. He's not gambling with luck this time around. He's dead-set on putting Nareish down, and not letting her do the same to him."

"Which means it's gonna be our best chance to do this, likely. He's gonna be busy as hell with that fight once it starts," Steam answered.

"I agree," Locke said. "With that in mind, I'm ready to go whenever you two are." He looked at Jet, reading his tension but not commenting on it. "You're in charge here. We'll follow you wherever you go. If you need us to do anything, just tell us." Jet didn't speak, just answered with a short nod of his own and teleported straight to the planet where they all now suspected Analia was being held. There was no sense in wasting time. Locke followed after tossing a glance at Steam. The hedgehog gave a nod and followed suit.

Once on the surface of the planet, Jet turned his gaze squarely on Steam. "Where was it that you sensed her energy?"

Steam pointed in the direction he was sure he'd sensed it. "That way."

Pure blue eyes drifted in that direction with a sense of dread… dread that he did his best to keep under wraps. Resisting the urge to grit his teeth, Jet muttered a new question. "How _far_ in that direction?"

"It's a good ways away from here," Steam answered, frowning. "It'll take a bit of travelling to get to the area."

That sense of dread only deepened. This time, Locke seemed to catch on to it. "What's wrong with that direction, dare I ask?"

Jet took a second to curse himself for being so easily read, then relented and answered, "I have been there once before. There is a storm of Darkness and Hellfire so vast and powerful that I cannot venture far into it. That place is the one Wave and I _guessed_ Analia may have been all this time, but neither of us can survive any attempt to properly search."

"Using Light to get through it would just create more problems, I assume," Steam replied, already beginning to walk carefully in that direction. "Have you and Wave thought up any potential ideas?"

"None that have any hope of succeeding," Jet remarked somewhat bitterly. Out of habit, he took to the air to travel, having _long_ preferred flying to walking when the option was available. Still, he stayed low enough to the ground to be easily heard by Steam and Locke without having to raise his voice.

Locke crossed his arms and trailed after the pair of them. "Think there'll be any demons around? Even they wouldn't survive being too close to something like that, but regardless."

"There are seldom any demons near it at all," Jet told him. "Kaden is confident enough in the energies that rage there that he has not felt the need to station forces there to guard it." _And that confidence is far from misplaced._

"Think any form of magic could hold some sort of ground in that?" Steam dared to ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Unlikely," was the clipped response. "Especially if his own magic is present in that storm in any capacity."

"I wager you've never stuck around long enough to check?" When Jet didn't answer, Locke nodded. "Thought so. ...How close _can_ we get, anyway?"

"I'll take you as far as you will be able to go," Jet muttered. "I can proceed further, but not too much so."

Steam wracked his mind for ideas. _Light is a bad idea… my magic probably won't stand up long, and I've got no resistance to Hellfire. Fuck._

Wasting further time was never a great idea, so Jet opted to speed things up. Escaping from this realm unnoticed was ideal, anyhow, and the best way to do that was to be quick. With this in mind, he plucked his two companions from the ground using his aura and flew them the rest of the way to their destination. He dropped them onto the molten stone below, at the very fringes of the wave of heat the vast columns of Hellfire were letting loose. Darkness raged amidst it all, writhing and swirling with such malice that Jet found himself gripping at his arms again in an anxious motion. Still, he managed to keep his voice level when he spoke. "Step no closer, or you will begin to melt." He said this with a pointed glance at Locke, as if daring the Sun God to disagree. Then he added more quietly, "If the Darkness does not rip you apart first."

"Fucking hell…" Steam watched this hellish storm and grimaced. "Even trying to touch that would tear through whatever Light I can pull."

"You, in particular, would be destroyed from the inside out," Jet said firmly. "It would use whatever Light you possess currently to tear you asunder. Do _not_ try to call your energy forth."

 _Thanks,_ Steam thought to himself as he quickly burned through several ideas mentally. He couldn't think of anything in particular that would work to get through this, considering several of the allies he once had in his own timeline weren't present in _this_ one.

Out of the blue, Locke pointed dead ahead. "Something's moving," he warned in grave undertone. "It's definitely not the fire."

The green hedgehog turned his attention that way and raised his stance immediately. "You said Kaden doesn't have demons guard this area, right?" Steam asked Jet. Jet confirmed this with a mere shake of his head, eyes locked on the blurry shape in the distance. " _Are_ those demons? And how are they _surviving_ this?"

Jet's voice was scarcely a thoughtful murmur when he replied, "Those are not demons." Locke looked at him with a frown, then shifted his attention back to the shape in readily apparent concern.

Steam took a step back, unsure of what exactly to do. Nothing _should_ be surviving this but Kaden himself, so what were these things? He couldn't figure it out, and he was damn sure that he'd never seen this in his timeline. "What do we do?"

"There's nothing we _can_ do until whoever or _what_ ever they are comes out here," Locke said tersely. "We go in there, we die. Jet's made that pretty damn clear." As he spoke, the shape came closer, close enough by this time for them to gauge the size of the person or people heading toward them. They were the same size as… _any_ normal person, really. Which was strange.

"I don't like just standing here and waiting…" Steam muttered softly, biting his lip.

Jet's fingers dug harder into his arms. _They aren't giving off any energy… as though they have none to sense to begin with._ He frowned slowly to himself. _That should be impossible._

Eventually, someone emerged from the storm. A pale purple Da Asani stood before them, glancing over the group quietly. Jet recognized the species immediately, based on sight alone. The da Asani, like the Hexans, were very bird-like in _appearance_ and yet still different enough to be noticeable. And they (again, like Hexans) most certainly were _not_ birds. The differences were there, and even an untrained eye could tell. He just happened to have been so closely allied with the da Asani for so long that he spied those differences quicker than some others. But while he knew the species, nothing he knew about it could ever explain how an individual of said species was here. How had they survived what they had just come out of? _He should be dead._

"Do not attack," they murmured toward Steam, blinking once. "Not understanding is no excuse for violence." The hedgehog was visibly shocked by this and reluctantly stood more naturally, not ready to strike at a moment's notice anymore.

It was Locke who first decided to reply. "Mind explaining how in the _hell_ you're not disintegrated?" he inquired rather casually. But before he could fully finish voicing his question, he noticed a second person emerging. This one was a reddish-purple Babylonian (a rare coloration indeed, seen only in a few specific species, such as sparrows - which this person was). His eyebrows shot up at the sight of this person beginning to step into view and he, for once, spoke without thinking. "Another one?"

The person, a woman, fully emerged from the shroud of smoke and Darkness, surrounded in some sort of protective sphere. It faded away as she said, "Silence, please." A glance down. All eyes shifted to the limp form in her arms. There was no mistaking who it was. "She requires aid."

Jet dropped down by Locke's side in an instant and approached with no hesitation. Forgoing his usual suspicious nature, he walked right over to the pair and gently took Analia from the mysterious woman. He then quickly moved back and away from the energy storm, which only seemed to rage more violently the further away he took its former captive. "...We need to leave. Now."

Steam nodded, and with a glance back at the two walking miracles (as he saw it), teleported away immediately. Because every fraction of a second counted (Kaden had been alerted, after all, and this would never warrant _anything_ but an immediate response from him), Jet followed suit with both Locke and Analia in tow.

Left alone once more, the Babylonian woman glanced at her male companion. "Staying here is ill-advised. We cannot disrupt too much this soon. The consequences could wreak incredible devastation."

"There is much we have missed. I wish it were possible to stay longer merely for that fact," the da Asani man responded. "But you are correct."

She allowed her gaze to slowly drift back to where Jet had been seconds before. "We will return soon. He is still in need of our aid. But just now… it would be unwise to get further involved, lest we draw too much attention."

"They have a healer, yes?" he asked.

"One. And another will be joining them soon. Chaos has enveloped her and restored her life-force."

"Let us leave, then." The man disappeared from sight, followed by his Babylonian companion… just in time to escape being seen as a large demon arrived.

The demons surveyed the area, scowled, and raised a communication device to its face. "Relay this message _directly_ to our God. Someone has been here." Crimson eyes scanned the energy tempest before him. Clawed hands tightened in quiet rage. "She is gone."

 _Someone has stolen her._

 **~保護者~**

 **4,969 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:30 p.m.) 03-25-20.**


	62. Motivations

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of tension and uncertainty… especially for the one possessive one.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Motivations"**

 **~保護者~**

Armaris sat atop Espio's home, lazing about in her shadow (or so it would seem). Truthfully, she was mulling over and trying to sort out her feelings about all of the recent events. The killing of her mother, something she was honestly glad about, still bothered her greatly for some reason. Then there was the matter of Espio nearly killing her… The cat didn't want to think about that. It wasn't an Espio thing to _do_. Yet still… knowing that he was _capable_ of such a thing shook the cat to her core.

The chameleon in question suddenly appeared on a separate section of the roof, eyes scanning the battered remains of the village down below. Everything about his demeanor was tense and agitated, to the point where he almost didn't seem to notice her. _Where the hell…_

The black cat debated on whether or not to emerge from her shadow momentarily before deciding that it didn't matter. She moved over to Espio and watched him before saying, "You looking for something?"

He seemed unwilling to divulge any information at first, but after a second's pause he muttered, "She is here."

Almost immediately after fully realizing that it was _very_ likely that Armaris knew who he was speaking of, she emerged from her shadow with her blade in hand. _I swear… I'll fucking kill her._

Espio said nothing more to her, choosing instead to focus on scanning the surrounding area. After a long moment, he dropped nimbly off of the roof and onto the ground some distance below. Almost the second he did so, he was forced to dodge a knife that was thrown at him in a decidedly half-assed attempt at causing harm. Thoroughly unimpressed, he ripped the knife free and hurled it back with considerably more force. "Enough of your games," he called irritably. "Come out or _leave_."

Armaris dropped down after him, her hand tightening the hold on her blade angrily. She already wasn't in a good mood and knowing that someone was attacking Espio sure as _hell_ wasn't going to help with it. "The hell are you doing here?" she called out.

A sharp stab to Armaris's side answered that question. The knife was plunged in with enough force to make _most_ people stagger, though Armaris was not one of those people in this moment. Espio whipped around to face the cat's attacker, striking away a second knife as he did so. The expression he was met with was a self-satisfied smirk. "You are _no_ fun," Nyokae accused lightly. "Not today, at any rate."

"The hell are _you_ doing here?" Armaris repeated, a noticeable hiss to her voice as she pulled the knife from her side with little hesitation, flicking it at Nyokae. "Piece of shit."

"Hm, I suppose you could say this is a little welfare check," Nyokae commented in an almost thoughtful manner. Then to Espio she said, "A little birdie happened to inform me that you were, ah… _tainted_ by the Demonic God himself. I merely wanted to make certain that that energy had not taken hold and turned you into one of them." Her smirk grew a small amount. "I am glad to see that it did not."

Whatever concern she may or may not have actually felt was irrelevant, and Espio was too angry to contemplate it just this second anyhow. "Why are you here?" he demanded. There had to be some other reason than what she was saying. There always was.

The fact that Nyokae knew this much only served to further Armaris' anger, her Darkness flaring enough to start emitting a dark fog around her body. "Explain yourself and stop deflecting."

"I have no obligation to explain myself to you, kitten," Nyokae answered oh-so-sweetly. She dramatically waved her hand in front of her face and added, "And, do cease emitting your tainted energies around me. Demons are quite harsh on the senses."

Before things could escalate further, Espio stepped between them, eyes still firmly locked on Nyokae. "Enough," he told her again, tone more firm this time. "Explain yourself or I will _make_ you leave."

"Will you now?" Nyokae laughed. "I do wonder." His eyes narrowed in a glare, earning a second laugh. "Alright, love. I suppose you win, for now." Her so easily giving in immediately increased his suspicion of her motives, but he said nothing yet. Espio stepping in seemed to curb Armaris' aggression, but certainly not her anger. Almost as if in an act of defiance, her Darkness produced far more of the fog than it was earlier as she stood and attempted to keep control of herself. This appeared to be an amusing reaction to Nyokae, but she remained focused on Espio. "You have a terrible habit of not dying when you are supposed to, you know," she murmured, tilting her head. "By all accounts, you _should_ have been killed… but it seemed that our dear friend Kaden expected _quite_ the opposite. What does he know that I do not, hm?"

Espio frowned at her as she very casually put her arms on his shoulders. "Nothing." Personally, he considered it nothing more than luck that he'd come out of that fucking mess in one piece. Yes, it was possible that his newfound regeneration was the cause, but he knew so little about its capabilities right now that he hesitated to make such an assumption. Whether or not she believed him, he didn't know. Regardless, she let the matter drop for the moment.

More fog drifted into their faces, and Nyokae smiled anew. "Poor little thing… still waiting on her happy ending… Was killing your mother not enough to sate your blood lust? You still desire to take my life as well?" Her gaze drifted to Armaris. "No matter. I do not care for your little emotions, kitten. I have no time for your petty grievances with me. You would do well to calm yourself."

"I will _fucking_ kill you," Armaris growled, claws emerging from her paws. "Watch and wait. I'll make _sure_ you die."

"Understand this," Nyokae returned, smirk suddenly dropping to reveal an expression that fully conveyed the malevolence Espio had always sworn she possessed under her facade. "Stand in my way again, and I will _slaughter_ you."

" _Stop_ , both of you!" Espio cut in, temper flaring.

If only because it was Espio, Armaris listened this once. She flashed a faint smirk at Nyokae, having gotten exactly what she wanted out of the other woman. _Try me. I'll teach everyone what happens when you underestimate me._

"So this is all you have to offer… You talk big, but then you hide behind others… is that it?" Nyokae smirked faintly. "Or is it that you are too frightened to do anything yourself?"

Espio unexpectedly moved then, taking hold of her arms and forcing them off of his shoulders. "I said enough," he reminded in a deadly quiet tone. "I meant it."

Armaris stayed where she was, the fog now seeming to slow as her anger ebbed. This little victory had lifted her spirits, and she smirked a bit wider. "One day, we'll see. Today isn't that day."

A casual shrug was Nyokae's response to that, and she just as casually put her arms back where they'd been. Though Espio scowled at her, he didn't make any attempt to stop her from doing so. "On another note… I suppose there is another reason why I've come."

"Say it, then," Espio bit out.

She smiled. "I did some digging recently," she revealed, "and I discovered something rather interesting. However, before I reveal that, I do have a question for you. Are you familiar with Zyr?"

"The Garden of Darkness," Armaris muttered, already concerned as to where this may be going. "Where many beings of Darkness emerged when they were born."

Nyokae tossed her a look that was a bit less than happy, but the expression smoothed itself over in a heartbeat. "Indeed." She looked back at Espio. "Our own race was born within the Garden. However, long before the birth of this little world, a rogue band of light-users entered the garden, intent on wiping us out. Some of us escaped, but most did not. Fortunately, your family was among the few capable of surviving long enough to flee. After that, no children were born in or around our homeland for generations." She canted her head, genuinely thoughtful this time. "But then _you_ were born."

"And you're getting at…?" Armaris prodded, as if she was in a hurry. Her expression almost seemed bored, and she didn't care to hide the fact that it was a front. She felt amused for having seen Nyokae even slightly irritated.

This went ignored. Nyokae stayed focused on Espio, speaking to him as though he was the only other person there with her. "Your proximity to the Garden at the time of your birth has everything to do with the depths of power your Darkness is already exhibiting," she told him. "You were born within it, love… You were _molded_ by it from the moment of your birth. It slept within you four eons, awaiting its release. You possess the power now to harness it." She leaned forward quicker than he could dodge when so focused on his thoughts and pecked him on the lips. "I hope you will one day prove that fact to me… and allow me to see your true nature unfold."

Seemingly unable to muster the same anger he had been displaying before, Espio merely ducked out of the loop of her arms took a step back. He understood what she was suggesting to him, what she was once again offering, and heedless of their silent audience he directly said to her, "I will _not_ join you."

Surprisingly, Nyokae didn't seem upset by his refusal. Instead, she seemed pleased still, somehow. "You do not need to," she revealed quietly. "So long as you are no longer _against_ me… that is all I have ever wanted from you."

"Don't try to sway his actions. He has free will for a reason," Armaris stated plainly, crossing her arms.

"Indeed he does. And which path will he choose, hm? I _do_ wonder." When he narrowed his eyes at her, she laughed softly. The sound wasn't joyous or playful or even malicious in any way, as her laughs so often were. This time the sound came across as just… _satisfied_. "Or perhaps you have already begun to choose? But I suppose I must wait to find out."

Espio conjured up some of his usual demeanor again and demanded, "You should leave."

"Not yet," Nyokae answered pleasantly, still smiling the same smile. "I have one more thing to say. Something I believe the kitty will want to hear as well."

"Then say it and get lost," Armaris said, narrowing her eyes.

"I suggest you calm yourself," Nyokae warned silkily. Espio's eyes narrowed again at the subtle hint of a threat in her tone. "You may have power, but you are too slow to fight me."

"I'd make do," Armaris suggested easily. "Speak."

Still appearing rather pleased with herself for one reason or another, Nyokae for _once_ did as she was told. "Reality is just made up of pain, suffering, and emptiness. I rather enjoy adding to it all… but though he does the same, Kaden is a rather nasty thorn in my leader's side. So in order to undermine him just a bit, I feel I should give you a warning." Her head tilted to the side again, smile growing. "Besides, anything pertaining to you, love, is also _my_ business."

Espio resisted the urge to curse at her for testing his (admittedly weak, as of late) patience and instead simply demanded, "Explain."

"My lady believes that the God of Demons would very much like you on his side as well," Nyokae revealed. "Given his reputation for keeping no company but his own, I believe you should feel honored… but nevertheless, I would _hate_ to see you be tempted into working with his kind." She laughed a little. "Best if you mind yourself around him and his kind. Demons are rather repugnant creatures, after all."

There was a hint of anger that flickered to life in Armaris' eyes, but she didn't act on it. "Watch yourself, or his _kind_ might just be your undoing."

"So hopeful…" Nyokae turned to Armaris. "Where do you lot _go_ when you run out of hope, hm? Do you simply crawl back into whatever little holes you emerged from?"

"I need not hope," Armaris uttered coldly, her time with Cere showing in her words. "I work for what can be achieved, and I don't need to cling to such a feeble feeling."

Nyokae tutted softly at her, but spoke to Espio. "A pity you did not kill her when you had the chance. Hesitation is so unbecoming of you, love. And for you to hesitate over the matter of merely ending a life…" She shook her head. "Killing is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it… is that not right? I believe you of all people would know this. After all…" She turned her head to look at him again. "I believe you have been taking lives far longer than even I have."

Bothered to no end for some inexplicable reason by her words and determined to ignore the ring of truth contained within them, Espio responded with a simple muttered, "Shut _up_."

"You've said your piece. You should leave," Armaris said, narrowing her eyes into a glare.

"I believe I have one last _piece_ to say to you, actually." Nyokae turned back around to face Armaris, her smile once again vanishing. "In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars, and hatred is born to protect love. It is a never ending cycle… and you and your friends are _fools_ for thinking that you can change that."

Armaris managed a small smile, holding off the urge to chuckle. "You have such a one-sided view of the matter. There are things much higher than ourselves, and your lot wishes to contend with such a thing. Before you accuse one of being a fool, assess yourself to assure that you are not the one being fooled."

"You think they are the ultimate power, yes…?" Nyokae questioned silkily. "And yet, what is one ultimate power to do when forced to contend with _itself_? If one True Immortal turns against another… who is to say that _any_ will survive?"

"You still wish to contend with something that is far beyond your capability. What I said still stands. Assess yourself, and whomever you work with."

"Oh, _I_ will not be the one toying with such forces. No… your friend will be doing that _entirely_ on his own." Nyokae smiled anew. "We are merely paving the way for him… nothing more."

Espio was suddenly reminded of a past conversation they had had where she had given him a very similar warning. But he knew that, like back then, she would not reveal the identity of this apparent threat to them. Granted there were only three potential people it _could_ be, but even so… Well, two, given that she revealed the person was male. But that still wasn't enough. They needed more information. Information he knew better than to waste time trying to drag out of her. "It is time for you to leave," he told her instead.

This time, she didn't disagree. "Perhaps. But do think on what I said, will you? I believe my words earlier were rather… _important_."

More irritation bubbled forth, and he gritted his teeth. "I will not change for _you_."

"No?" Nyokae turned and mercifully began walking away. "Then perhaps do so for _yourself_ , hm? What is it that _you_ truly want? I suppose you will have to make that choice for yourself… and sooner than you may like." Before he could respond, she vanished.

Armaris growled faintly, her Darkness once again emitting a dark fog around her body as agitation flooded back out. "She's dangerous, Espio."

"No shit," he muttered, his usually formal manner of speaking falling by the wayside in light of his sudden anger. "I know that."

The cat's own anger seemed to stem when confronted with Espio's, her eyes turning away from the chameleon. "I can't tell you what to do, but please don't do anything to side with her."

"I already said I won't," Espio retorted a touch harshly.

"I trust that, but I felt like I needed to say it. What she's saying they want to do is something that threatens all of existence as we know it."

The words were out before he could give them any thought, a testament to the way his emotions were taking hold of him just now. Being around Nyokae _always_ riled him up, and he _hated_ that just about as much as he hated her. "I don't _care_."

Armaris couldn't bring herself to believe what he'd said, instead turning to the house and sighing. "Can we talk for a bit, Espio?"

In an effort to stifle the urge to turn on his heel and walk away (or, worse, stab something with whatever blade he happened to grab first), Espio crossed his arms relented - for the moment. "...Fine."

Armaris teleported back on top of the house, Espio following suit seconds later. She turned to him and frowned softly. "Back when you almost attacked me, why did you hesitate so much?"

Some of the rougher edges of his anger actually simmered away and he took a seat. It was a long moment before he moodily admitted, "I don't know."

"I appreciated it, nonetheless. It made me feel like you still cared about me, even when something was directly influencing you," she murmured softly, laying down on her stomach. "I just don't want to be separated from you again, really."

Something in Espio's gaze became distant, as though some memory had taken hold of him. "...War always separates people, Armaris," he told her quietly. "There is no avoiding that."

"I can't handle more separation. I've lost so many people," Armaris sighed. "People I thought I was close to, people that I actually _was_ close to, and so many more."

"That is the nature of war," he reminded her, voice still soft for the moment as he continued to relive something in his mind. "It cannot be changed."

"Do you worry about anything, Espio?" she suddenly asked, turning over to face him.

In short, the answer was a resounding _no_. So he told her such. "I don't."

"Shinobi thing, or mostly just by nature?" Armaris questioned further. He answered with a vague shrug. "Fair enough. Sometimes I wonder if I can even still become a shinobi, or if I've just… been away for so long that I'll never manage it."

"That is not something that can be decided for you," Espio suddenly told her. "It is _solely_ a matter of your own discipline. If you do not believe that you are capable, then you are not. It is your choice."

Armaris shrugged. "I'll handle that when there's actually time to even think about devoting to it." She turned back over, laying on her stomach once more. "So… what about you? Anything in particular on your mind?" He didn't answer that, pursing his lips together subtly and in silence. "...Have you decided how you feel about Sako?"

Unlike earlier with Kial, Espio suddenly didn't feel comfortable admitting the truth. That is, that he still wanted _nothing_ to do with this baby, and struggled to feel _anything_ more than anger and the occasional bought of instinctual protectiveness toward him. No, those things were better left unsaid now. It was bad enough that he had said anything once already. _I will not make that mistake again._

"Well… I can't really say how you'd feel. Or should." There was a brief silence before she started again. "So… how long have you known Kial, again?" she asked.

His posture remained tense, but he answered her without hesitation this time. "Since childhood."

"After you left home, I assume?"

"Yes."

Armaris nodded slowly, already understanding that what she was doing would likely be rather predictable. "So, why do you let Nyokae be around you like that if all she's gonna do is bother and upset you?"

If only it were so simple. But regarding her, nothing ever was. "Simple" had never been an apt description of her in any capacity. That, however, was irrelevant. What was relevant was her question, and how much he did _not_ want to answer it. If only he could trust that she wouldn't just pester him about it another time… "...It should be obvious," he eventually muttered quite unhappily. "Everyone _else_ seems to have figured it out."

"I just wanted to hear it from you. Your words mean more than assumptions," she explained. "What do you feel around her?"

How was he supposed to answer that when he barely understood any of it to begin with? _God_ he wished she'd just drop this… "I don't… know," he eventually admitted. Everything around her was such a complicated _mess_. Trying to put any of it into words just seemed like a fool's errand. Not to mention a waste of time.

Armaris seemed to respect this, simply nodding. "Things get really complicated when you like someone, much less love them. In your situation, I can certainly see it being something… awful to comprehend. How do you feel about so many people being in and around your house?"

That was a question he didn't hesitate to answer. With them having grown up together, he didn't doubt that she knew what his response would be, anyway. "I don't like it."

She shrugged. "Neither do I. You've seen how irritable I am, surely." He acknowledged that with the barest of nods. "I especially don't like Rose being around, no matter how nice she is. Beings of Light _bother_ me." Espio had recently begun to discover his own distaste for the energy and those who utilized it, but that was honestly something he didn't care to comment on just now. So he didn't. "Anyway… how do you feel? Physically, emotionally, whatever you're comfortable telling me."

Physically he was fine, there was no denying that. Given that he actually had the use of _both_ his arms (at least _one_ good thing had come out of this), he was probably even better than fine. But emotionally? That was a whole other set of problems that he was learning he was _not_ equipped to handle. Really, he supposed he never had been. This entire situation was highlighting that in quite exquisite detail, much to his never-ending chagrin. Admitting to any of that just didn't sound ideal to him. "...Fine."

"Are you sure?" He hesitated again and didn't answer, then cursed himself internally for doing so. Nyokae had been right, after all. It _was_ unbecoming of a shinobi, much less one of _their_ stature. But Armaris didn't seem to mind. "I won't pry, then. If you ever want to talk about anything, let me know. I'll do my best to listen." Knowing she wasn't likely to get much of a response, the cat sunk down into her shadow to relax. "I'll leave you alone now." That came as a huge relief and, _desperately_ needing some space, Espio took full advantage of the conversation's end by jumping into one of the few remaining higher branches up above. Perhaps he could finally have a chance to sort through his own thoughts in fucking _peace_.

 **~保護者~**

Sein stood with his head outside the nearest window, idly staring up at the sky. His gaze wandered throughout what was visible through the ash. Some part of him wished it was nighttime, if only so he could stargaze for a time. It wasn't likely that he would have the chance to do it again anytime soon, though he wanted to. This was a different _part_ of their known universe, after all. New galaxies could be visible, new constellations, new stars... He felt a faint burst of excitement within himself at the thought, only to contain it so he wouldn't be lost within all of the possibilities.

In the quiet of the moment, Alana approached and laid a hand on his arm. "The medics have left," she murmured. "Father is injured, but not so much so that they felt the need to keep a watch on him."

"I figured as much… Otherwise they would have mentioned something." He didn't pull his head back in just yet, his attention lingering on the sky. "It's good to hear, though."

Alana nodded faintly, then said, "The situation with the demon and Calypso… seems to have been enough of a distraction to calm him down." She turned to face her husband more fully. "Regardless, should we wait to question him about his interaction with Cere?"

Sein nodded. "I don't think now is a good time. I hate to say it, since it's kind of just leaving a problem lingering for something else to dreg up, but…" The hawk sighed. "I… think we've got too much else to focus on."

She sighed, but didn't disagree. "I only wish that Cere had told us herself what was going on."

"It was probably… rough on her. She's changed a lot over the years since we met her, that much is certain. Her aura has so much… pain." Sein pulled himself inside and leaned against the wall. "She's beating on herself so much while trying to do everything she's doing already."

With another, softer sigh, Alana turned around and leaned back as well. "I understand that. But I do not agree with keeping others in the dark. It is dangerous."

"I don't agree with it either, but maybe it's for the best, for now? It could've had some serious emotional recoil either way, so…" Sein closed his eyes and sighed. "Not that it makes anything better to think about that."

Alana was quiet for a time before speaking again. "We should return to Mobius soon." Her eyes drifted across the room and some concern filled them. "But I do not like the idea of leaving Father here alone. Not when he is… not coping well."

"I could make a clone to do that, but…" Sein tapped on the wall behind him a few times. "It might be too much energy at the moment."

"If the demon Father saw is as strong as we fear, you will need _all_ of your strength, just the same as everyone else," Alana answered. "Creating a clone costs too much as it is, much less maintaining one."

He nodded. "I wish it wasn't."

She looked at him again. "What do we do, Sein? He will likely object to coming with us right now."

"We can still _try_ to ask. If nothing else, the chance to be around Jet could help, from what I've seen. Though… there's a lot of unfamiliar people there and it may make things worse regardless."

That made Alana perk up. "After Astra attacked us all here, Jet had asked Kath to return to visit with him more at a later time. There was no explicit promise made, but coming from Father… his mere agreement may as well be the same thing. And the two have not really seen each other since then."

Sein managed a faint smile. "That… might just be our best bet to help _everyone_ , then. Should we try for it?"

"Based on our son's reaction to him, it seems as though he was once very close with the version of Father that lived in this reality," Alana murmured. "Perhaps it would benefit them both to have some time together again."

"Should we do it, then? It might be the only chance we have to get him to come with us."

"I will speak with him, then. Unless you wish to help." Without waiting for an answer, Alana walked over to Kath, who was still sitting on one of the couches with Azerel. He was idly petting the wolf still and appeared fairly lost in thought, but he snapped out of them so abruptly that it almost startled Alana. He turned toward the door to the room, then got up to walk over to it. The door swung open before he could take more than a couple of steps. A tendril of very dark purple and black magic slipped away into nothingness, fed to the unnatural blackness that filled the hall beyond. Kath appeared to recognize this strange and foreign energy and was not alarmed, keeping Alana calm long enough to determine that she, too, knew it. She had not sensed this since childhood, but nevertheless a name popped into her mind. _Calypso._

Sein didn't do much, surprisingly, instead choosing to watch from where he was standing at the moment. He too was able to acknowledge who this was pretty quickly, and managed a smile. _This should help him a bit as well._

The blackness rapidly faded after a few seconds, leaving the woman herself standing in front of the open door with Li and Novei behind her. Having successfully transported the pair of them with her through the depths of space, she left them to their own devices and strode into the room. Her eyes immediately fell upon Kath and she broke out into a smile. It wasn't creepy, wasn't scheming, nothing at all like that. This smile was genuine and even somewhat warm. "It true, den, eh? You are back to life now. 'Tis good to see you, you old fool."

He crossed his arms and huffed. "'Old'? Hardly."

She laughed a bit at him, then went so far as to give him a quick hug. This left him speechless long enough for her to turn her attention to Sein and Alana. "You two grow a lot. You were dis small last I see you, no?" she asked, gesturing with a hand.

Sein flashed a smirk at Calypso. "Maybe so. What about it?"

Calypso shook her head… perhaps even with a note of fondness. "You two were so young. It seem like not so many years ago. But perhaps for you it be different."

Alana managed a smile. "It is," she agreed. "We can't _all_ live for a quarter of an eternity." Her mild attempt at humor earned a second laugh. She turned her gaze on Li and Novei. "You two can come in, you know."

Novei walked in with Li carried on her shoulder, the man looking somewhat defeated and simply allowing her to carry him. "You're all welcome. Her moon is a pain in the ass."

"Only when you stay out wit' da spiders," Calypso dismissed with a wave of her hand. "They eat you, it your fault. You know better. You been there enough time with my sister."

"Shut the fuck up. You choose to live with those things," Novei huffed, dropping Li unceremoniously.

"It safer than living wit' the rest of our kind," Calypso retorted pointedly. "How you think I keep your mother alive when we were young, eh? We stay on the moon and we stay away from the power-hungry bastards down t'ere on our world."

Kath seemed to have enough of their bickering despite it having only just begun. "Enough, both of you."

Novei shrugged. "Fine."

Calypso shifted her focus back to Kath. "I keep my promise, and I come here. The World Eater be comin' as well. You expect my help?"

Setting aside all of his usual attitude for the moment, Kath tactfully corrected, "I _ask_ for it, Calypso. You know as well as I that it will not be taken down easily."

She tilted her head. "No, it will not."

When she didn't say anything more, he pressed the issue. "Have you made your choice, then?"

Another moment of silence, then she leveled him with a firm look. "I already come here. Wastin' time is not somet'ing that I enjoy. Why I come here if I not agree to help, eh?"

"Good, 'cause I'd be pissed if you didn't," Novei huffed, arms crossing. Something in Li's eyes seemed to brighten for just a moment at her words before he finally pushed himself to stand.

"Which planet is this… 'World Eater' heading toward first?" Alana asked.

"Mobius," Kath answered shortly.

Calypso shook her head. "T'at man… he think he can wipe away his memories and the goodness wit'in him if he destroy the place where both were born… Perhaps he could, but it could never be so simple. He will find it take a lot more t'an t'at to accomplish such a t'ing."

"It's likely a step toward it," Sein responded. "That's all I could think of."

Alana stifled the urge to sigh (she'd found herself doing that a lot lately) and instead just said, "I suppose we are all heading back to Mobius, then." As predicted, her father looked ready to object, but she headed him off by saying, "I know it hasn't arrived yet, Father, but I do not wish to leave you here alone. And, more importantly, you have a promise to keep."

That shut him up. Recognizing the truth in her words, he settled down again and muttered a simple, "Fine."

Li looked around the room. By this point, he was a bit lost as to what was happening. "Should we get going, then?"

Sein pushed himself off the wall with a faint smile. "Let's do it, then. We got some preparation to do."

 **~保護者~**

Astra had set herself up a sort of base of operations for the time being where she practiced and created new spells. Already the building was tainted with the intense amount of Black Magic she used so avidly, not that she cared. It made her feel at home, considering her old home was absolutely corrupted like she was. Her gaze eventually fell onto the number of shinobi she had resurrected and she blankly stared at them for some time. She couldn't quite place what she felt about them being present, despite being under her control. Nonetheless, the woman stood and walked over to inspect each of them carefully. _An attack on Rose would likely end up destroying a fair few of them. She's resourceful and has an iron will._

Her magic flowed throughout the area surrounding her and over the various chameleons to more fully assess their abilities. If nothing else, she needed to be able to make proper use of each one in any fight. Astra's attention snapped away from her examinations to focus on a new spell she was idly preparing, hands slowly and meticulously arranging the pieces of the magic circle. _This should be something that will keep the insufferable bird off of me, should she arrive. I suppose I need to also prepare for fire capabilities, if I am to be involved in a fight with that Balancer._ Her thoughts briefly shifted into ramblings before she seemed to remember that she had 'company'.

 _Calculating strikes, high strength, weapon mastery of the katana in particular, though only a specific make… Burdensome and annoying. Make it with magic. Melee? That should handle the hedgehog for some time if I need to distract him._ She scratched at her neck, despite the fact that it tore into her skin enough to cause a trickle of blood. When she pulled away her hand, she was forced to realize that her white fur was now stained red. _Not that it matters._ _I should have plenty of that soon enough._

After some time had passed, and some procession of mental change was enacted, her attention fell on the two specific chameleons that Kaden had oh so nicely told her to focus on. _Fucking hell. Guess I'll do it._ Her magic flowed over the both of them briefly before her eyes widened, standing up much straighter than before. "This is…" The revelation was shocking enough. _Shei and Aniko. Born of two different clans, the strong ones at that. Child is Espio and they raised that Armaris girl? Amazingly skilled shinobi, Aniko more specifically in strength and Shei in speed. Both very powerful ninja regardless. That explains the interest, but… What was he wanting to do?_

She found her attention drifting over to her spell that was growing unstable, only to idly wave a hand at it and correct the issues in that manner. These two ninja… they were interesting. _He wanted something with them, but I don't know what._ A voice in her mind briefly reminded her of what was supposed to happen, and she nodded. "Send the parents after the kid. Cool." With an idle wave of her free hand, she sent them off to go through with the plan. _I'll have to ask for help to kill Rose quickly. She and that Balancer are gonna be problematic if they live too much longer._

 **~保護者~**

 **6,327 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support! A quick note: the quote I'll be posting after this disclaimer was not of my own creation, but instead one I saw on Google Images. It's supposedly from Naruto or Naruto Shippuden, but as I've never actually managed to finish that show and haven't watched it in some time, I can't verify that. Nevertheless, here's the quote I'm referring to.**

 **"In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars, and hatred is born to protect love. It is a never ending cycle… and you and your friends are _fools_ for thinking that you can change that."**

 **Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 9:55 p.m.) 03-28-20.**


	63. Darkness Falls

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this conflict… especially for the one who still has some catching up to do.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Darkness Falls"**

 **~保護者~**

"I can't believe this is happening."

Sonic sighed and draped a comforting arm over his son's shoulders. "I know."

"I can't even wrap my mind around the fact that Gramps is…" Silver trailed off, dismayed, and shook his head.

At a loss for words himself, Sonic repeated more softly, "I know."

There was a period of quiet. Silver twisted around to look into his father's face. "How are you doing, Dad? I mean… dealing with all of this… it's gotta be… I dunno. Awful."

A second sigh escaped Sonic but, for the first time, he gave vent to his emotions… just a bit. "That doesn't even begin to describe it, kiddo. It's… _god_ , I don't even know."

More silence. Silver turned back around to resume his earlier sitting position, then seemed to make a decision. "Let's… change the subject for a while, okay?"

Sonic offered a decidedly weak shrug. "Sure."

"I actually have some questions, if that's okay." When Sonic nodded, Silver continued. "This stuff happening with Espio… Why's it _so_ bad? Like, I thought he was _the_ definition of control and stuff, right?"

"Well… yeah, but this… this is something different. It's like…" Sonic paused, gathering his thoughts, then said, "Okay, let's look at it this way. Remember that incident when Jet's storm powers first awakened?"

Silver perked up. "Yeah, absolutely. I saw the city afterward, and _man_ it was trashed. He knocked over buildings and tore up roads and all kinds of crazy stuff."

"Right. But do you remember _why_ that happened?" Sonic pressed.

His son thought about that. Then his ears straightened. "He lost control."

"Big time," Sonic confirmed. "The key reason _why_ is because he had no knowledge of his own power. He was never trained to control it. When it awakened, it did so in response to volatile emotions like anger and a powerful desire for self-protection. All these things together caused him to be, in a sense, overcome by his power and sort of… controlled by it, I guess you could say, as opposed to the other way around."

"A lot like what happens with Gramps when his Darkness gets to be too much," Silver rightly assumed. "Only, from what Gramma told me, he mostly lost control because he can't always handle his emotions, not because of any of that other stuff."

"Yeah. That's true. And all of these things are at play in Espio's situation." Sonic settled back against the wall, eyes drifting upward to one of the holes in the ceiling. "Given his upbringing and his own natural demeanor… he's never been especially adept at deciphering his own emotions when they rise up, with some exceptions such as when he's pissed over something. That leads in to difficulties dealing with those emotions. These things, coupled with the other crap I mentioned… it's a hell of a mess to be trapped in, and there's jack-all we can do about it."

Silver honestly looked dismayed. "Why would his folks never teach him how to control his Darkness? Surely they knew he had it, right?"

"From what I understand, _all_ chameleons have Darkness," Sonic explained. "Remember that place Dad one time mentioned to us, where the Realm of Darkness physically connects with this realm?"

"Uh… yeah. Zur or Zee or… something?" Silver scratched his head a little, sheepish.

Sonic managed a chuckle. "Close, but no cigar. It's called Zyr, for the record."

"Hush," Silver laughed.

Stifling further amusement, Sonic continued. "Anyway… their whole race originates from there. Turns out, they're one of _the_ oldest races ever. They're likewise among the very first beings of Darkness ever to exist. So, like I said, all chameleons have Darkness in them. But, since coming here… I don't know, it's gone dormant in most of them, I guess. Or, at least, most of them stopped actively using it."

"You think that has something to do with why they're all so neutral now?" Silver asked. "I mean, if their Darkness is _that_ evil but they all stopped using it for one reason or another…"

"I have no idea," Sonic shrugged. "It's possible." His arm was growing uncomfortable, so he removed it from Silver's shoulders and resituated. "Back to your original question, I don't know what his parents might have known about their race's origins, their innate Darkness, or any of that stuff. I don't know what they ever told Espio about it, if anything. Regardless of any of that, whatever they may or may not have said to him, he doesn't remember it. It doesn't seem like he was directly taught anything, though. When it comes to fighting, his ability to physically retain memories of techniques and stuff is… insane. But he's not shown any signs of remembering any _actions_ related to this crap, so I personally doubt he was trained."

Silver pursed his lips together for a few moments before saying, "You said he's learning really fast, though, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Sonic agreed. "...For better or for worse."

The pair fell silent again, both shifting their focus to their thoughts. Eventually, however, Silver spoke back up. "...All that stuff you said about why Uncle Shadow's not feeling well… were you serious?"

Sonic sighed heavily. "Why would I lie about it?" he asked in turn. Then he added, "It's hard for me to believe sometimes, too, but the signs of him having an addiction in the past were there even before this mess. Smoking, barely having an appetite… you know, that sort of thing. It's all just… worse now. And symptoms he's not had to suffer in a lot of years are back again and he's obviously not doing so hot because of it."

After some consideration, Silver switched gears a little bit. "You did mention something about him having changed in some good ways, didn't you?" he asked. "Like, not being so grumpy all the time."

"Trust me, he has his moments," Sonic smirked. "But, mostly, yeah. He's a lot more… grown up, in a way. He's definitely adopted the calmer demeanor Dad always had. Mom, too, but… you know, he's not related to her."

Silver nodded slowly, then questioned, "Why'd you say it like that?"

Emerald eyes blinked. "Say… what?"

"That he's more grown up," Silver answered, visibly confused. "He's, like, barely any younger than you."

"Oh. Right. Um… So, this is gonna be a bit crazy sounding, but hear me out." Silver tilted his head and Sonic quickly continued. "I don't know how much you were ever actually told about Shadow's past, but the gist of it is that he was created and not _born_. Specifically, Ivo's grandfather, a dude named Gerald, created Shadow as a weapon to fight and kill me. I was… sort of a thorn in the guy's side."

"I believe that," Silver laughed, trying to keep the mood light despite the seriousness of the conversation.

Though Sonic appreciated his efforts, he didn't share in Silver's laughter at this moment. "Anyway, because I was already ten at the time when Gerald made him, Shadow was way too small and young to hurt me. Couldn't exactly kick my ass like Gerald wanted. So he did his experiments and whatever he wanted to do to Shadow to make him the perfect 'weapon', then accelerated his growth to match my age. Only, his mind couldn't grow along with his body, meaning he was a lot younger inside than out."

Sonic frowned to himself at his next words. "I'm fuzzy on the details at this point mostly because Shadow can't remember and the data Tails and I later dredged up is… limited, but it seems that some other relative of Gerald's lived on the Space Colony ARK with the two of them. She objected to what Gerald was doing and tried to protect Shadow over the years, and both she and Shadow were often punished for it. This all apparently came to a head one day and as a result of _some_ sort of fight, Maria trapped Shadow in an escape pod rocketing toward Mobius, and she later wound up dead. Whatever happened to Shadow after that, I have no idea."

"How does this-" Silver started to ask, but Sonic cut him off.

"Getting to that, relax." Sonic resituated again to get comfortable before continuing. "Ivo's records indicate that he later found Shadow in that escape pod years later. There was evidence that he'd been out of it previously, so why he was sealed back inside is unknown, not to mention _how_. He was in some sort of stasis, too, one where he was sort of… frozen in time. Not growing, not aging, nothing. But he _had_ aged at some point before that, to somewhere in his teen years.

Silver's eyes were wide. "That's crazy."

With a nod, Sonic forged ahead. "Ivo apparently knew exactly what - or rather _who_ \- he'd found based on his own past readings of Gerald's crap, so he took Shadow's pod and all back to… wherever the hell he was at the time. Then he set about continuing exactly what Gerald once did: getting Shadow ready to fight and kill me. This involved more experiments, more testing, and more accelerated physical aging."

Now Silver started to understand. "But because of the way that works, he still had the mind of a teenager."

"And all the mood swings and everything else that goes along with that time in people's lives," Sonic confirmed with another nod.

"That makes so much sense," Silver breathed. Then he asked, "Wait, does Uncle Shadow _know_ about all of this?"

"He has a vague idea, but he doesn't remember any of it," Sonic told him. "Based on what he's said, his first real memories after the last couple of things he recalls on board the ARK are from somewhere around the time he started defying Ivo and regularly travelling with Rouge and Omega." Sonic shrugged, bothered by all of this even so many years later. "His mind was a real mess back then, and so was his life. Part of me is happy he's not burdened with the memories of all the shit he went through. What things he _does_ recall are terrible enough on their own."

Once again, silence settled around the pair. This time it was heavy and unhappy. But Silver, being Silver, soon went out of his way to lift the tension and change it into something happier. He was good at that, as Sonic was starting to recall. "Okay, new question." He twisted back around to face Sonic again, prompting Sonic to mirror his son's movements. Those golden eyes were alight with excitement and awe. "Is Wave _really_ that badass now?"

Without meaning to, Sonic let out a short laugh. "Oh, _absolutely_. Man, you should've seen her and Jet spar a while back, and in the big fight here. She was _amazing_. You remember her dad, Han? We met him a couple of times years back. Anyway, he's a Hexan as you may recall, and they're a race of magical beings. Well, Wave inherited magic out the _ass_."

This final comment caused Silver to burst out into a short fit of his own laughter, but that note of awe remained in his tone. "Man, that's _awesome_!"

"It really is," Sonic smiled.

Silver grinned at him. "What about Uncle Jet?" he demanded, suddenly all cheery.

"You'll have to wait until he gets back," Sonic responded, sticking his tongue out briefly. "Seeing it for yourself is easier than me trying to explain it."

"You suck," Silver joked.

Sonic lightly shoved Silver's arm. "Nuh-uh, not _me_ ," he replied, mock offended. " _Never_." Their shared laughter quickly proved to be just the medicine Sonic needed right now, in light of all that he had been dealing with.

If only these good feelings could last for longer than this.

 **~保護者~**

Some time had passed since Silver's conversation with his father, and many of the topics left him thinking and processing. There was so much to focus on, but he didn't have much longer to do so as Rose slowly and quietly approached him. She gave a gentle smile and sat down by him before saying, "It is nice to formally meet you, Silver."

The aptly-named silver-furred hedgehog perked up in surprise and looked up at her. "Huh? Oh- Right. Nice to meet you, too. You're Rose, right?" Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Cream and Vector still playing with the baby across the room while murmuring softly to one another about various things. Sonic wasn't back from checking on Shadow and Tails yet, Espio and Armaris were outside, and Kial was who-knew-where, so the room was quiet overall.

A light nod served as the initial response, alongside a warm smile. "Yes, indeed. And you are Sonic's son, yes?"

"Well, one of 'em," Silver smiled. "But, yeah, I am."

"He is a lovely person, as are you. I can certainly see that you have retained a few pleasant traits without fail," Rose said warmly, still smiling.

"I dunno that I'd call him 'lovely'," Silver laughed. "Have you seen him when he gets mad? Man can he hit hard. He's thunked me pretty hard on the head a few times over the years. Not that I didn't deserve it, but still."

There was the faintest hint of sadness in her eyes, but it was soon quelled. "Despite such, you are both genuinely good people. I consider that to be something I could qualify as 'lovely'. Regardless, however, there is something I wished to discuss with you."

Golden eyes blinked. "Sure. What's up?"

"I am aware that you have Light, but I do not know how extensive your training has been with it. I wished to inquire about that, as I am willing to help with such if you would like," Rose explained.

Silver's ears lowered a degree, and he grew quiet. After a long moment he said, "My Gramma… she was amazing. You know, really powerful, really kind, really intelligent… all that stuff. She taught me some stuff, but then life sort of got in the way. I got married, wound up having kids, and I just didn't have the same kind of time that I used to." He shrugged a little. "I always kinda regretted not finishing that training, though. Might've saved a lot of lives down the road. Plus I always got the sense that she wanted someone to be able to take her place one day if it came down to it. But that never really happened."

"May… I ask who your grandmother is?" Rose inquired softly, her curiosity piqued.

"Her name's Analia," Silver answered. "Dunno if you would've ever heard of her or not. I have no idea if she ever really left our planet and got involved in things or whatever."

Rose paused at hearing the name, her eyes widening briefly. "Analia…?" She almost whispered. Silver nodded once. "That is… incredible. I feel like I should have been able to tell from the potential you and your father's Light has." Some excitement managed to enter her voice, this revelation absolutely catching her off guard. "Are… you aware of who she is, outside of your relation to her?"

"I mean…" Silver scratched at his head a little, thinking. "I know she was someone really important to her tribe in ancient times. They regarded her as some kind of a princess or something. And I know she used to be in charge of safeguarding some Immortal artifacts a really, really long time ago. She never really talked about much beyond that."

"Your grandmother- Analia… she is an essential person. The current living embodiment of Light, and this explains precisely why she is important. Her Light capabilities are exceeded by only Eona herself."

He perked up at that. "She was the first being of Light ever, wasn't she?" he asked.

"Yes, and Analia's direct ancestor. That is the reason her powers are so great, and why they are so potent." Rose closed her eyes briefly. "I have always aspired to be like them."

"That's… legitimately awesome," Silver eventually said, grinning. Then he actually thought about what she said and grew more serious. "Wait… so, is the opposite true of Gramps, then? Is he descended from the first being of Darkness, too? 'Cause he's _wicked_ powerful and stuff like she is, just… you know, with Darkness and not Light."

Rose took a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes. He is the direct descendant of Zenith. Though… I am not aware of much more than that. Information regarding them both is rather sparse."

Silver was again quiet for a time. "Can… I ask you something, Rose? You don't have to know anything for sure, I just… kinda want an opinion, I guess."

"Do not be afraid to ask questions, Silver," She responded, giving a soft nod and smile.

He pursed his lips together, tense and uncertain, before letting out a breath and forging ahead. "With… everything that's going on… and that's already happened, I guess… Do you think Gramps even _can_ be saved?" He looked down, ears lowering substantially in response to his current upset. "Dad mentioned that Tails and Uncle Jet have talked about doing that, but… I dunno. If he's really so far gone that he'd do everything he's done…" He trailed off, utterly dismayed.

Rose was silent for some time, her arms crossing as she thought. "If there is a chance that he can, it will be slight. His corruption is deep, not _only_ by his own doing, but from the being that corrupted him, Amnikaribah. However, I deeply hope that it is possible to save him, for his own sake and the good of many people. As well as for those of you that care deeply for him," she murmured. _If he can be saved… so might my sister._

"Dad said he was corrupted by a God of Demons," Silver murmured, "and that it happened a _very_ long time ago. If that's true, then the corruption was _serious_ right from the get-go, and it's had _tons_ of time to fester and grow. How in the world could there be _any_ hope of saving him, given that?"

Her gaze turned away momentarily, contemplating. "Corruption is… complicated and dangerous. To be corrupted makes it hard to turn back, especially on your own. The reason I say that there is still a chance is that there might still be a piece of him left that is holding on and refusing to turn away from who he used to be. I am not wholly aware of that situation, as I do not know him as well as Jet or Wave may. However…" Rose turned to face him, a faint smile on her face. "If someone such as Jet holds onto the hope of saving Kaden, then there must still be a chance in his eyes."

Silver managed a wan smile. "Gramps always was the type to be stubborn 'til the end of days… so, I guess, maybe you're right. And if anyone could have a chance of making this happen… I suppose it'd _have_ to be Uncle Jet. He's pretty awesome, you know."

"I am certainly aware of his… 'awesomeness'. I have seen his fighting in the past, and bore witness to it some years ago. He is also an interesting individual, if not mildly agitating in refusing help," Rose giggled.

This finally earned another laugh from Silver. "Yep, that sounds like him." Just about as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he sat straight up, then looked confused. "...That was hella weird." Across the room, Cream's attention had also been caught, and she was looking around a bit in the same state of confusion.

Rose stood quickly, confused yet concerned. "What is the issue?" she asked quickly.

Silver pushed himself up as well. "We were just talking about him and, for a second, I swear sensed his mind nearby. But it was gone so fast…" He turned to Cream. "Tell me I'm not crazy," he pleaded.

The bunny blinked a few times, then slowly shook her head. "You are not crazy," she confirmed. "I sensed it as well. But you are mistaken on one thing. That was not truly _near_ us."

Now he was totally confused and lost. "Huh?"

Vector piped up. "Uh… yer not talkin' sense, Cream."

"Patience please, I was getting to that." With a vaguely amused huff, she continued. "Since being here, I have felt reality fracture once. That happened as I was revived, in fact, though I am not sure why. That fracture released a barely traceable energy signature. Or, at least, for us mortals it is such."

Silver caught on. "You think reality fractured for a second? _Why_?"

"There is a possibility," Rose murmured, a tension rolling over her body. "An energy known as the Void."

The other three present in the room traded perplexed looks. "The what now?" Vector soon asked.

"It is another of the existential energies that exists. Void, Chaos, Darkness, Light, and Aura are the energies that currently sustain existence as we know it. You are all likely familiar with the last four, but the Void is something that 'appeared' recently in existential terms."

"I didn't know something like that could just happen," Silver breathed, eyes wide.

Cream was visibly thoughtful now. "...Mister Kaden used to let me read his collection of ancient books in his library when I was a child," she said slowly. "I remember one book talked about the four existential energies, but the author also mentioned these discussions they had with an ancient goddess. Supposedly, this goddess was convinced that there were always meant to be _seven_ as opposed to _four_. Much the same as how beings such as her consider there to be only seven 'main' timelines amongst the truly innumerable ones that actually exist."

"It is certainly possible for such to be true. As it is now, the Void poses a threat to existence by the intentions it seems to hold. I am not yet aware of how it reacts to other energies, nor am I privy to what, if anything, it consists of. It is something that concerns many people, such as Jet and Wave. That alone is able to worry me, since such a thing isn't… _common_ , per se."

"Wait, concerns them how?" Vector demanded to know. "As in it makes them worried, too, or they're _involved_ somehow?"

"They're worried, and involved in Jet's case. I am not sure of the exact details regarding his involvement, however," Rose explained.

The other three traded looks… but then it happened again. Another fracture, another brief sense that Jet was there, then gone again. Only this time, for a _split_ second, Silver saw the hawk. He'd been leaping backward, sword in hand, and there'd been some sort of a bright light rocketing toward him. Then nothing at all. Mouth agape, Silver pointed. "I'm not the only one who saw that. Tell me I'm not the only one who saw that."

Rose was immediately tempted to create a clone and send it off before realizing the potential danger of doing so. _I cannot endanger them in such a way._ She bit her lip softly before nodding. "I saw it as well, Silver. This is… concerning."

No one had a chance to reply before the sun outside began to flare up with painful brightness. Silver shielded his eyes and immediately complained, " _Now_ what's happening?" Cream was quick to shield Sako's face before turning her back to the light to protect her own vision. Vector sort of stared dumbly before cluing in and also turning away and closing his eyes. Rose was fast to teleport herself outside, holding a hand over her eyes to filter away some of the brightness. She knew _exactly_ what was happening at the moment.

Seconds passed, then when the light and heat reached their peaks, a figure emerged, dragging along a second person by the shoulder. When everything died down, Locke was standing on the porch and unceremoniously plopped Steam down onto his rear. "I _told_ you it would be hot in there. But here, _now_ you can try to walk without burning yourself."

"Fuck off, fuck-ass," he huffed, brushed himself off, and stood. "Asshole."

Violet eyes rolled to the heavens, then Locke gave Steam a light shove. "Go yell at a tree if you've got that much swearing to do. Honestly."

Steam grumbled something about what tree he'd even yell at since most were dead, but didn't audibly vocalize this procession. "Ass."

Clearly having had enough of this bickering, Aku suddenly dropped his usual camouflage (having, as per usual, disguised himself as one of the large branches that Espio's house resided within) and snarled at them both before whacking them both his tail… hard enough to send them both flying. Locke landed on his feet just shy of the hut where Shadow and Tails had been staying, but Steam plowed right through it. There was immediately a flurry of swearing from Sonic and short cry of surprise from Tails, then everything was momentarily silent as the ruins of the tiny home settled around them.

Steam seemed to ignore this in favor of throwing himself from the ruins in an attempt to get back at Aku, only to be stopped simultaneously by Armaris, Espio, and Rose. Espio in particular had a dagger in his hand and warned with narrowed eyes, "You will _not_ touch him."

Vector, who had stepped outside to witness the commotion, tried to placate the lot of them - but mostly his own friend. "Easy, now. There's no need to fight here." Espio's eyes narrowed further, but he didn't say anything more.

There was a faint growl of agitation before Steam decided to teleport away some distance to cool off and wait for Jet's arrival. Rose was quiet and watched everyone for a moment before frowning. Meanwhile, Sonic pushed a wall up off of himself and Tails, then helped his friend to stand. More rubble shifted and fell away elsewhere as Shadow freed himself and also stood, irritably dusting himself off as he did so. Locke turned to face the three of them, arms loosely crossed. "You guys alright?"

Tails waved him off idly. "Yeah, we're fine. Can't say the same for this poor house, though… jeez."

"That's not important," Locke answered dismissively. "So long as nobody's hurt."

Sonic kicked a little piece of rubble. "This wood's not heavy. We're fine." As he spoke, Espio teleported his dagger away and jumped back into the part of the tree he'd been sitting in before, clearly prepared to ignore them all if he was given the choice.

Rose would have spoken, but Armaris piped in with a similar question. Just more vulgar. "The fuck is wrong with him?" she asked Locke, crossing her arms.

Locke shrugged and sighed. "Not sure, specifically, but being on that world or even just in that realm really messes people up. Beyond that, I have no idea. I don't know him well enough to say."

"Maybe it's something to do with what he is, then," Armaris shrugged before vanishing into her shadow and apparently attaching herself to Sonic for the time being.

Sonic twisted around and frowned at the sight of this, then huffed and looked away. Cream walked out of the house right about then with Sako in her arms, but she didn't say anything to anyone just yet. Silver, meanwhile, appeared right beside Sonic and Tails. As Sonic expected, the two were rather exuberant at the sight of one another, given their status as best friends. _Cue the happy reunion._ He smirked a little, but the look faded as he took note of who was missing. Turning his attention back to Locke he dared to ask, "Where's Jet?" _And where's my mom?_

Silver suddenly raised a hand. "And, uh, was he in a fight or something?"

Locke glanced at Silver. "No, he was fine. He's just taking Analia to a safer place. He didn't think that this place is totally out of the woods yet, and he didn't want her to be in any danger because of that."

Worry clouded Sonic's eyes, though he did his best to hide it. "How… How is she?"

The echidna sighed heavily. "...Not well, Sonic. The trap she was in… it really did a number on her. She only kept herself alive via her Light, but even that… it was fading. She has so little left in her that we could barely sense it at all."

Rose frowned deeply at this, idly gripping her left arm. That thought was concerning, if _nothing_ else. "Do you know where he is taking her?"

"To Cere and Finis." Taking stock of the people around him, Locke felt the need to elaborate. "Cere, the Goddess of Judgement, and Finish, the God of Night. They're two of the oldest beings in existence, two of the oldest Gods and Goddesses in existence, and also two of the most powerful in existence. They're extremely important people, who he trusts _implicitly_. She'll be safe with them."

His assurances of Jet's trust for these people had Sonic relaxing before he even was aware of being tense. _If Jet trusts them so much… then we can all trust them. Which means… Mom really will be safe with them._ Having reassured himself as much as he could, he took a steadying breath and tried to relax further.

A flash of Light appeared around Rose's body, followed by a clone appearing beside her and teleporting away almost as soon as it arrived. "Thank you, Locke."

Locke nodded, then said mostly to her and Sonic, "By the way… when he does get back, someone might need to deal with him. He was bruising up his arms again. There wasn't much of a point trying to get him to stop while we were still there, but it does need to be addressed. I'm just not the right person to do it."

More worry filled Sonic. _Of all the times for you to be missing in action, Wave…_ He let out a heavy sigh. "He was doing that earlier, too. It's only gonna escalate if he keeps being put under stress. We should keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't start hitting his head on anything."

Silver immediately looked concerned as well. "He still does that?"

Finally, Cream spoke up. "That is not always the sort of thing that people can grow out of," she said, lightly rocking the baby in her arms. "Especially people in his situation, who have not received any professional care or other forms of 'proper' aid."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Silver thought about that for a second, then made the connection. "Kinda like how Gramps used to kinda bite on his hands and fingers sometimes when he got stressed out."

"Yeah," Sonic agreed. "Just like that."

"I am more than willing to try and aid with Jet, though…" Rose's attention fell on Sonic. "You may be better suited with handling his anxiety and stress. I can accompany you in doing so, or do my best to help on my own should you choose either scenario."

Tails looked over at Sonic. "He definitely trusts you. Aside from Wave, you're _the_ person he trusts more than anyone. We'll of course help out where needed, but you really are our best bet of handling this situation."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah," he agreed quietly. "I know. And, thanks."

Silver soon distracted the pair by hurrying over the rubble pile right to Shadow… and boldly giving the older hedgehog a hug. "It's great to see you, Uncle Shads."

Crimson eyes rolled, and Shadow huffed. But much to Sonic's utter amazement, his brother put a gentle hand on his nephew's back for a few moments before just as gently tugging himself out of the embrace. "I seem to recall telling you not to call me that."

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't," Silver responded, sticking his tongue out like the playful brat he was. Tails laughed.

Picking his way over the shattered wood, Sonic moved over to his brother and, while everyone else was distracted by their own conversations and whatnot he asked, "How are you feeling right now?"

Though he looked subtly annoyed at the show of concern, Shadow just crossed his arms. "I'm fine."

It was hard to say whether or not that was true, but Sonic decided not to press him right now. _Best not to trigger any mood swings._ _They happen often enough on their own._ Around this time, Kial walked over to the small group of people to investigate what had happened. His attention momentarily fell on Locke before he turned himself and walked to Rose to get some sort of explanation about the current situation.

Sein suddenly appeared on the ground not too far from the collapsed hut, his confused gaze glancing over the whole group before beginning to walk over. This was quickly interrupted by Novei landing on him and walking off in some random direction before he had a chance to take more than a single step. Li landed nearby to him, but seemed more worried about where Novei was heading and rushed off after her. Seconds later, Alana arrived by her husband's side and looked down at him. After blinking once, she simply said, "Do not lay in the ash, Sein."

"Not my choice," he muttered, pushing himself up and onto his feet. "Novei oh-so-kindly dropped down on me. Probably on purpose."

"Regardless, you could have dodged her," Alana huffed. As she spoke, Kath arrived with Calypso in turn.

Silver, in true fashion, immediately leaned in to Tails and whispered, "What in the world is _she_?"

When Tails hesitated to answer, almost seeming uncertain, Sonic answered, "Ever heard of a Therian?"

Golden eyes went wide. " _O-o-oh_ , those guys. ...Wait, she's one of them?" Understandably, he had tensed up at the idea, only to relax again with a confused look on his face. "But, I don't get it. They're supposed to be evil, but she doesn't give off any of those vibes at all. She doesn't even feel entirely neutral."

Alana, having taken note of their conversation, patiently explained, "Calypso is an old ally, and a friend. She has never taken part in the evil ways of her kind, and we trust her. You need not fear harm by her hand." Calypso looked over at the hedgehog but didn't say anything herself.

"If you guys trust her, that's good enough for me," Tails helpfully cut in. Then, offering a smile, he turned to Calypso. "Nice to meet you, by the way." She inclined her head slowly.

Armaris poked her head out of Sonic's shadow and faintly glared at nothing in particular. There were way too many people here for her liking, and as such she felt perfectly content to keep hiding within the shadows. _Why the hell did we let so many people come here?_ In a silent display of his own agitation, Espio idly toyed with a knife between his fingers as he watched events unfold down below his perch.

Sein took another look around and noticed that Steam was indeed back, and that Locke was here. He quickly moved over to the echidna and smiled. "Hey. How are you?"

Said echidna blinked once or twice before carefully asking, "Sorry, have we met?"

The hawk briefly paused and his shoulders dropped, seeming heavily disappointed in himself. "Ah, damn. Sorry. I met you, Kaden, and Analia a _long_ time ago in my timeline, not this one. I kinda forgot that I… well… didn't meet _you_."

Now able to understand what was going on, the normally stoic (at least as of late) Locke relaxed into one of the easygoing smiles that Sonic had so missed seeing from the man. "You don't need to apologize. I understand. I've had similar experiences a time or two in my life. It definitely isn't easy."

Sein smiled brightly. "Glad to know I'm not alone in that." His attention inevitably fell on Steam, and he managed a small frown. "He okay?"

Locke lifted a shoulder in a half-assed shrug. "Pissy, but otherwise fine. He's not hurt or anything."

"He wasn't doing too well earlier," Sein said with a shrug. "That's why I'm worried. Regardless, though, you went on that mission with him and Jet, right?" This pulled Alana's attention from whatever she'd been focused on and she started paying more attention to them.

That earned a small nod. "I did, yeah. We recovered Analia, and she's been taken to a safer place while she rests."

"How was Jet doing? Did he seem to be doing okay?"

"Not… especially, no. I already told this lot," Locke gestured vaguely at Sonic and those nearest to him, "but he started digging his fingertips into his arms again. I didn't see any point in trying to stop him while we were still _there_ , and he was soon distracted with Analia anyway, but I'm honestly surprised he wasn't drawing blood at the time."

"I see…" Sein seemed worried by this, but tried not to let it show too strongly. "I hope that Kath being here can help."

Violet eyes glanced at the hawk in question, who was quietly conversing with Calypso. "In theory, it should. He always seemed really close with Kath. I never personally saw them together that I can recall, but from what I heard from other people, Jet really bonded with the guy. And vice versa, actually. He even started calling Kath 'Kaicha', which is apparently some sort of affectionate familial term."

Her interest sufficiently caught, Alana murmured, "Grandfather. Kaicha means grandfather. It is meant in a warm and loving sort of way, as you suggested." _If he and the other Kath had such a relationship without knowing they were truly related… perhaps he and our Kath will be able to establish the same sort of bond._

"That's… really good." Sein smiled brightly. "I hope that it'll end up similarly in this situation."

"Where is Jet now?" Alana asked.

"He was the one taking Analia to Cere and Finis," Locke explained. Then he glanced up at the sun's position in the sky. "...Given his speed, he probably should've been back by now. Kid's always had a knack for getting roped into one serious situation after another, though. No telling what he's up to."

Rose chose this moment to enter the conversation, stepping over. "I sent a clone to ensure Analia's safety. I will mention if I see him anywhere." She thought for a moment, then added, "Though… we saw something that was unusual. I believe that we saw his clone being attacked through a reality fracture."

The surprise that Jet was even maintaining a clone right now was immediately overshadowed by concern. Alana looked at Sein. "A fracture in reality? How is this possible?"

Sein motioned for Rose to speak, almost impatiently. She obliged, giving him a short nod. "My belief is that it is due to the Void. I worry that it has performed some action to have caused the fractures."

It was about that time that Calypso finally chose to speak. "T'at energy be more t'an capable of such a t'ing," she remarked. "It motive are a mystery to even I, but 'tis clearly ready and able to begin actin' out. It lie waitin' and bidin' it time for so long, we should have known t'is would be comin'."

Kath caught on to the implications of her words quicker than anyone else. "You believe it will escalate soon," he stated.

"Why only soon?" she retorted. "Who say it not be doin' so now, eh?"

"If it _is_ doing so now, we must ready ourselves for the consequences that such actions may bring," Rose murmured softly. "If more fractures like that occur…" She shook her head, not liking the implications.

Silver slowly raised a hand. "Uh… _what_ , exactly, might happen?"

Alana shot him a dire look. "Reality itself is in danger," she told him frankly. "Fractures such as this can threaten entire timelines. With too many holes, one could entirely collapse. Depending on how deeply linked it is to other timelines, it could cause a domino effect that destroys other timelines as well. A timeline as important as this one… we cannot let it fall."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Kial asked, stepping closer to join in. "If I can play any part in preventing that, I want to."

"I do not know," Alana admitted. She turned to Kath. "Father…?" Kath merely shook his head. Even he was at a loss, by his own silent admission, and that only furthered her concern.

"We must wait for word from Jet or the Gods and Goddesses aware of the situation as of now," Rose murmured. "That is all I can think to do, besides preparing ourselves to be ready for anything to come ou-" Her attention snapped in the direction of Steam, immediately recognizing a familiar magic and teleporting after the source. Shortly following this was a wave of demons and highly focused beams of magic that forced several people to dodge amidst a mass forced teleport on anyone incapable of or not reacting in time to resist it. Those that were teleported away were sent several miles out from where everyone else was while a temporary no-power zone formed around anyone left, followed by a powerful barrier that encased them all.

 _"If you're able to come to Mobius in the next few minutes, it would be good because I have several threats isolated where they can't protect themselves, Kaden,"_ Astra called out briefly before landing in front of a trapped Steam and a poised to fight Rose. Her hand waved to send Shei and Aniko along after Espio (who reacted without thinking by vanishing safely into the distance before he could be caught) while a swarm of her mind-controlled chameleons appeared and promptly vanished into the area surrounding them. "So, it seems like I've finally got my chance to kill you _both_. I think I'll capitalize on that right now," she said to Rose and Steam, smirking. "And you won't be having any of your allies help you, either."Rose quickly readied her sword, only to have her balance thrown off by one of the many chameleons Astra controlled, followed by several other brief slashes to various parts of her body that left her bleeding (albeit lightly). Her only response in the moment was to summon a set of armor onto her body as she quickly set into firing blades of pure Light at her corrupted sister. She had to stall long enough for Steam to free himself, or somehow manage to get him out of the trap amidst all this chaos.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait too long. Steam broke free from the magic with his hands glowing with his own golden magic before grabbing a chameleon poised to attack him out of the air and throwing them roughly through a tree. Astra briefly realized that, despite their capabilities, she didn't know exactly how to capitalize on them being… _ninja_. She briefly shrugged before preparing a spell to quickly end this fight while the hedgehog and other cat were busy. Steam ferociously powered his way through the various mind-controlled ninja with pure instinct and brute force while Rose clashed stoicly with the various enemies thrown her way.

Astra was forced to dodge out of the way of a magic-infused pillar of flames, idly throwing a wave of spikes with her free hand that Steam could only teleport to avoid. Though, when he reappeared, the various magic spikes rapidly drained away at his stamina, leaving him only the option to take to the air. He quickly called out a warning to Rose that she needed to do the same as the spikes began aiming toward her.

A strong jump and a quick spinning kick dispatched two more chameleons following Rose, leaving her enough time to take off in pursuit of her sister. Metal and magic clashed briefly and a shockwave exploded forth, throwing all parties back some distance. Astra was the slowest to recover, but she made up for this with several magic traps that targeted and tore through the armor Rose was wearing as well as the meager defense Steam was able to conjure up while viciously cutting into his limbs.

Steam felt a blade stab into his side and he grabbed the handle, as well as the ninja responsible for this offense, to rip the blade free and throw both the weapon and it's owner aside. He raised a hand and fired a beam of Light that was answered with a magic circle to nullify the energy and send a spike straight through his hand and shoulder. Rose broke the spell before it could cause any further damage with her limited magic capabilities, then powerfully slashed through a chameleon's sword and bashed the ninja with the hilt of her sword in the abdomen before throwing herself back into direct combat with Astra.

Light and corrupted magic collided dangerously, the effects of various spells causing the air around the sources of these powers to seemingly contract. Rose was unable to react outside of forming a cocoon of Light around herself when the air viciously exploded with this magic, temporarily out of breath from the pure force of the attack. She felt something tear through her cocoon and subsequently her stomach, gritting her teeth in pain before blasting it with so much Light that Astra was forced to back away and the magic weapon vanished.

Astra gritted her teeth as she quickly inspected the practically seared skin of her right hand. Whether Rose had meant to use so much Light certainly wasn't known to the corrupted woman, but the fact it had happened only left her far more enraged. Her hand raised and she chanted in another language as her hand began to glow with her dark grey magic. She watched in satisfaction as Rose's cocoon dropped and the being of Light dropped to the ground. _Good to know she's still just as easily manipulated._ Astra dropped to the ground and readied a blade of Black Magic to stab it into Rose, only to suddenly be forced to whip around and drive it into Steam's chest when he suddenly appeared, brimming with Light.

To Steam, this pain was a minor setback (though it _burned_ with an agony he hadn't felt in a while) knowing that he'd protected Rose temporarily. He tried to move his arm to blast Astra away, but couldn't manage to move either. The magic had already moved through his body and constricted his muscles to the point he wasn't capable of movement. His body dropped when she ripped the blade free and flicked blood off of it, moving to finish off her primary target until she was forced to clash blades once more.

In Astra's brief moment of distraction, Rose had managed enough control of herself to wrench herself out of the mental influence her sister had on her. She unleashed a barrage of Light channeled strikes against the Black Magic, intent on tearing through it and knocking her sister out. She wasn't able to accomplish either goal, but her continued attack pressed her opponent back slowly. It wasn't much, and she knew it.

Magic poured from Astra's body as she activated the spell she'd been preparing this entire fight, deadly spires flying out of the ground and from a magic circle in the sky that made Rose teleport away and take Steam with her. A cocoon formed around the two, and Astra was quick to begin rapidly tearing away at it with various magic attacks, intent on finishing them both off before Rose could do much.

Steam grunted at the sudden movement, and briefly grimaced when he realized Rose was holding him close and doing her very best to heal him quickly. Much to his pleasure, however, he was aware that her efforts made it possible for him to move again, quickly standing and unsheathing his sword while channeling Light into it and rapidly slashing away at the various incoming attacks.

Rose was doing her best to heal the hedgehog as he moved, but realized that doing so was merely gaining no progress and instead pushed herself up to fight as well with her own blade in hand. She lowered the cocoon and shot forward in a burst of Light, the pulse of her innate energy breaking through the barrage of attacks long enough for Steam to proceed alongside her.

"Enough!" Astra yelled, magic exploding outward and viciously tearing into and snatching her targets off the ground. "You're both _nuisances_ and nothing more than _pests_." She violently slammed the two into the ground with enough force to grant some satisfying snaps. Her attention was torn from them as a Therian suddenly appeared and brutally slammed a fist through her natural barrier. Astra teleported away quickly and made sure to pin Steam and Rose to the ground with a spike to their stomachs as the God of the Forge ran up.

"Novei, what th-" Li's eyes widened and he summoned a long sword in hand, flames erupting around it. "Get out of here, Astra. Now." His demanding tone was enough to briefly gain Novei's attention, but no comments for once.

Novei materialized a sword in her own hand that was far larger than she, viciously swinging it down at the other woman only for it to be deflected. "Li doesn't want you here. _Leave_." Her words were practically venomous, enough so to elicit a faint shiver from the aforementioned wolf.

Astra rolled her eyes and waved two fingers at Novei, intent on lifting her into the air and throwing her away from the fight. Much to her surprise, however, the Therian didn't budge. A deep shade of purple surrounded the physically built Novei which gained Astra's attention. When Li lunged forward to launch an attack, she was fast to catch him in the air and begin rapidly closing her magic grasp around his throat. "How about we strike a little deal here. I won't kill your friend, and you give me your magic."

" _Leave_ ," Novei practically hissed, stepping forward. She only halted her movements when she saw that the grip was on the verge of crushing his throat, a momentary frown on her face. Despite every motion and expression Li made saying not to go through with this, she seemed to accept. "Fine. You can have it." Her magic manifested in front of Astra and very _brutally_ tore through every defense the woman had prepared for this fight, even going as far as to tear through her already tattered clothes and ripping a sizable gash in the cat's chest.

A gasp was all that managed to escape Astra as she dropped to the ground, shortly followed by Li. Her focus went into repairing her defenses and stitching together the damage that had been wrought on her body. She prepared enough of a defense to protect herself from a vicious kick that launched her into the air and the subsequent fist that slammed against her temple. Though dazed, Astra recovered by turning into a large white wolf with a flowing strands of black stained fur. She bit down on Li's sword and poured magic through her fangs to remove all of the flames while simultaneously slamming her front paws against Novei's shoulders to dig her claws in and throw the other back at the same time.

Li managed to roll away from Astra with a hand clutching at his throat, summoning a katana in hand as Astra promptly threw the other one far off into the distance. He slashed out with tremendous speed, intending on tearing into her neck but to no avail. The blade bounced off her fur and the flat of it nearly slammed into his side, if not for his quick reaction to let go before teleporting it back into his hand. He couldn't call out to Novei in time to prevent her from swinging her oversized weapon, only able to watch as the Therian was violently thrown back by her own sword suddenly slamming into her body. _A spell that reflects physical damage. Fuck._

In that moment, there was a violent blast of raw Darkness that utterly destroyed the ground and sent everyone flying. It even tore apart Astra's barrier and spell, rendering them both useless as the attack poured over all those present. The only people who were mostly spared were Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. Father and son were quick to do their best to shield themselves and whoever else they could, only for their defenses to topple almost instantly. Soon, other barriers and the like rose up via other people's powers, but by then the attack was already dying down. When it fully dissipated, Kaden was standing there with his favored sword Saika in hand. He currently had the tip of his blade pressed to Astra's throat hard enough to draw blood, fangs bared in a silent snarl as he muttered, "Two seconds to tell me _why_ you interrupted me."

"I thought you would want the chance to take out your biggest enemies," Astra bit out, teeth gritting as she transformed back into her normal body. This reaction wasn't something she had fully expected in this moment, but it didn't truly surprise her. She wasn't exactly scared either, if only because she was confident he would see the opportunity and kill the _others_ instead of her.

He twisted Saika a bit, drawing more blood in his agitation, but then pulled the blade away. His gaze swept over the haggard group as they picked themselves up, some already looking ready to fight. Others were so badly wounded they couldn't stand. The sight they made earned a slight scoff, and he immediately allowed another torrent of Darkness to rage over the lot of them. Sein was fast to launch out a barrier as powerful as he could muster in such a short time with his aura, trying to hold off the attack long enough to think of a _proper_ plan.

Eyes narrowing with hate, Kaden walked over to the group with more Darkness gathering in the palm of his free hand. The chance had been presented to kill them _all_ where they stood… and he would be _damned_ if he didn't take it.

 **~保護者~**

 **9,346 words this time. Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support! He wrote virtually all of that fight scene, given that it mostly involved his own characters. :) Posted (at about 10:35 p.m.) 03-30-20.**


	64. Destruction

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this brief battle… especially for the one who never actually bothered to show up.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Destruction"**

 **~保護者~**

Dazed and in pain, Sonic staggered to his feet. His eyes flickered from one person to the next, taking stock of everyone's condition in light of the massive attack they had just suffered. Tails was unconscious, as was Vector. Cream lay shivering in agony on the ground with Sako in her arms, a tiny protective sphere being the only thing that had prevented the baby from being harmed as well. Alana and Kath were quickly picking themselves up, jumping into battle as if in slow motion with their Therian ally (Calypso, he recalled) and Locke hot on their heels. Silver and Shadow seemed mostly fine, as Sonic himself was. Li had been thrown some distance away, collapsed and unconscious while Novei was completely out of sight. Rose was clinging to consciousness with all her might, trying to push herself to stand despite her injuries. Steam was out from the injuries, but his body was brimming with the Demonic Darkness he'd absorbed purely to protect Rose. Kial was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

A thought suddenly occurred to Sonic. Where was Sein? Turning his head back around, he spied the hawk valiantly trying to hold off another attack, only to be violently slammed into the ground by seemingly nothing at all. As Sonic recovered enough to start to reach for his sword, Calypso and Kath were both batted away as though they were nothing more than mere flies. Alana was blasted high into the air, only to be violently reunited with the ground in the same manner that Sein had been. Locke soon met a similar fate. All the while, Kaden stood glaring at the four of them, pissed but not bothering to even physically engage in this conflict. The implications ran deep, and Sonic shuddered. His father wasn't even exerting himself… at _all_.

Those glowing demonic eyes drifted toward Sonic, as if aware of his attention. There was so much _rage_ in them, so much _animosity_ , that Sonic suddenly felt as though he was frozen in place. This experience conjured up similar emotions that he had experienced the first time he had seen those eyes, and yet there was something fundamentally _different_ about them now. His father had been calmer before, perhaps even outright _relaxed_. There had been none of this _anger_ before, and certainly not directed at Sonic himself. He was chilled to his very core at the sight of it.

Without warning, there was a loud _crack_. Things ceased to move in slow motion as Saika sailed through the air and stabbed through Calypso's stomach with so much force that she crashed backward through the burnt-out husk of a once massive tree. Then, just as quickly, the sword was back in Kaden's hand and a fresh storm of Darkness was raging over the group. Only, this time, Kath had a chance to react. A barrier of pure Light surged up around Sonic and his allies, shielding them temporarily from the attack and leaving Sonic in a brief state of awe. He hadn't even previously recalled that Kath _had_ Light. Something about the... Soldier of Light or something like that?

This reminder, this show of strength, seemed to have been just the excuse Kaden had been looking for to focus his attacks solely on the hawk. Fierce, relentless attacks composed solely of his corrupted, demonic Darkness made quick work of the barrier and caused it to shatter. Then a large clawed hand borne of the same energy rose up out of the ground and ripped Kath from where he had been standing. He was brutally slammed into the ground again and again, creating an ever-deepening crater, while anyone who _could_ have feasibly helped him were kept at bay by other attacks… try though they might to break through them.

Kath did his best to defend himself, once more calling upon Light to aid him, but this only seemed to fuel Kaden's rage. With one more particularly savage slam into the ground, that clawed hand engulfed the hawk entirely, hiding him from view. Darkness began crackling like lightning around him, and suddenly Sonic just had a _feeling_. Stomach sinking, he realized, _He's draining Kath of Light._

Knowing there was very little else that he could do, Sonic sprang forward and snatched up Cream and Sako from the ground. "Silver, get Tails and Vector!" he snapped. Then, glancing around, he added sharply, "And Li!" Looking pale in the face from fear, Silver offered a shaky nod and used his psychokinesis to lift the two unconscious males into the air. Then, following Sonic's line of thinking, he took Cream and Sako from Sonic and immediately teleported away with them. It was only then that Sonic realized with heart-pounding clarity that Kaden might not _let_ any of them escape. Whirling around, he saw Kaden glance to where Silver had just been… only to immediately ignore his grandson's disappearance in favor of batting aside Sein and Alana again. They were keeping his attention… for now.

Feeling sort of breathless (maybe it was just the adrenaline), Sonic turned his brother and helped him stand. "Can you fight?" he asked. "We _have_ to do something about Astra. With everyone else distracted by Dad, she could _easily_ kill someone."

Shadow pursed his lips together and withdrew a gun. Yet, even as he did so, he quietly demanded, "What do you expect to be able to do against her, Sonic?"

Now was not the time for uncertainty. Sonic had to be confident. Taking a breath, he reminded, "I have magic, too. I may not be trained, but the magic itself is still powerful enough that it could make a difference. Maybe it'll hold her off from the others long enough for the tide to turn in our favor." He hesitated before adding, "Plus, I don't know… maybe I can deliberately conjure up some Chaos for _once_ in my life."

"That would be _useful_ ," Shadow remarked dryly. Then, faster than Sonic could blink, his brother leveled a shot and fired a bullet of pure Darkness at the still figure of Astra.

Kaden reacted without giving her the opportunity to defend herself or retaliate in any way. Glaring sharply, he plowed his sons over none-too-gently with an explosion of his own deeply corrupted magic. Then, using his Darkness, he launched into the ground while simultaneously doing the same to Shadow. He didn't use nearly the same amount of force on them as he had with the others… but _damn_ if didn't still hurt.

Astra waved a hand and launched the bullet away from herself, casting several spells in rapid succession to replace the ones that Kaden had broken earlier upon arrival. She was momentarily surprised when a dragon suddenly descended on her and slammed its claws against her barrier followed by a torrent of flames. _What the hell?_ She unleashed a wave of her magic, but the woman blanched when she realized this particular kind of dragon resisted magic. All Astra could manage to avoid the next attack that ripped through her barrier was a quick roll followed by a number of threads extending from her hands and tying themselves around the creature's neck. This was all an attempt to mount the creature's back and manage to kill it off.

Elsewhere, Alana picked herself up with a soft groan of pain, then quickly hurried over to her husband. "Are you alright?" she demanded.

"Fine," he bit out, throwing himself to his feet and unsheathing his claymore. "He's got _Kath_." With this statement uttered, he launched himself back into combat against the God of Demons. Alarmed, for she hadn't seen that event take place at all, Alana rushed after him.

Sensing their approach, Kaden turned their way with his sword idly twirling in hand. Once they were close enough, he unleashed a shockwave with a swing of the blade. It tore through homes and trees alike as though they were nothing, hurtling straight toward the couple. Alana dodged with a quick teleport. Sein disappeared in a blur, throwing all of his might into a blade of aura launched at Kaden. The hedgehog sidestepped this attack before showering the pair with a torrent of sickle-like energy attacks that filled the air. He wasn't making too much of an effort to do real damage to them, that much was apparent. But for some reason, he was preventing them from getting _close_. Alana was just concerned as to _why_. There was just no time to wonder about it. Gritting her teeth, she readied herself for another attack.

Elsewhere, Rose was on the outskirts of the battlefield. She had hastily created a barrier around herself as she began healing her wounds. Her body was in horrible condition, but slowly getting better. The entirety of her mind was now focused on what part of the fight she should even _attempt_ to be involved in. In the end, she made a decision. _I have to stop my sister…_

Having finally managed to sense her energy as she regained it, Sonic hurried over with Shadow in tow. The two were injured after the attacks they had suffered, but were powering through it all for now. "Rose! You're alive, thank _god_!"

Her eyes widened and she forced herself to stand up despite her entire upper body screaming its detest of such motion. "I am. Come here," she almost demanded, focusing on healing them as well. "Are the seriously injured out of the battlefield?"

"Yeah, Silver took them," Sonic answered with a nod. "I had him take them away a little bit ago. Dad didn't seem interested in stopping him, so hopefully they're pretty far away by now."

Shadow chose to speak up. "Security cameras in Century City picked them up three minutes ago. They are _very_ far away." Sonic looked at him, confused, then decided not to ask and just nodded again.

"Who all is left? I-" The sudden realization of why she was still alive hit her and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Did anyone die?" she asked suddenly, eyes widened further.

"I don't know," Sonic answered grimly. "I haven't seen everyone yet. Silver left with Tails, Cream, Sako, and Vector, and we saw some people fighting, but not everyone. I only saw Locke once, and I haven't seen Espio, Armaris, Novei, or Steam at all."

Rose bit her lip and shook for a moment. "I see…" She felt her wounds close up finally, not fully, but enough so that she could move without opening them once more. "If you are to get involved in the fight… be as careful as you can." The woman sighed softly and glanced to where Astra was. _What have you brought upon us…?_

Ears low, Sonic asked her, "What do we do? I mean… we don't stand a chance, do we?" Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the sound of an explosion not so far away made him flinch. Shadow barely flicked an ear. He was no doubt used to such a sound, working with guns and explosives as he did. The bastard.

"None of us do. All we can do is fight, regardless of the situation." Rose's sword appeared in her hand and she glanced to the both of them. "If you do not wish to be involved… I can teleport you away. I will not ask you to risk yourselves in such a battle."

In an instinctual display of agitation, Shadow bared his fangs at her. "We are staying," he said firmly.

Sonic, meanwhile, had a different concern. Glancing nervously to a different section of the battlefield, he laid eyes on the black mass of frenetic energy that was still engulfing Kath. "What… happens if we can't get him out of there?" _What happens to him… and to Dad?_

"He dies," Shadow muttered.

A memory hit, and Sonic winced hard. _The same way Silver did at the hands of Malevolence… an empty husk contorted in agony..._

"I will do what I can." Rose didn't wait for a response, instead teleporting into the fray and locking blades with her sister once more.

Near the center of the battlefield, Sein unleashed wave after wave of aura attacks, using the energy to mimic the behaviors of all sorts of elements such as fire and water. He refused to back down no matter how many times he was knocked to the ground. Alana backed him up with a variety of attacks of her own, all aimed at backing Sein up enough so that at least a few of their attacks got through. Not that this was working… until a beam of dark purplish-black magic sailed through the air. This one _actually_ made contact somehow, much to Alana's amazement, and soon Calypso stalked into view full of quiet fury. A smile broke onto Sein's face, but he didn't dare turn his head as he continued his onslaught. All he could hope was that this intrusion could end up saving all of their lives.

Calypso appeared by their side in a flash. "That be not him," she snapped. "It be a clone, and not a high level one. Good clone expend too much energy to make and keep. He be needin' that where he at, so he send t'is. It take a few too strong hit, it disappear." This bit of hope was swiftly followed up with, "Good luck hittin' it. It may be weak for him, but it be still strong for us."

"Then we'll just _have_ to hit it. If you've got any plans, _say_ it," Sein answered quickly. "We could use a good plan here."

"T'is a weak clone," she reminded in quick tones. "It only handle so much before it be overwhelmed. Attack a lot from different side. May be enough, if we lucky."

Alana frowned. _I do not like this._ "A low-level clone or not… this is still Kaden. Surely it will take more than that to-"

Dark purple eyes tossed her a glare. "You ask my advice, I tell it. You no understand magic and clone like I do. Do as I say and _perhaps_ we will kill it in time to save _him_." She gestured vehemently with an arm toward Kath's location. Alana felt her heart sink as she focused on the place. While earlier she had been able to sense her father's efforts to free himself… now she could not. What exactly did that mean?

Sein grew starkly aware of the same thing, his entire body shifting into a form of pure aura energy. He circled around to a different side of Kaden's clone and immediately resumed his barrage. Taking his lead, Alana ascended into her own aura form and followed suit from a different angle. Pleased with their cooperation, Calypso engulfed her body in magical energy and began unleashing it upon the clone at the same time. Novei stormed back into the battlefield, throwing a tree into the mix with a rage settling over her that she wasn't used to. Purple magic encased her hands and she violently loosed every conceivable manner of magic-based attack she knew against the clone. The clone retaliated with a multitude of its own attacks but, as predicted, couldn't defend itself anywhere near to the same extent as the real Kaden could. As such, several of the attacks aimed at it met their mark.

Seeing this, Alana swung her head around to look at the trap her father was in. The Darkness there was raging a little less violently before, was a little less wild than before. Something about the sight of this renewed her capacity for hope in this situation. _Maybe we are not as doomed as it first seemed…_

Back where Rose was, Astra was violently thrown off the dragon and to the ground, forced to tumble in an effort to regain her footing. The sword fight began anew as Rose lashed out with several powerful strikes in quick succession. Above Astra, the dragon shifted into a cat that Rose was far more familiar with, still covered in scales as he descended and slammed his staff against her shield. Astra blasted him away with magic and channeled magic into a gut wrenching knee to Rose's stomach. Luckily for the Light being, she stood her ground and retaliated with a powerful blast of Light that knocked the corrupted cat some distance away. Sonic and Shadow found them too close to her for comfort and quickly moved away, knowing it would be better for all parties involved (them included) if they stayed out of this fight for now.

Kial didn't spare Rose a glance (not that it would matter for him to do so) as he tore off after Astra. He leaped into the air and shifted his body as quickly as he could into that of a water elemental, quickly throwing out several concussive blasts of water that he condensed to the best of his ability. The retaliating slash would have soared straight through him, had it not been for the magic laced within that temporarily immobilized him. His last effort to move away was a pulse of water that tossed his now prone body a few meters from the enemy.

Rose was unrelenting, allowing Light to slowly build up within her body as she powerfully tore through the magic sword Astra wielded. She sensed a magic circle appear behind her and jumped off the ground, delivering a strong roundhouse kick to her sister's shoulder while slashing through the nearly activated attack.

A malicious growl escaped Astra as she raised a hand and brought down a storm of Black Magic spikes, leaving no room for escape. She managed a pained smirk when she watched Rose suddenly release the Light she'd spent so long building up into a massive tempest that swept away the magic and began crashing back down onto the ground all around them. She took the chance and tackled Rose, using the magic enhancements she'd placed on herself to throw the now defenseless cat in front of a particularly strong current of water launched by Kial.

Seeing what was about to happen, Sonic finally stepped in. He knew he couldn't be of much use, but he could control his magic enough to formulate barriers - and do so _very_ well. So, without thinking, he rushed forward and threw up a barrier around Rose and Rose alone, making damn sure to leave Astra unguarded in the process. Then, worried again about his brother's safety, he hurried back to Shadow's position. Then, making use of his Light in one of the only ways he knew how, he made a snap decision and began rapidly healing Steam - where he was - to the best of his ability. He was no healer (certainly not like his mom or Amy), but he and Rose had gathered enough Light to revive people that he figured he could pull it off this once. Or at least he _hoped_ he could.

Rose was swift to take advantage of this, grabbing Astra's arm and (unhappily so) slamming her into the oncoming torrent with as much force as she could muster. She didn't think this could kill Astra and was certainly relieved when it didn't. However, she refused to let her guard down and used her magic to dissolve a forming magic circle while quickly maneuvering where she was able to throw out a strong series of punches that finally broke through the barrier Astra had hastily thrown up throughout the fight before throwing out a particularly vicious kick.

This sent the corrupted woman flying back and tumbling to the ground with a loud cry of pain. Before anyone else would be capable of taking advantage of her now injured state (considering her frail body could _not_ survive another hit like the one she'd taken from Rose), Astra disappeared with a quick storm of magic needles flying toward them all as an effort to catch anyone off guard.

At roughly the same time, Shadow suddenly snapped his head to the side and took off faster than Sonic could register what was going on. The dark hedgehog tore off in a seemingly random direction, but soon skidded to a stop and unintentionally dropped to his knees (damned tremors, making him fucking trip like a _child_ ) in the process. Eyes still engaged in a full scan, he quickly determined the state the person he'd found was in (not dead, that was the key thing) and then shook said person. "Steam, get up."

Steam would have reacted violently, but given the circumstances, he thought twice before doing so and very quickly found himself happy with said decision. "Shit's still going down?" He asked as he rolled onto his side and began pushing himself up.

"Yes. Astra and Father are both still fighting." Shadow stood up, ears flicking minutely as he listened to the battles taking place around them. "Sonic apparently believes you, specifically, are needed to aid Rose." He hesitated, did another scan, then corrected, "Astra has gone. She just left."

The green hedgehog got to his feet and looked around. "Fuck… sword's gone," he waved off the fact and his body began filling with Light. "Fists it is. Thanks, Shadow." He moved slowly at first, trying not to push himself too hard immediately.

Shadow turned away and began walking back to Sonic. "Do not push yourself. My brother is not a trained healer. He could not do much for you."

"No offense, but I figured that out." Before long, Steam had started running back toward the fight, intent on helping finish this before anyone was killed. When he arrived, he realized that there was something far more dire he needed to do. His gaze was trained on the sphere of Darkness surrounding Kath and he moved straight toward it while calling for Rose to come over (hoping she could hear through the sounds of the ongoing battle). The hedgehog focused his Light into undoing and pulling apart the confines holding Kath. Seemingly stirred again by this outside interference, Kath's own Light weakly rose up from within the sphere, working again to try to release him. Rose appeared as well, having heard Steam's call and immediately setting to work on releasing the hawk.

Taking note of this from her position in the air, Alana called out to Sein, "We have to keep going! It is not enough! They cannot get through!"

Sein's aura fluctuated in anger, growing more intense the longer he kept up the attacks. "Kial, get your _ass_ over here!" he snapped unintentionally. "We need all of the help we can get!"

Kial's body shifted into a lightning elemental, rushing over and throwing himself into the air to unleash a beam of his lightning at the clone. "I was already coming!" Huffing at the pair of them, Calypso unleashed another attack of her own just as Alana was doing the same. Novei's attack joined in with others. All the attacks somehow coalesced into one giant blast that rolled over the clone to devastating effect. The ensuing explosion and flare of light were terrible to behold, yet they seemed to last almost too little time. Alana dropped to the ground straight away and hurried toward the center of the blast's radius.

The dust had no time to settle before her voice rose up from its depths. "The clone is gone!" She looked around briefly, scanning the surrounding area with all of her senses, then added, "It is dead!" Sein's aura transformation faded and he dropped to the ground, quickly hurrying to where he knew Kath had been. He wouldn't relax until he knew his adoptive father was safe… until they knew that _everyone_ was safe.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,029 words this time. Hope y'all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 10:50 p.m.) 03-31-20.**


	65. Our Fathers

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in the aftermath of this battle… especially for the fathers.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Our Fathers"**

 **~保護者~**

In the midst of the struggle against Kaden and Astra, a separate private war was being waged. Strangely breathless from shock and disbelief, Espio leapt backward again and again at high speeds, narrowly avoiding a near-constant stream of attacks in the process. Hesitant to believe what he was seeing, reluctant to even _consider_ this was truly real, he found himself quietly calling out in Japanese, "Ch… Chichiue?" Another attack, another dodge. More and building dismay. "Okasan?" But there was no response, not from either of them. Nothing but emotionless, vacant stares and unrelenting attempts at his life.

Staying still was unwise. He knew this. Countless days of his childhood had been spent sparring with his parents while he honed his own skills. He knew his mother's strength, his father's speed. If he allowed them to get too near, the injuries he would suffer would be nothing less than grievous. These weren't even really _them_. Not truly. One look into their eyes had proven that much. They had been resurrected, but not in the same manner as Sonic or Silver. This was necromancy, plain and simple. Their emotions (or lack thereof), their thoughts (if they were permitted to have any), their actions… none were their own.

Logically, he _knew_ all of this.

He just couldn't force himself to _move_.

Why he was frozen like this - just like he had been as a child surrounded by fire and death in some _fucking vague_ memory that was suddenly filling his head - was beyond him. His parents, Shei and Aniko, were surging toward him with _every_ intention of killing him where he stood. The desire not to have such an experience, coupled with a spike of self-preservation instincts kicking in, finally spurred him into motion. He twisted to the left just barely in time for his mother's sword to go skimming past his cheek, leaving a nasty cut in its wake. Then, moving faster than he was ever normally forced to when not in combat with Nyokae, he dropped down just before a second sword strike (this one his father's) could make contact with him.

Knowing it was stupid to stay still like he had been, he sprang further to the side and instantly turned on his camoflauge to render himself invisible. Due to a separate part of his particular version of this power, this rendered everything he was wearing and holding invisible as well, rendering him entirely untrackable so long as he didn't make a sound. The problem was… his parents were like him. They were _shinobi_. Not to mention the fact that they, for many years, helped to _train_ him. They knew what he could do just as much as he knew what _they_ could do. Granted, anything that had changed throughout all these years would be new to them and thus hard to counter, but how much had his fighting _really_ changed? Not enough, he wagered. Why fix what was never broken, and all that…

Dammit, his mind was starting to wander again. Why was it always so fucking hard to focus when he was upset like this? _Stress,_ he recalled briefly. _This is stress._ What a useless, unwanted emotion. Of all the things he could have relearned how to feel, why _this_? Why this of _all_ emotions? But now wasn't the time to be cursing himself. Now was the time to pay attention, because his fucking _emotions_ had caused some Darkness to crackle around him like electricity. His position was given away by his lapse of control, and just like that his parents were upon him again.

The seriousness of this situation was escalating. Their attacks were becoming faster, using more of the inherent strength he knew _full_ well that they possessed. Dodging was no longer enough. Finally forced to retaliate and defend himself, lest he receive worse wounds than a simple cut, Espio gritted his teeth and lashed out at his nearest opponent. It happened to be his mother, and he winced subtly as metal clanged together once, then twice, over and over again until their swords were meeting one another with so much force that sparks were flying. Then she was moving almost as if in slow motion while he jumped backward to avoid a series of rapid sword strokes carried out by his father.

Just like that, Espio was clashing with Shei instead of Aniko, mixing speed and power as he fended off the _incredibly_ fast but weaker attacks dealt by the other man. A hard kick was enough to send Shei flying, and again Espio winced. For the first time since his youth, he found himself bowing his head and silently asking for forgiveness. Back then, such an act was only ever carried out over minor mistakes, for he had never been guilty of more serious offenses. But just now… this felt like something he needed to be ashamed of. Striking his own father in such a way, being prepared to do the same to his mother if need be…

God, something _had_ to be fundamentally wrong with him if he was thinking like this. Fucking emotions. He would have made a concerted effort to shove them all away and bury them deep, deep down where they could no longer be felt (as he normally did), had he not instead been forced to refocus on his mother. Her slower, stronger attacks could be overcome thanks to his inherited speed - not to mention his own power - if not for one simple fact.

Her _Darkness_.

Darkness that, up until recently, he hadn't even known either of his parents possessed. Darkness that now she was wielding against him, throwing him off his guard once again by simple virtue of _deliberately_ aiming such a devastating amount of the energy directly at him. It made contact before he could snap himself out of his stunned immobility, and just like that he was rocketing backward across the ground with so much force that his flight tore up said ground right up until he was finally able to get his feet under him and skid to a long halt. There he crouched, panting and clutching at his sword as his own Darkness crackled frenetically around him, raging about like black electricity. So much of it had risen to the surface, barely held back by little more than sheer force of will… but that didn't stop it from effecting him.

All at once, his hesitation, his hated emotions, his racing thoughts… all were cleared away as though they had never been. Shifting, he stood, then leaned to the side in time to avoid another potentially lethal attack. With the opportunity presenting itself to him, he plunged his sword into Aniko's stomach. Sword twisting, he used it as leverage to fling her off to the side and away from him. There was no remorse. No desire for repentance. Nothing but an all-consuming anger rising steadily from within.

Armaris suddenly slammed into the ground beside him, wielding her own blade against Shei's with an unusual ferocity as he returned to the fight. Whether the fact that she was fighting what had been her father figure for so much of her life bothered her or not wasn't showing in her eyes at this time. Though, oddly, no anger was present, nor any other obvious emotion. She had buried her emotions in the moment she realized _who_ they were facing.

Being under direct orders to fight one person and one person only, Shei essentially plowed through her on his way to his real target. Espio, hissing softly between clenched teeth, instinctively loosed a concentrated beam of Darkness at the other chameleon, which was swiftly dodged. Their swords clashed over and over in a matter of seconds following this attempted attack, soon resulting in them both being thrown backward by the force they had exerted.

Aniko was already on the move when this happened, clashing blades with Armaris in such a manner that it launched the cat out of the way. Her blade skimmed through the grass as she brought it up to slice Espio's neck in two. Espio saw this blow coming and, in a display of shinobi flexibility, quickly leaned back to a sharp degree in order to avoid her sword. Then, following his momentum, he moved into a flip and kicked her chin forcibly enough to knock her up and away from him. Shei moved in for a quick but no less fierce stab, but Espio managed once more to dodge by leaping to the side.

A wave of wispy blue magic shards spread out from where Armaris stood as she leapt toward them, sliding in low and creating a powerful updraft of wind to drag them both into the sky. However, the long-dead couple had a solution to this… by making use of their Darkness again, something they never would have done in life. Countless sickles of Darkness rained down upon Armaris and Espio, earning a series of curses from the latter as he leapt out of range.

Armaris jumped and spun quickly, unleashing another wave of her wispy blue magic to move the sickles just enough that she could slip through before sending highly condensed blades of air their way. The two chameleons managed to use their Darkness to dodge and propel themselves into the air. Just like that, Espio and Shei were at it again, this time moving about with so much speed that even Aniko couldn't keep up if she'd tried. Every time the men's swords met there were sparks and clangs and sometimes even screeches from the metal. A few times, there were even small shockwaves. One of those shockwaves broke them apart, forcing them to skid to a halt where they'd landed. Both sported fresh wounds as a result of their spat, but Shei's were decidedly more serious. Shei, after all, was almost exclusively a speed fighter. His defensive and offensive skills weren't enough to protect him here.

Capitalizing on the momentary stillness of Espio, Aniko loosed a wave of Darkness intent on crashing over the chameleon. Espio dodged mostly out of the way, but soon found himself forced back into the line of fire by a barrage of consecutive attacks carried out by Shei. Two in particular knocked Espio sideways into the wall of a shattered and abandoned home, then through it. A split second afterward, Shei dodged and allowed Aniko's attack to hit their son. There was no concern from either of them over it, no desire to put a stop to any of this. It wasn't their fault, but it nevertheless further fueled the intense rage that suddenly filled Espio as his own Darkness spilled out ever further in response to the blow he'd suffered.

Armaris threw herself in between Espio and the two other shinobi, growling as tornado-like winds suddenly raged through the battlefield. This entire fight was beginning to piss her off because they were intentionally ignoring her and going for Espio - as they had no doubt been commanded to do. Everything about that not only pissed her off but deeply hurt her for reasons she wasn't able to comprehend yet. Aniko responded by using her Darkness to blast a momentary hole through the raging winds and rush through it, bringing her blade down at Espio while Armaris parried (albeit badly due to the sheer force) the blow and threw her aside with a controlled burst of wind.

Gritting his teeth in pain, Espio rolled out of the way and back onto his feet, reclaiming his sword in the same motion. His mother came at him again just as his father did the same and, seeing how it was his only chance to escape lethal injury, he quickly kicked Shei into the path of Aniko's attack and jumped clear of the two of them. There was a momentary lull in the combat as they sorted themselves out, then just like that Espio was dodging attack after attack while also throwing in his own at every available opportunity.

Knowing this was her best chance to even _temporarily_ immobilize Shei and Aniko, Armaris snuck up from behind as quickly as she could before letting her Darkness reach out around the ground and grab at anyone that dared come into it besides Espio. Shei and Espio suddenly began fighting at incredible speeds again, moving further and further away in a matter of seconds. Armaris grabbed Aniko in the immediate moment she had, dragging the other woman into the shadows and doing everything she could to keep Aniko trapped.

Elsewhere, Espio and Shei broke apart again, only to resume their clash without so much as batting an eye. They repeated this process twice more before Espio was forced to focus on dodging for a short while. He bided his time, waiting for a rare opening to present itself and striking the very _moment_ it did. This sent Shei tumbling away from him and, expression grim, Espio raced after him.

After this, Steam appeared in what was now a clearing thanks to Armaris, quickly rushing over to the cat when she realized she was struggling to keep someone in her shadow. "What the _hell_ is happening?"

"Shei and Aniko were resurrected by that crazy cat bitch, and now they're attacking Espio! I've got Aniko here, but not for long," Armaris spat, gritting her teeth. "Do _something_!"

Steam's body quickly gained a noticeable amount of Light, but nowhere near as much as he usually would've had while readying his sword. "I'll do what I can, but I _need_ you to work with me." Armaris didn't get to respond as she was thrown off the ground by Aniko suddenly reappearing from the Darkness and striking into her blade to remove the cat from her path. She attempted to follow Espio and Shei, but was blocked by Steam who managed to block several quick blows before being pushed aside. Armaris was quick to parry a few blows before Steam managed to move back in and strike, forcing her to jump back a short distance.

An idle swipe of Aniko's sword was enough to completely halt Armaris and Steam's approach, throwing them both back before she leapt into the air and teleported away on Astra's mental orders. Steam's face contorted in immense concern as he quickly got up and began moving toward where Aniko had been attempting to go before. Armaris only managed a weak frown before she followed after the hedgehog.

By this time, Shei and Espio had already attacked one another numerous more times. Their latest spat resulted in a lot of bloodshed… but not Espio's own. Teeth still tightly gritted, he clenched his sword in his hand and approached his father where the older man lay on the ground alive but unable to move. Nothing about Shei's demeanor had changed - he was still just as under control as before, but now unable to act upon the silent commands he was receiving. Still full of unspoken and barely contained anger, Espio stared down at his father with a deep scowl. _There's no fear in him. Not even pain._ His gaze narrowed almost hatefully. _I don't like this… the emptiness of his eyes._

Armaris ran up to them and quickly folded her blade before looking to Espio. "What do we do?" she asked, her eyes now suddenly much more full of emotion than before. "We can't just… kill him, right?" Steam frowned at the sight as he ran up, stopping some feet away from the three.

There was no triumph to be gained from fighting a weakened opponent. That much was true. Yet, strangely, something Nyokae had once said to Espio rang through his mind. _"Pain… pleasure… truly, where is there meant to be any difference between the two? The infliction of pain upon others, in my experience… is an even greater pleasure than I believe you understand, love."_

Even now, with his Darkness raging inside and threatening to burst free as it already had once before, Espio found himself disagreeing with her sentiment. _There is no pleasure to be found in killing a monster who doesn't know who or even what it is._ Still… it wasn't as though they could just let Shei be. Not as he was now, lacking free will and under another's control. So long as Astra retained a hold on his mind, he was a threat… and a dire one at that. Such a dangerous individual could not be ignored. It may have been foolish to revel in such conflict, but it was even more foolish to let an enemy escape. Something had to be done.

"Let's try to find a way to break the mind control," Steam murmured. "We've got Immortals, Rose, and a lot of really intelligent people who can figure this out," he explained. Armaris looked at Espio, pleading for him to listen to this.

Espio openly scoffed. "Necromancy cannot be undone," he informed bitterly, "unless the victim or their captor is killed." There was technically also a third option, the captor relinquishing their control of their own accord, but against someone like Astra... there was no chance of that ever happening. So his point still stood. "You cannot simply _free_ them." Shei managed to shift slightly, and Espio's gaze snapped back to him.

Steam glanced away and gently set an arm on Armaris's shoulder. "If that's the case, we can't leave him around, right?" In Espio's mind, that decision had already been made for them. There was no choice here.

For once, he averted his gaze just before lashing out with his sword, then spun around on his heel and stalked away… leaving Shei now lifeless in the ash-filled, bloodstained grass. Armaris was laid on the ground, her sword unfolded in an obvious attempt to have stopped Espio… without success. The pain in her eyes was plainly visible, even more so as Steam gently lifted her off the ground and began carrying her away. He couldn't just leave her, because he knew she might not return for a long time otherwise. Though… the same could be said for Espio, that much he knew.

 **~保護者~**

Sein skidded to a stop by Kath and quickly began checking over him, worried beyond belief for the man's safety. "You better not have died on me," he murmured. No response came from the older man, though it wasn't abundantly clear whether or not he was actually unconscious. He lay where he had fallen, trembling and convulsing uncharacteristically in agony as residual Darkness crackled violently around him.

Seconds later, Alana came running over with her sword still in hand. "Sein?" she called. "How is…" she trailed off upon reaching them and seeing the state her father was in, fear tying her tongue and rendering her briefly speechless.

"Fuck, _fuck_ ," Sein muttered, glancing to Alana. "What do we _do_?" he asked quickly, concern immediately evident in his tone.

Alana was given no time to reply. Calypso was suddenly just _there_ , and she insistently brushed Sein a minute distance away from Kath. "No touching," she tersely ordered, "or you be in same state as he in a second."

He was reluctant to move at all, but his better judgement took hold and he gave a nod. "Got it…" Alana gently took him by his arm to move him to a safer distance, though she was just as hesitant to do so.

Satisfied by their cooperation, Calypso knelt down - though she heeded her own warning and didn't lay a hand on Kath. "We lucky Kaden not do worse to him," she eventually said, tone dark in a manner that was unlike her. "Corruption a hell of a t'ing. Draining Light would make it easier to let Darkness take root."

Her words took a moment to sink in. Alana stared at her. Finally it clicked and she dared to ask, "What… What are you implying?"

Dark purple eyes glanced toward the couple. "He not drain all the Light. He have chance to. He strong enough to. Why he not do it, eh? He not waste _time_ , so he have plan. What you think it be?"

"Maybe trying to just weaken our forces, but…" Sein frowned. "If he really wanted to do that, he should've gotten us killed. He could've done so, fairly easily." This all bothered the hawk, and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

Calypso made a dissatisfied clicking sound with her tongue and stood back up. "I said he no waste time. Your ears work? There no point in weaken an enemy, then leave them alive. It waste time. He not sort to do that." Alana stayed quiet throughout this, unable to conjure up a decent reply as her mind raced.

"Cere might know?" Sein asked, unsure. "I dunno exactly-" The hawk was caught off guard by a footfall behind him, followed by a hand on his shoulder.

"I believe I _do_ know," Cere murmured softly. "Calypso, are you referring to what is long past?"

The darker woman offered a single sharp nod. "I am. Least _you_ listen to me."

Sein huffed at her, only to receive a sharp flick from Cere. "Now is not the time, Calypso. You should know how… rowdy he is." Despite this, she cast a small smile. "I am aware of your efforts in the battle. Rest assured that you did well."

"Cere… why are you here?" Alana interrupted quietly.

"A number of reasons. You three, four now. My student. The child of chaos. Mostly, however, I wanted to make sure Kath was… alive. I felt awful for what I did." The Hexan closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. "I do not wish to reveal the secrets of one who wishes them gone, but I believe it has become necessary. Calypso, would you aid me by filling in any information I miss?" The Therian almost glared at her, but again nodded. A sigh escaped Cere and she began speaking once more. "Kath, when he was young, was gifted with the power of Light by Eona. However, due to many circumstances and experiences, he was led to a path where he could have been corrupted in a similar manner to Astra. He never progressed that far, of course, but the effects of all of those combined has left a mark that leaves him susceptible yet still."

Calypso muttered something in her native tongue before speaking openly to the group of them. "He lose his way on a long, winding path for too many years of his youth. We meet during t'at time. But he eventually find his way back. The wounds t'at led him to t'at path heal, but scars remain. T'ey be remnants t'at can influence his vulnerability to Darkness, like I say before."

"So, you're both worried that Kaden is trying to force Kath into a state where he can be corrupted?" Sein asked, his expression borderline unreadable for a moment.

A single nod was the only response he got for some few seconds before Cere decided to finally speak once more. "That is why I spoke to him, urged him to talk to you all about his past… Then I made my mistake." She didn't seem to let herself dwell on it long, instead focusing on the matter at hand.

Unlike her husband, Alana had allowed her expression to become completely unreadable - and stay that way. "What can be done?" she asked in that soft tone she only ever used when masking her emotions.

"Not'ing," was Calypso's less-than-optimistic reply. "'Til he get better from t'is, we can't tell how bad damage is. Too dangerous to do anyt'ing when he like t'is."

"We can't just leave him in the face of danger, though," Sein answered quickly. "That World Eater thing is coming, right? If he's not in a good state, then it's outright dangerous to leave him here, isn't it?"

Cere cast a glance to Calypso, asking her opinion as she mentally contacted Finis. Unexpectedly, her reclusive and often silent partner _immediately_ answered her in such a manner that all could hear. _"Return him to Eras."_ The woman's eyes widened faintly at this, slowly nodding.

A look of understanding flashed across Alana's face. _The Garden of Light… a place of healing for those graced with its power, and the place where Eona herself first crossed into this realm._

Sein gave a faint sigh of relief, but immediately threw himself to his feet and hurried over to where he'd last sensed someone in particular. Within seconds, he returned with Rose's unconscious and still injured form in his arms. "She needs to go as well. That fight… she did a lot."

A slow nod came from the Hexan, slowly picking Rose up out of Sein's arms. "She fought against Astra, yes?"

"She did," Alana confirmed simply.

"Then she may have serious injuries she didn't take the time to heal," Cere muttered. "I am sure they will return when they are better."

In response to the uncertainty in the air between the young couple, Calypso huffed and reassured, "They be safe there. There be places even Darkness cannot dwell, no matter how strong, just as sure as there be places Light can not shine no matter how bright. They be safe."

"You be safe as well, Cere," Sein murmured gently. "And please… make sure my dad is _safe_."

Cere nodded faintly. "Of course. You as well, young one." She didn't hesitate to teleport away, taking the two Light beings with her.

Novei lightly kicked Sein in the back. "Sappy shit."

Sein turned around and huffed. "Careless as ever."

"Says you."

"Not necessary, both of you," Kial called as he approached, wrapped in his cloak. "Though the lightheartedness is welcome in such a dark moment, we should take stock of everyone and everything while we have the chance."

Alana spoke up again, demeanor a bit distant as she drifted into her thoughts. "The wounded are still away with Sonic's son. They are far from here, but seem to be safe." While she spoke, Sonic and Shadow slowly trudged into view.

"Espio and Armaris vanished at the beginning of the fight, though I sensed Armaris' Darkness and her energies are still very noticeable. She is alive, and I believe Steam is with her. I'm not sure about how they're faring," Kial explained softly, his gaze wandering for as little good as that did. "Where is Rose?"

Calypso shot him a look. "She be gone. Cere take her to heal." There was a poignant pause before she added, "Your friend be fine, in t'at he alive. You may need intercept him before he leave."

"Understood. I'll do so in a moment," Kial murmured, his body already shifting into something vaguely cat-like before he bolted away without another word.

Steam emerged from what little remained of the burnt-out forest with Armaris still held in his arms. He teleported the rest of the way and gently set Armaris on the ground by Sein. "I'm going to go after Espio. I'm worried he's going to leave. _Please_ watch after Armaris, okay?"

"'Course, kid. Be careful." Sein flicked a wan smile his way, and Steam started to walk off. Shadow reached them at that time, but stayed silent.

Before the green hedgehog could go far, Sonic jogged to catch up with him. "Wait, Steam," he called. Once caught up he quickly asked, "What happened? We lost track of you. Where's-"

"I need to catch up to Espio. He just… had to kill one of his parents, because Astra used necromancy to bring them back," Steam explained. "I _need_ to go." Stunned, Sonic fell silent and allowed Steam to take off.

Back with the others, Alana shook off his distraction for now and knelt down beside Armaris. "Can you stand?" The cat didn't respond, seeming entirely intent on remaining curled up.

Sein shook his head to Alana gently. "Just let her be for now. I don't think she's too hurt… physically." Resigned to obeying his suggestion for now, she nodded and stood up.

Ears low, Sonic approached everyone. He looked everyone over, then said, "We should probably head back to the house… if it's still standing. I think resting might be in everyone's best interest right now.

"Yeah… at least, for now," Sein agreed. "We'll figure something out if it isn't." With a nod, Sonic traded a look with Shadow before teleporting that direction with his brother in tow. Calypso and Alana soon followed suit, with Alana gently taking Armaris and the unconscious Locke along with her.

Sein started to follow, but a whisper of energy stopped him. That whisper turned into a violent _crack_ as reality fracture appeared in the sky, sending multiple indiscernible shapes rocketing toward the ground as it did so. It vanished just as abruptly as it had appeared not even a second later. The various objects slammed into the ground with tremendous force, sending plumes of debris up into the air. Most of the unfortunate victims seemed to be inanimate objects, but one was _definitely_ giving off a familiar energy signature. The hawk once again brandished his sword just in case another fight broke out, not willing to be caught off guard this time as he approached.

Amidst all the dust and debris, Jet coughed several times and staggered to his feet, reaching blindly for his sword as he did so. Once he had rubbed enough of the once ground-dwelling ash away from his face and eyes to be able to see, he located the weapon and picked it up. Then, a bit off-balance due to the way he'd landed and the suddenness of the crash itself, he somewhat shakily climbed out of the crater he'd found himself occupying. Sein quickly rushed toward Jet, a short flurry of questions escaping him before he calmed himself. "What the hell _happened_?"

Stifling another cough, Jet pulled himself the rest of the way out of the crater and briefly stabbed his sword into the ground so that he could make further efforts at wiping his eyes clean. "I fought with Kaden," he answered shortly. "...A clone of him. I don't know what his aim was. The clone died when that fracture opened up and sucked me through it."

"He sent a clone here as well. We managed to destroy it, but… a lot of people are injured." Sein explained. "Do you think it could have been to keep you from getting back here?"

Jet frowned. "He seldom makes use of diversionary tactics," he answered carefully. However, he didn't outright deny the possibility that Sein was correct.

The blue hawk sighed softly, then managed a smile. "I'm really glad that you made it back okay. I was worried about you." Unsure how to reply, exactly, Jet just shrugged and reclaimed his sword so that he could slide it back into its sheath. A few seconds went by and Sein finally worked up the courage to ask, "How are you doing?" Another shrug answered him. Jet had gone back to getting as much ash as possible off of himself, this time focusing on his arms and legs. "Well… Locke mentioned that you've been… hurting yourself. Would you be okay talking about that?"

That made Jet stop. He was momentarily too surprised to respond, but soon he found himself thinking, _Of course he did._ When he finally spoke, he mumbled, "What is there to talk about?"

"What's stressing you out? What's been happening to upset you?" Sein shrugged softly. "It's not that there isn't something to talk about, more that I feel you just… want to avoid it. Right?" Jet hesitated, then offered another (weaker) shrug. With that, Sein continued softly. "Look. I won't make you do anything, and I can't. But I really want to be there for you, and I really _want_ to be able to help if I can. I care too much to just idly stand by, knowing you're upset, and I'm absolutely sure you understand that."

There was a drawn out, heavy pause as Jet thought that over, along with various recent events. Then, unexpectedly, he found himself almost whispering a vague admission. "I don't… like fire."

Sein nodded softly, outstretching a hand and the catching himself midway. "What about it, if you don't mind me asking?"

Another pause. Jet almost found his hands gripping at his arms again, but made himself stop this time. He hesitated for a much longer time than before, then finally said, "It's… I had… bad experiences. That's all."

The hawk gave a small smile despite that. "I'm sorry, but… is there anything I can do to help? I can't erase fire from existence, but… if there's _something_ I can do directly, I'd like to." The idea that Sein had even _considered_ trying to accomplish such a feat might have been pretty amusing in any other circumstances, but right now Jet just found himself shrugging once again. He bit his inner cheek in a (perhaps misguided, he realized) effort to prevent himself from hurting his arms anymore.

Sein set a hand softly on Jet's shoulder, taking a risk and hoping it wouldn't backfire. The unexpected contact made Jet jump a little but he didn't pull away, instead turning his head to look Sein directly in the eye for the very first time. Sein held back a few tears upon seeing his son's reaction. It managed to touch his heart _much_ more powerfully than he would have anticipated. "I'm here for you, no matter _what_. I won't let anything stand in the way." His smile grew faintly and he chuckled. "Well… some things I'm obviously not strong enough to really… well, you know what I mean. I'll do whatever I can."

There was another long silence. Jet inevitably averted his gaze before too much time had passed, but he still didn't remove himself from Sein's touch or from this moment… despite how difficult both physical contact and emotional situations were for him. Eventually, he came to a decision and murmured back, "I know." Then, much more quietly, he added, "...I trust you."

The blue hawk could barely contain his happiness, almost throwing himself onto Jet to hug him but refraining for fear of the consequences. "I'm glad to hear that, Jet." Sein took a moment to savor this brief interaction before allowing himself to grow a touch more serious. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Almost catching himself reaching for his arms again, Jet forced his hands to remain at his sides. He considered the question for a time, debating what to say or whether to speak at all, before eventually admitting, "I don't know."

Sein gently withdrew his hand, nodding. "I understand. If you ever want to talk about something, let me know. We can step aside, with anyone that you want there for any reason, at any time. Alright?"

The amount of relief that Jet wound up feeling surprised even him. He was unused to this, after all. Any of this. _All_ of this. Such a show of compassion and concern and everything else, it was just… a lot to take in, he supposed. In the past, only three people had ever had these sorts of moments with him. Moments that were… so warm. Those people were Kath, his grandfather figure in the past and - as it happened - also his _actual_ grandfather, Sonic, his best friend (though they had both once been adamantly against admitting such), and Wave. His… friend? Perhaps something more, he didn't know, but it was irrelevant right now. The _point_ was that no _parental_ figure had ever treated him this way. That Sein chose to do so now reaffirmed in Jet's mind that he had made the correct choice in choosing to trust him - and his mother. "...Alright."

"Well, for now, let's go meet back up with the others. A lot happened, and you should know. You think you're set to do all that?"

The honest truth was that he _wasn't_ , but it wasn't as though he actually had a choice. But before they left, Jet asked one last question. "...Is Sonic alright?"

"A little banged up, but he's fine otherwise. You should check on him though, since I think that fight really shook him up," Sein answered, smiling. "You could use some time with your friend, regardless." Jet took that information in, gave a vague nod, then simply teleported away toward the others. Sein smiled and let himself relax. The fear he had of upsetting his son was slowly fading, and every part of him was beaming with joy. _At least something good came out of this fight._

 **~保護者~**

 **6,267 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Couldn't do it without ya, dude! Posted (at about 11:50 a.m.) 04-08-20.**


	66. Travel On

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this extended dialogue… especially for the one who has so many questions.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Travel On"**

 **~保護者~**

Kial bounded along in search of Espio, certainly not wanting to let him get away. The large, four-legged cat he'd turned into was certainly aiding with that search, if only because he could cover _much_ more ground. He wasn't sure where the chameleon was, and as such was trying to make up for that by covering all the bases he knew to look for him. Steam, meanwhile, already knew the direction Espio went in after the fight, having gone in that direction at more of a jog. It soon proved fruitful when he found the chameleon walking, and the hedgehog slowed his gait to not much more than a walk. "Espio, can I talk to you?"

His question earned a slight scoff and then a less-than-friendly, "No."

"Look, I know you're upset, but _please_ don't take off." Espio didn't answer him, merely clutched his bloodied sword tighter and continued walking. "What are you even planning to _do_?"

That, for once, was a question Espio had no idea how to answer. As a result of this and his continuing anger, he simply muttered, "Nothing."

"Nothing means _somethin_ -" Steam was cut off by Kial suddenly appearing within view and beginning to shift back into his normal form. "Look, I can't pretend to understand what you're going through, but please don't just run off."

A fraction of a second after these words left his mouth, the tip of Espio's blade was just _barely_ pressing against Steam's throat. The sword hovered there, suspended by a thin aura of Darkness, as Espio lowered his arm and turned to face the hedgehog. "I am _not_ running," he bit out darkly.

Steam's gaze hardened at this, almost perceiving it as a threat but ultimately deciding that he shouldn't take it that way lest it make the situation worse. "Sorry for saying you were," he murmured, teleporting some distance away. Kial had a better chance in this situation and he knew it, so he had to hope that the cat could help Espio. The chameleon's sword promptly returned to his hand and he turned away again.

Kial slowly approached, face showing obvious concern. "Hey, I heard something happened. What's up?" he asked, head tilting.

If _only_ because it was Kial asking… Espio relented and revealed _some_ of what had just taken place. "Various shinobi were revived through necromancy. I killed one of them."

"Who?" the cat pressed softly. It wasn't… like Espio to be bothered with killing.

Trusted friend or not, Espio had no desire to speak to him in-depth about what was going on. He tried, perhaps too weakly, to force the matter to be dropped by again refusing to divulge information. "It doesn't matter." He resumed walking, trying to make up his mind on where to go for now - somewhere quiet and isolated where he could clear his head.

"It obviously does," Kial answered gently, following beside Espio. "You don't mind killing, so the fact that it's bothering you means that it _meant_ something to you." He frowned softly, turning his head to face the chameleon.

There was a long and heavy silence before, eventually, Espio let out an angry breath… and relented. "His name was Shei."

Kial took a few moments to remember where he'd heard the name before his head lowered in understanding. "Your father, right?"

Espio would have answered with nothing more than a curt nod, but such an action was useless, he knew. "Yes," he muttered instead.

"Damn…" The cat was quiet, as if paying his respects before lifting his head once more. "I… I'm really sorry you had to do that." Espio didn't answer him. Kial took a moment before turning to face Espio again. "But that's not all that's on your mind, eh?" Once again, no answer came. "So, I guess I'll try to tackle the elephant in the, uh… forest. I noticed your Darkness… so… yeah. I don't know what to say, but… how do you feel about it?"

Cursing internally at yet _another_ lapse in control, Espio made an effort to reign the energy in… for all the good _that_ fucking did. If anything, it only caused more to trickle out and begin trailing off the edges of his sword. "Nothing," he answered, tone sharper than he had intended. "I don't care."

"I… kinda doubt that," Kial said honestly. "You're reigning it in, so it's bothering or affecting you to _some_ degree. Otherwise, I don't think you'd try to control it." Espio just gritted his teeth and continued walking. "What is it doing, then?" he asked, then thinking to provide a more precise question added, "What's it doing to _you_ as a person?" Once more, Espio had no answer to give. How was one even _supposed_ to answer a question like that? He had no idea, which only served to fuel his irritation even as his mind somewhat distracted itself from his current problems by trying to work out this new puzzle.

Kial took this chance to try and help Espio along in answering the question. "It seems to be irritating you somewhat, or lending to you being irritated easily. I've noticed that change in the short time I've been here, since it doesn't seem to match well with the personality you've always had."

That much was true, unfortunately. But Espio opted for a neutral response as opposed to full-on agreeing. "Darkness is known to have that effect," he mumbled unhappily. His mind couldn't help but recall, in that moment, several statements Nyokae had made in the past… bullshit about his "true personality" and whatever else… but he quickly put that all out of mind for now.

"I'm aware of that much, but it's still something to note. You're not used to being so easily irritable, and I think I may be right to assume that it's lending to your agitation." Kial shrugged faintly. "I don't know enough about these energies, but I know they can have a bit of an impact on your natural personality." After a bit of silence, Kial began speaking once more. "Did something else happen while you were fighting?"

It took a bit of intense internal debate before Espio reluctantly admitted, "My mother was also there."

"...Aniko, right?"

"Yes."

Kial visibly bit his lip for a moment. _That's… awful._ "What happened with her?"

"She left." Espio was unwilling to say anything else about it.

"I see," the cat murmured. "I'll try to not bring any of that up, then. Sorry for asking about something that… harsh."

Frowning, Espio reiterated, "I don't care." _Names mean nothing to the dead. It doesn't matter who they were. He was not my father. And she... she is not my mother._

Kial didn't immediately comment on that, instead taking the time to carefully choose his words. "So… what were you doing? Just walking?" Rather than justify a stupid question by giving it a response, Espio kept on doing just that. Walking. "I mean, I know you don't do anything without a reason. You wouldn't waste time, so you have some motive, right?"

Another pointless expression of the obvious, but at least this question wasn't as blatantly dumb as the other one. Still, obvious questions earned obvious answers. "I'm leaving."

"Why are you leaving?" Kial asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

There wasn't… such a straightforward reason to provide this time. A lot of reasons were urging him to go right now. The fact that being in the ruins of his home was doing nothing but causing _constant_ upset. The fact that there were now more people crammed into his home than there were surviving villagers, and that _bothered_ him. The fact that Sako was _obviously_ still there and he still wanted nothing to do with the child. The fact that he couldn't trust himself not to hurt said child _or_ anyone else because of his _fucking_ Darkness. The fact that, like fucking _idiot_ , he still wanted to see Nyokae again, even after all that had happened. But none of this, _none_ of this was worth telling anyone. It was best kept under wraps.

"Espio... " Kial sighed faintly. "I get what you're trying to do, and you know where I'm coming from on this. Avoiding it won't really help it all. You might get away from some of the problems, but the rest will stay. No matter what you do, there's gonna be issues, and I _hate_ to say it that way. Could you try talking to me about any of it, though?"

Anger suddenly surged, and seemingly for no reason, but Espio did his best to keep his voice level as he replied. "What is there to _talk_ about?" he muttered. He didn't like this idea at _all_.

" _You_." Kial answered easily. "There's a lot on your mind, and I know you'd listen if I wanted to talk. It may be worth a shot for you to let me try as well."

"Not interested," Espio muttered, picking up the pace to put some distance between them.

"So, what about Nyokae? I'm assuming something happened recently, since she also seems to anger you?"

At the mention of her name, Espio unintentionally stiffened a little - even stopped walking. After a second, though, he shook his head and continued walking. "She made an appearance," he eventually stated, though he was far from happy to do so.

Kial frowned, speeding up his own pace to keep up. "And I assume _something_ happened, considering that her appearance might've been what sparked Armaris's Darkness before."

There was no use in trying to lie about it (not that Espio _enjoyed_ lying, anyway), so he didn't bother. "It was," he confirmed briefly.

"So, what did Nyokae do to spark that kind of reaction?"

For all the good it did, Espio shrugged. "Nyokae stabbed her in the side," he said, tone suddenly mellow for the moment. Though he wasn't sure why, focusing his thoughts on Nyokae had temporarily eased some of his frustration and whatnot. Admittedly... part of his problem might have been that they hadn't had a chance to just... be _around_ one another in some time. Granted, those moments had always been uncommon, but they had happened often _enough_. Contrary to popular belief, they didn't _always_ fight on sight. Often enough, yes, they did. Sometimes, however, they would just talk. Maybe spar. Spend a few hours in the house, not talking or interacting much, just doing their own thing in one another's company. Just... simple things like that. Things he was no longer as suspicious of as he logically knew he _should_ have been. Now, however, wasn't the time for any of this. He paused, brushing his thoughts aside, then added in further explanation, "They bickered a great deal."

"I assume she talked to you, though, right?" Kial asked, seeming to relax at this more calm tone.

Just like that, the irritation was back. _Fucking_ mood swings. They were enough to drive any person mad, surely. Though, letting on to that would only draw more questions. So, instead, he curbed his tongue and just replied with a distinctly unhappy, "Yes."

Kial nodded slowly, taking this in with a faint curiosity. "She probably said something that's been making you think a lot, or maybe just disturbed you?"

Very, very reluctantly, Espio soon mumbled another, "...Yes."

"And you probably don't wanna tell me what she said, yeah?" Actually vocalizing the things she had said, and the larger issues that her comments had been addressing, sounded profoundly _wrong_ … as though it were somehow dangerous to his well-being. So, naturally, Espio stayed silent on the matter. This actually said a lot to Kial and he gave a nod. "I won't try to get you to say any of it. What about Sako? I assume you still… don't really know what to do about him?"

"No," Espio answered shortly, frowning again. "I don't."

The cat thought, then asked, "Is it just that you weren't expecting him, or something else?" _I doubt that this is the only reason, but I gotta start somewhere._

In that moment, Espio revealed against his better judgement, " _This_ ," he conjured some Darkness into his free hand, blatantly allowing it to be sensed by anyone, "should have _ended_ with me. Not continued _because_ of me." He closed his hand into a fist, forcing the Darkness to vanish from view.

"Is that what you believe?" Kial dared to ask. "'Cause… there's a lot in that sentence." Resisting the urge to scoff again, Espio remained silent. "Then how about this. _Why_ do you think it should have ended with you?"

Unable to contain his anger for a moment, Espio rounded on Kial. "Why do you _think_?" he snapped in harsh retort.

"I want to hear your opinion, Espio," Kial responded calmly. "I don't want to go and make assumptions about something like that."

In an effort to prevent himself from violently making use of it, Espio sheathed his sword with a harsh snap! of metal before speaking again. "Something like this has no _place_. Not here, not amongst my people, and certainly not with _me_. It does not _belong_. Nothing but suffering can be left in its wake. It is something that should have died long ago."

Kial didn't move as he listened to this, fixing his cloak upon his shoulders slowly. "Is that what bothers you so much about it?" Espio said nothing and spun around on his heel to resume walking away. The cat moved after him quietly for a few seconds. "There's more to you, and more to Sako, than that Darkness. Just because you're carrying it doesn't mean you have to carry its legacy as well."

 _As if it were that simple._ But, then, few things ever were. Kial should have known this. Probably did, really, but he was too damn optimistic. At least, he was being so here. "People do not always have as much _choice_ in their lives as you like to believe."

"Armaris. She's demonic, but does she want or have to act like her demonic heritage? Couldn't you learn to control that Darkness and use it in the way you think is right?"

Espio took a steadying breath and stopped walking again. "This is not the _same_ ," he said quietly. "Not enough." Her Darkness, after all, was not fully evil. Half of what she'd inherited had been neutral. That had given her a true fighting chance. Had she been born with _nothing_ but evil within her… The outlook for those with such energies was decidedly more bleak. Vastly more often than not, they would be evil through and through, and there would be nothing anyone could do about it. His situation was complicated by the fact that his Darkness had once been entirely dormant, but who was to say the eventual outcome of its awakening would be any different than that of those whose evil Darkness had never been dormant? He, for one, did not hold out much hope that he could change his fate. But maybe that was just his newfound negativity talking. He certainly wasn't going to _let_ things go that way if he could help it, but he still knew better than to just believe everything would magically work itself out. This wasn't a fucking fairy tale.

Kial moved to stand in front of him, forcing Espio to stop walking, and frowned. "I'd like to think that you _can_ control it. You can think I'm wrong, and I won't argue with you about it, but I truly think _you_ of all people have the ability to learn how to control that Darkness. After all… weren't your parents _decent_ people, if _nothing_ else?"

"Their Darkness went dormant," Espio revealed slowly, "before I was born. I've learned… it made a vast difference."

The cat nodded briefly to this. "Then what about that? What if it's possible to have your Darkness go dormant again? Isn't that something that will keep that legacy away? And there's still the option of learning to control it regardless," Kial explained. "There are certainly people out there capable of aiding you in learning how to do that."

"You cannot control whether or not a power is dormant," Espio told him, a bit of an edge returning to his voice. After a lengthy pause, he added, "And control involves… acceptance. Embracing the power as it is." He looked away with a scowl. "In the case of an energy like this, do you understand what that means?"

"I wholly understand that, but I still believe you can control it and _not_ be evil. Not be a part of that legacy," Kial stated, a faint tinge of concern entering his voice. "The thing that worries me is you being consumed by it and losing sight of the things that you really care about."

In that moment, Espio found himself thinking that he didn't care about _anything_ , or _anyone_. And, for a moment (however brief it was), he actually believed it. But just as quickly as it happened, he snapped out of it and did his best to ignore the incident altogether. Was that another result of his Darkness being active? He didn't know, didn't like what had just occurred regardless. _Ignore it,_ he told himself. With any luck, he would have a chance to separate himself from everyone and work out his thoughts and emotions - at least somewhat - soon.

Kial realized this conversation would likely go nowhere, and it might even lead to a worse situation, so he quickly decided to change the subject. "Tell me about the things that matter to you. The things that you'd fight for."

Espio shifted to cross his arms - not in an act of anger or defiance, but more as a move to stand in a comfortable position. After a long moment, he finally said, "There is no point."

"You know I wouldn't say it without there _being_ a point. Surely you can name one thing." Kial thought for a second, then smiled. "What about some _person_? I distinctly remember that you cared about Armaris." Espio didn't openly agree with that statement but, perhaps more tellingly, he didn't outright deny it either. "What about… someone else in that group? You let Cream hold Sako, and I'm pretty sure you were protective of him. That means you trust her a _lot_ , right?"

Albeit a touch reluctantly, Espio soon huffed and said, "I suppose."

"And what about me? Surely you kinda care about me, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here, bothering to talk." Kial managed a soft grin, chuckling. "Can't tell me that you just don't care after all that catching up we did."

Another huff. Espio looked off into the distance. "Now you are being presumptuous," he murmured… and perhaps he didn't _entirely_ disagree with said presumption.

Kial flashed one of his somewhat goofy grins to Espio in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere around them more. "Says the one who won't admit he's got a friend."

"Who, pray tell?" Espio asked dryly, not serious at all anymore for the moment. "I do not seem to recall anyone specific…"

"Ah, now you're being an ass like the good old days. Making me feel old," Kial chuckled softly, smiling.

"I had nothing to do with that," Espio remarked quietly.

The cat shook his head. "I hate to kill the good vibes, but you're still wanting to leave, eh?"

There was silence for a time before Espio nodded. "Yes."

Kial sighed softly, frowning. "In the end… I can't make you stay. Trying to do so would just warrant you being more likely to just leave anyway. Though, I'll ask if you _will_. I'm sure me and you can figure this shit out somehow like we used to."

"This is nothing like what we used to do," Espio pointed out, voice still quiet. "...Nothing at all."

"Is anything anymore?"

"No."

"We learned to adapt and improvise. 'Course, we had a giant-ass wolf that made it easier, but there's nothing saying that we can't do it again. I'm sure we're both still stubborn enough to tell the world to piss off." In the past, Espio might've smirked at this assertion. Now, however, all he could muster was a shrug. "You willing to give it a shot?"

In the short silence that followed, Espio weighed his options. There were certainly a lot of reasons not to go back with Kial. Conversely… there were very few reasons to do so. The biggest of the reasons to turn his back and continue on his way spilled out without him intending for it to. "I don't want to, Kial," he found himself admitting, frowning anew. He didn't understand why he suddenly had _no_ desire to be around his friends and allies (aside from the now ever-present concern that they would be harmed by him or his enemies), but the need to get away was there. He just wanted _solitude_. How much of that, however, was actually _his_ decision? How much of it was influence from his Darkness? The fact that couldn't trust even _himself_ anymore grated severely against his nerves.

"And what about me? Surely you kinda care about me, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here, bothering to talk." Kial managed a soft grin, chuckling. "Can't tell me that you just don't care after all that catching up we did."

"Is that your honest choice, Espio?" Kial asked, all jokes and lightheartedness set aside to make way for a much more serious air around the cat. "If you can tell me that, then I won't object to you going as long as you hear me out on one more thing."

Honest or not, Espio had to stick to his choice for one simple reason. He hoped Kial would understand it without him having to explain much… because this part _was_ honest and he wasn't exactly the most comfortable with being so… open with anyone. "I need… to be alone. All these people… I can't _think_ with all of them constantly here."

"Can I go with you? I'll give you whatever space I can, but I just don't want to risk enemies singling you out just because you're alone. If Kaden comes back and decides he wants something… I don't want to know that you had to face that alone," Kial admitted openly, frowning. "That whole battle… none of us were ready for that kind of force."

Though he could very well handle _himself_ , Espio soon decided that he didn't truly mind Kial tagging along. Though he may have done poorly when in the company of crowds for a prolonged period (he supposed he was too used to the isolation of his home for his own good), Kial was… quiet. Quiet was what he needed right now. So, without too much thought, he gave in. "Do as you please," he murmured, turning away and leaning against a tree. That was all the permission he'd give.

The cat visibly was pleased by this, but quickly went to ask another question. "Can you give me just a few minutes? I want a way to be able to let the others know if something happens."

Espio had assumed as much, so he didn't protest. "Ask for a communicator."

"I'll be right back, then," Kial answered, teleporting away quickly. Surely enough, he was back within a minute or so with the communicator Steam had been wearing. "So, uh… I'd appreciate you helping me get this on. Not sure exactly… how."

Huffing, Espio pushed off of the tree and walked over. As he deftly attached the device to Kial's wrist, he quickly tapped a few buttons on the screen. Just like that, the electronics shifted and changed, reforming themselves before settling back into their positions. "It has proper buttons now. They each have bumps on them. The one with two bumps is the one to make or accept a call. Just say the name of who you're calling, if they have a communicator." He left it at that for now, since that was the most important feature, and stepped back.

"Well… should we get going then?" Kial asked. "It'll be just like when we were kids, if you're wanting to do some traveling as well."

"I don't intend on sitting around," Espio idly agreed, turning back around once more to begin walking. He opted not to openly disagree with the rest of Kial's statement this time, although there was no conceivable way that this could ever remotely resemble those peaceful days. Best to leave that unsaid for now.

Kial shrugged, moving after him. "Well… I'm not opposed to that."

 **~保護者~**

 **4,206 words this time. Should've posted this days ago, but didn't. Apologies for that, but I hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support! Posted (at about 11:40 p.m.) 04-11-20.**

 **EDIT 04-15-20: Fixed a glaring typo where Espio said something, Kial was _supposed_ to respond, and then Espio said something back. Kial's response somehow got deleted, but I recovered it and put it in. Also added the usual disclaimer up top.**


	67. Come Together

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of recovery… especially for the one who has a healthy distrust.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Come Together"**

 **~保護者~**

Sonic and the others had no sooner returned to Espio's house than Silver appeared inside with the wounded and unconscious in tow. He very gently set them down, edging away from Li in particular when he noticed the _intense_ glare he was receiving from Novei, then bent down to carefully take little Sako from Cream's arms. With this done he turned to Sonic and asked, "So… did we… win?"

"Erm… sort of?" Sonic hesitated before saying, "That apparently wasn't _actually_ Dad. It was a clone, which was destroyed. Problem is… it did a lot of damage before it was."

Silver's ears lowered. "Wish Uncle Jet had been here to help."

At this, Alana spoke up. "He has returned. He is outside at the moment." A pause, then she slowly asked, "...'Uncle'?"

The hedgehog perked up in surprise. "Oh, um… I mean, yeah. I've called him that since… well, practically forever. He and my dad are best friends, so he might as well be family to me, you know?" Alana nodded slowly. Only then did Silver think to ask, "Sorry, who are you? I'm pretty sure we haven't met."

Alana blinked once. "I am your… uncle's… mother." She shook off the awkwardness and straightened. "My name is Alana."

Though reluctant to do so, Sonic interrupted. "Hey, guys, I think Steam's coming back."

Only a few seconds later, the hedgehog in question teleported into the house and glanced around, taking stock of everyone in the house. "Kial left to go with Espio. Couldn't convince him to stay, sadly."

It was actually Shadow who first responded. "I am surprised that he lasted this long," he remarked, sitting down against a mostly in-tact wall. "He does not do well with… crowds. Nor with constant chatter."

Sonic inclined his head. "Now that you mention it… you're right. Even when he lived with Vector, he found reasons to keep to himself and in his own space most of the time." Soon, he sighed. "I guess that's irrelevant, though. Steam, why did he leave? Beyond that reason, I mean. Do you know?"

"I'm guessing there's plenty of reasons, one of which would definitely be to do with his Darkness. There's no way he's happy about that," Steam murmured, crossing his arms.

Silver appeared thoughtful. "You know… being off on his own for a while might do him some good. Help him figure things out, you know? That's what wound up happening with Uncle Jet. Guy disappeared for a _hundred_ years. He definitely suffered a lot, but… he also came back way stronger than he used to be."

Steam's arms uncrossed and he sighed. "I think it could, but him being entirely alone was definitely a hazard. He's got people that obviously have intentions with him, so having someone else around can help. Not to mention it's someone like Kial. He's got a damn good chance of being able to really help emotionally."

"Based on what Dad's told me," Silver said, "there are at _least_ two groups who want to gain his loyalty. But, why the interest? Like, why not some _other_ super powerful chameleon with Darkness? The fact that that woman exists proves there _are_ others. So why _him_ , specifically?"

"I've got two guesses, but one of which I… can't talk about yet. My biggest guess would be that it's because he's a direct descendant of the two most powerful chameleon clans. He's probably the last one out there. In a way, he's like Sonic. Born of two _already_ powerful people," Steam explained, sighing. "He's already shown signs that he's very strong, and with his Darkness waking up, he's liable to only get stronger."

"One thing that I think caught Nyokae's eye," Sonic said quietly, "is the fact that, even before he lost touch with his emotions completely for a long time there, he's always been detached in that regard throughout his life. Makes killing _scarily_ easy for him. He doesn't quite… empathize with people the way the rest of us can. Might be due to his ancestry. I don't really know. Either way, I think things like that are part of why she's so convinced she can fully turn him against us. He's already uniquely… susceptible."

A nod came from Steam. "It's something worrisome, for sure. And I honestly don't know what to do against that outside of trying to be in her way when I can."

"Fat lot of good _that's_ been doing any of us," Sonic groused, mood turning sullen. "The rest of us have tried that, too. It's obviously not working."

"But if we up the ante, she might do the same, right?" Silver asked. When Sonic answered with a grim nod, Silver let out a heavy sigh and turned to Alana. "Do you have any ideas, miss? Like… any super cool, extra awesome Immortal powers that can help here?"

His carefully controlled enthusiasm earned the beginnings of a smirk for a second, but her tone was firm… although also apologetic. "We cannot simply interfere in the lives of others for no reason, young one. Unless the balance is threatened, free will must be allowed. We can attempt to step in _without_ Immortal abilities, the same as anyone else, but that is all."

"And I'm damn sure Sein would agree," Steam answered. "Regardless, as good of an idea as that is, the other problem is that doing anything to interrupt that free will is sure to make the situation worse regardless. If anything is done to Espio, he's going to be stubborn and refuse to let it happen. If we interrupt Nyokae… her leader, and/or Kaden, _and/or_ the other enemies might _really_ try to kill us."

"Espio himself will _literally_ murder us if we try to take away his free will," Sonic deadpanned. "Trust me, I've seen people try to boss him around before and that was the threat he issued. I'm inclined to believe him when he says shit like that." Silver suddenly looked like a deer in the headlights… which might've been funny under different conditions.

"Whatever is done, he must be allowed to make the choice for himself," Shadow interjected calmly. "It is what anyone else would want. He is no different from us in that regard. Attempting to force him to do _anything_ will only bring about resistance. If he has chosen to distance himself, then we are to let him go. Right now, that is all we can do, aside from maintaining contact with him through Kial."

Steam nodded. "Best we can do. Are there other matters someone wants to bring up _now_?"

"Erm… this?" Silver gestured weakly with an arm at everyone who was still laying on the floor. "I mean… we don't have a healer. What the heck are we supposed to do for them?"

"Rose is… currently gone. Pretty sure she was taken to Eras, considering how beat up she was from the fight. She should be able to come back soon…" Steam frowned, unsure. He wasn't entirely certain what to do outside of that.

At this point, Calypso stepped toward the group with a frown firmly in place. "I can help t'is world and your friends, but I can only do once. After t'at, you are all on your own."

Alana visibly straightened and turned to face her. "You can heal Mobius?"

"I can," Calypso confirmed. "When planet heal, t'e people on it be heal, too. I can only do once. It take too much magic to do all time. It kill me if I try."

"Once is… once is fine," Sonic found himself rushing to say. "It's _fine_. Once is all we need."

Steam frowned vaguely. "How long will it take you to recover from doing this?"

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "I be fine, boy. No worry. But t'ere be risk involve. By heal planet, not only people gonna be safe. Live can be restored, but t'ose brought back from t'e hand of death be left very weak for a time. And people not _only_ t'ing t'at gonna live again. Whatever recently have life, it gonna come back."

Sonic immediately understood. His gaze swung to Alana. "Were any demon carcasses left here?"

She shook her head. "No… but those ninja were."

A few thoughts went through Steam's head before he nodded. "If you're capable and willing to do this, I can't argue against it."

Calypso gave him a stern look. "I have not finish," she told him. "I also can restore barrier around t'is place, but _only_ t'e outer one. T'e smaller ones t'ey have all over t'ese lands, keepin' t'ose savage Hollows at bay, I can no restore t'ose. I know not what sort of ancient sorcery create t'ose barriers. T'ose Hollows gonna run _free_."

Silver looked aghast. "What's… What's a Hollow?"

Sonic could only shrug. "I'm not… completely sure. Espio's never said much about them. I do know that they're some type of ancient demon, though, one that came to be directly from the Garden of Darkness just like the chameleons did. Apparently those things followed them here."

"Fairly close. They vary a lot in abilities and overall appearance, but they're all a ghostly white. They're ancient demons who kill _brutally_ and _mercilessly_ in order to steal souls that are full of agony and despair and whatever other awful feelings they can cause their victims to feel prior to death. And to put it into perspective, even _Espio_ is cautious around these guys. Even the tiny little fuckers," Armaris explained with borderline hate. "That's why they were contained in the way they were."

"If… if they're demons, then won't they be working for Gramps?" Silver asked hesitantly. "Wouldn't they… you know, not be _here_."

"He has not felt the need to call them to service, so to speak," Shadow answered. "Such arcane beasts have not been necessary additions to his legions as of yet. As such, he has left them be to grow and evolve on their own, gaining new strength without interruption." His eyes narrowed faintly. "A day will come when he will feel threatened enough to cause his stance on the matter will change. Be thankful that day is not today."

The certainty in his voice drew Sonic's attention but, for now, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he turned back to Calypso. "So, mending the world and bringing back everyone that's been killed recently… is also gonna bring back the Hollows, and we can't contain them. But is there any way that _you_ can?"

Slowly, she inclined her head. "For a time," she confirmed quietly. Then, unexpectedly, she turned to Novei. "Girl, how much your mother teach you about our magic, eh?"

"Some," Novei replied vaguely, crossing her arms unhappily. "Why?"

"Enough you can create barrier?" Calypso pressed.

"I'm not that awful with my magic," the younger Therian huffed.

"Good enough, t'en. You come wit' me. You lend your strength to barriers, maybe t'ey not fall while we sleep." She started toward the door, paused, then said to the group, "Be patient. T'is take small bit of time." With that, she strode outside.

Novei started to move toward the door also, then cast a vicious glare at everyone in the room (Silver let out a tiny _eep!_ when he saw her face) besides Alana. "Touch Li and you won't have arms anymore." She waited for no responses and went along to follow her aunt.

Silver started to open his mouth to say something, but Shadow cut him off. "I would heed her words, if I were you," he murmured, closing his eyes.

The aptly-named silver-furred hedgehog almost pouted. "But psychokinesis doesn't involve _any_ physical contact."

Sonic stared at him. "Do you really want to risk it? Because if you do, I am _so_ not saving your ass."

"But- But- I was _just_ revived!"

"Then I suggest you behave and maybe you'll survive longer than a _day_."

"She's not someone you should piss off," Armaris huffed. "Don't so much as go near him or you might end up getting hurt worse than Li."

"Speaking of dangerous people with tempers…" Sonic smirked, turning toward the door. A second later, Jet landed on the porch outside and walked into the room. "Nice of you to finally join us. Get lost?"

Jet glanced at his friend, gave said friend a light shove, and then crossed his arms loosely. "You can shut up at _any_ time," he blandly remarked.

By now, Silver was already grinning like a fool. "You're back!" he exclaimed in glee. Then he swiftly added, in true Silver form, "And your cloak thing and sword are _awesome_! Is that actual gold?" Jet huffed a little in amusement but didn't comment.

Sein chose this moment to finally follow Jet inside, walking in the door with a faint smile. "Good to see people in decent spirits."

Alana took stock of the mood her boys were in and soon wore a small smile of her own. "You two seem… happy," she murmured, walking over to him. As she did, Jet indulged a few of Silver's excited questions with some brief (but endlessly patient) answers while Sonic looked on fondly.

"Yeah," Sein answered, a small grin on his face. He walked closer and stood next to her. "We had a good talk. It went really, really well."

Her smile could only grow at this news. "That is good to hear. I had begun to worry when he seemed… so hesitant to attempt any bonding with you."

A nod was given in answer, the hawk glancing around. "Me too, but it seems that he's warmed up, at least a little." Sein's attention fell on Steam, who was currently asleep off to the further side of the room. "Think Steam will be okay? He and Rose put themselves under a lot of strain."

"He will be," Alana easily confirmed. "Although he is a rash youth, much as you once were, he is also strong. Rose is as well, and she is also in a place of immense healing. They will both be just fine." She paused, then added, "Calypso is… preparing to use her magic to heal this world, and everyone within it. Every _thing_ within it. I believe that means that Steam and the others will be healed as well."

Sein nodded with a gentle smile. "Glad to hear it. Though, there's some wounds that I know her magic can't heal. Armaris dealt with something really serious, and I think Ylden needs to show up to help her through that."

"She does appear to have suffered emotionally from that fight," Alana murmured. "Perhaps mentally as well. But I do not know what took place."

"Could've been a few things, honestly. Do you think one of us should get her dad though? I know they're definitely not super close… but I think she needs someone that isn't… anyone here," Sein murmured.

"It is worth a try." She paused, giving Sein's words some thought, then frowned. "Her and Espio… they _are_ very close. Do you think he attempted to bring her harm again?"

"Maybe… I _hope_ not, but there's no telling. She's hardly interested in talking, and asking would likely make it worse."

"It would, yes."

One more glance around the room seemed to satisfy Sein. "So, what do we do now? That World Eater is still coming, and I don't know if we're prepared at all."

Jet's gaze snapped over to Sein. " _What_ did you just say?" he demanded in a voice so chilly it made Sonic's ears drop on reflex.

"Kath warned us that a demon called the World Eater is coming. Do you know anything about it?" Sein asked.

Several Babylonian curses escaped the younger hawk (most ancient but a few distinctly more modern) as he stalked toward the door in frustration, but he ultimately paced back toward the group. Letting out a breath, he said, "It is as the name implies… a beast that devours worlds. It bores its way through to the core of planet - or, in the case of worlds that the da Asani created, the Planet Egg - and consumes it, killing the world. It then eats whatever remains. Kaden, essentially… _tamed_ it many eons ago, and it has done nothing but rest ever since."

Silver audibly gulped. "Something that size… has _gotta_ have a hell of an appetite by now. ...Right?" Jet only nodded.

"How do we prepare for this?" Sein asked. "There's gotta be something we can do."

Jet was openly scowling now, a fact which only heightened Sonic's sense of dread. "We cannot." He paused long enough to give Sonic a mild heart attack, then added, "Wave and her family… _they_ can."

"Why her and her family in particular?" The blue hawk asked, confused. The fact that an _Immortal_ couldn't prepare for this certainly bothered him to some degree.

In turn, Jet asked his own question. "How familiar are you with races outside of this realm?" That gave Alana pause, and she stopped to think about that. She soon found her apparent knowledge on this subject… pitifully lacking. But, then, hers and Sein's training had been far from complete by the time the destruction of their home had interrupted it. Sein shrugged, indicating he didn't have much information on this. Taking the hint, Jet continued. "There is a realm that bears no true name. Most outsiders refer to it as the Lost Hex. It is a realm of pure and untamed magic that you simply cannot and _will_ not ever find outside of it. Their people are born of this energy, just as ours are born of aura. They embody it, but most importantly they _control_ it to a degree that would be impossible with other magics."

Sonic pursed his lips together. "What's… What's any of this got to do with-"

"Let me finish and I can _tell_ you." Sonic wisely shut up, so Jet continued. "Creatures born near to this realm are vastly different from one another, but all share one strange trait. They are weak to the intense magical energies they were so close in proximity to at the beginning of their lives. The World Eater is an example of that. It is powerful enough of a beast that this is the most reliable method of taking it down."

"So we _need_ their magic to be able to kill or subdue it?" Sein asked, wanting to make sure he was following along. Jet nodded once. Sein frowned, then thought to ask, "Where _is_ Wave?"

"With her father," Jet answered. He was vague at first, but immediately relented and gave more information. "Their realm has also been attacked recently. She wanted to make sure he and her brother were safe, as well as ensure their realm was not damaged or in danger of collapse."

Sonic blinked several times. "Han and Alec are still around, too?" He broke out into a smile. "That's… _great_. I wonder how that little guy is doing. Alec never did get any older while I was still around."

Jet managed a fleeting smile… but only barely. "He is not so little anymore, Sonic. Even Hexans do age."

"Anyway," Sein interrupted softly. "Jet, can you get Wave to return? If we need her, then we need to try and be able to form a plan with her."

"I will contact her."

Sein nodded gently. Silver spoke up before the hawk could say anything more. "So, I hate to interrupt, but I have a question." He nodded toward Locke. "What exactly happened to him? He's strong enough that he should've been fine throughout that fight, yeah?"

"Well… normally. This is just a guess, but I've had a suspicion lately that he's actually a lot more tired than he's been letting on." Sonic crossed his arms unhappily. "I have no idea when the guy last rested, let alone rested _properly_. He looks a lot like how I used to look when I barely ever slept, almost never even so much as laid down. I did that for years, and he looks like he's been doing the same shit." _Even though he lectured me about it pretty firmly… back in Apatos, I think. Not too long after he, Mom, and Dad were all revived for the first time._

Jet decided to speak up again. "Locke has been one of the most constant fighters against Kaden and his legions for an incredibly long time. That does not leave time for rest and leisure. Particularly not when Kaden has been after his life for just as many years." This revelation made Sonic cringe. He could barely stand the thought of his dad and practically-his-other-dad doing this to each other…

"That, coupled with the savage method in which Kaden attacked him," Alana said, "is why he lost consciousness. However, he will be alright. He merely needs rest."

Meanwhile, Sako started to fidget in Silver's arms. Silver began gently rocking him in an effort to soothe. "Sorry to change the subject - erm, again - but what do… what do we do with this little guy?" he asked no one in particular. "I hate to say it, but Espio doesn't seem inclined to… you know…" He trailed off.

Eyes on the baby, Jet murmured, "For his own well-being, he will need to be with a member of his family. Chameleon babies are no different than those of other species in that regard."

Sonic pursed his lips together. "I'm not sure how… possible that is right now." The room grew quiet, but then he suddenly recalled the incredibly brief conversation he had had with Steam during the latter portion of the fight earlier that day. "Wait, actually-" His gaze swung to Armaris, but he didn't speak directly to her. "The shinobi that died recently are going to come back. That means Espio's dad is coming back too. Steam said both of Espio's parents were among the ninja who were brought back with necromancy and mind controlled. Only, they fought with Espio and not the rest of us. He also said that his dad… died again."

This made Shadow frown. "His revival will be dangerous, then."

"Actually, no," Silver corrected. "Mental powers don't work like that. No matter what we do to a person's mind, it all stops when we choose to make it stop, when we die, or when whoever we're affecting dies. Even reviving them won't mend the connection. The fact that his dad died again means he'll be free from whoever used necromancy on him. He just won't remember anything that happened when he was still being controlled."

"Just shut _up_ ," Armaris muttered, moving to her feet and crossing her arms. "Even if he was still being controlled, I'd handle it." Despite the conviction and agitation her words carried, there was a note of uncertainty and unease that pervaded her voice. The cat sighed. "I'll find him before he can wander off or cause problems."

Her movement toward the door was punctuated by a gentle shockwave, accompanied by a soft whooshing sound. All pairs of hedgehog ears perked up. Silver looked around. "Uh… what was that?" His question was answered in a second when the wounds on their friends suddenly began to close. In that moment, he understood. "Oh-h-h… okay. It's the magic. Got it."

Jet glanced outside, then idly waved a hand. A barrier formed around everyone in the building (aside from himself) once all the wounded were fully healed. It became clear why when a veritable tidal wave of magic rushed over the area, the house included. The barrier wasn't truly necessary, in truth, but it protected the group from having their senses temporarily wiped out in response to all of this. However, those barriers were soon let down as the magic faded away, taking all of its healing properties and light with it. As Sonic and the others looked around, blinking to clear their vision, they soon discovered that the house was fully repaired. Not only that, all of Espio's furnishings (few though he actually had) were restored. A quick peek around proved that his bedroom was back in order, too. Even the compartment in the wall containing food and medicinal items was just as it had been before. Sonic whistled lowly. "Impressive."

Armaris blinked a few times and decided she didn't care to comment on any of what had just happened. She had barely been hurt, and as such couldn't bring herself to really regard the magic. Instead, she vanished into her shadow and out of the house. Sein had been watching this whole thing with a frown before suddenly seeming to register that his wounds were gone, blinking. _And she did that to the entire world? Damn… I don't know if me and Alana could do anything like that at this stage._

As the once-unconscious members of the group stirred, Silver stooped to offer Tails a hand and help him up. Being close to Li, he considered helping him, too, but thought better of it. "Sorry dude, but my arms were threatened with extreme violence if I touched you, so you're on your own getting up." Unable to help it in spite of his confusion (seriously, what had _happened_?), Tails sniggered. He then somewhat shakily took hold of Cream's hands and pulled her to her feet.

Li waved it off with a faint movement of his hand, pushing himself to stand and looking around. Panic raced through his person as he realized people were missing, and he quickly turned to Sein who only smiled. "Where ar-"

"Everyone's alive. Novei and Calypso are working with their magic, while Kath and Rose are both in Eras healing from the battle. Espio and Kial left together, and Armaris is going to find someone for us. That answer your questions?" Sein laughed gently, watching as his friend's expression went from panic to immense relief. At about the same time, Vector groused and grumbled but stood with some help from Sonic.

The wolf sighed, shaking his head. "That scared the shit out of me…"

"I imagine," Alana murmured, openly sympathetic for once. Then she admitted, "We were _all_ frightened." Her admission of inclusion in that group was vague, but there.

Tails gave voice to his confusion. "So, uh… what happened?"

"That was apparently just a clone of Dad," Sonic told him. "It's gone now. All those ninja that were attacking us were brought back through necromancy, though they were defeated since whoever was controlling them did so pretty sloppily. They should all be back in control of themselves now."

"And," Silver helpfully continued, "that Calypso lady and that scarier girl, Novei, just used magic to heal _everybody_. All of Mobius in fact." He went on to fully explain everything else to Tails, Vector, and Cream while Sonic just listened in amusement to his excited ramblings.

Li blinked a few times and frowned in Silver's direction. "Hold on, scarier gi- Did she threaten you already?"

"Erm. Yeah." Silver gestured downward with a little nod for emphasis. "My arms, remember? Pretty sure they'll be _totally_ gone if I go anywhere near you." Though he laughed it off mostly, he also pointedly edged away a few tiny steps.

The wolf groaned and put his face into his hands. "Dammit, Novei… You don't have to threaten them."

"For once, I cannot completely blame her," Alana told him gently. "We will never hear her admit to it, but I believe she has been worried for you."

Sein coughed softly into his wrist, only to get cuffed by Li with a huff. "Hey, I wasn't gonna say anything!" the hawk protested.

"That's bull and you know it," Li muttered, narrowing his eyes. "You've been on a kick lately and you were _definitely_ gonna continue it."

"You two are acting like children," Jet murmured distractedly, eyes still on the world outside. However, after a second, he amended what he'd said. "...Even children do not always bicker over as many pointless matters as you do." Sonic choked back a laugh, especially when he remembered how Jet's _own_ children had used to fight.

Li rolled his eyes softly, amused. He glanced to Sein when the bird looked as if he was gonna comment. "You'll dig yourself a bigger hole."

"Sein, you would do well to listen to him," Alana told her husband with an arched brow.

"You guys always assume that I'll make a situation worse when I open my mouth," the other hawk muttered, crossing his arms.

"That's because you _do_ , Sein," Li answered easily. "So, be quiet or make the situation worse than you already have."

Sein looked like he wanted to protest, but relented and sighed. _"Fine." Not like I wanted to talk anyway. Hmph._

 **~保護者~**

Armaris stalked throughout the forest, remarking internally that the plant life and trees were now back to normal. This fact lightened her mood just slightly, but nowhere near enough to replace her currently negative outlook. Her weapon was clutched tightly in her right hand as she moved along, ready to cut into anything that attempted to attack her. The cat was starkly aware of not only the newfound natural life of the forest surrounding her, but the noticeable number of Hollows was worrying. _Of course they're around._ As she would have when she was far younger, she made sure to stay clear of them all without fail. It would be no less than hazardous for her to be engaged in a fight with one.

The cat came across the area she and Espio had been fighting Shei and Aniko, then traveled the distance that she remembered going before Espio… Her thoughts jumbled at remembering that, a wave of emotional pain washing over her. She fought harshly for control of herself, only for said control to be ripped away when she realized Shei wasn't there. An almost audible grunt of frustration escaped her as she wracked her brain to try and think of where the hell he would have gone before it hit her. He would have gone to where Hyale used to be.

Armaris rocketed in that direction immediately, vividly remembering that Calypso had mentioned that those who were brought back from the dead would be weak for a while. A level of fear overtook her and she increased the pace, refusing to let any more harm than necessary befall him. She arrived at the ruins of old Hyale in a relatively short time, sliding out of her shadows and skidding to a stop on her feet. Her blade was still held tightly in hand, but she was repressing the urge to swipe at any sound she heard just in case it was _Shei_ and not a Hollow.

At first, everything was quiet within the formerly thriving tree-bound village. Much of the ruins had long been taken over by nature or destroyed by it, but some of the homes remained more-or-less in-tact within the branches that had for so long held them. Espio's childhood home was among them, and from within the ancient scorched building came a soft _shhh_ sound as something was slid across the floor of the front room high above Armaris's head. Then there was a low _thump_ as it was set down. Or perhaps even dropped. Everything went silent again after that. Armaris was quick to leap up, climbing the tree and pulling herself inside with her eyes narrowed and stance low to the ground. If it wasn't Shei, she wasn't going to think twice about killing them. However, what could he even be looking for here?

Her arrival caused the person inside to twirl around with surprising speed and grace, given the circumstances. He looked the same as he had earlier in the day during the fight (even down to the blood on his person), and was still wearing the same black boots, pants, long-sleeved shirt, and mouth-concealing ninja mask. Dark purple skin nearly allowed him to be hidden in the shadows of the long abandoned home, but once those onyx eyes fell upon Armaris any desire to _actually_ conceal himself vanished. Shei visibly relaxed and quickly gestured at her to do the same. He stood from his own crouch, removing his hand from his sheathed sword in the process. Armaris hesitated (and very obviously so) with her grip tightening on her sword and her pupils dilating. "Why are you here?"

His gaze searched hers for a long moment before he turned and gestured to the floor. The fresh scrapes on the floor showed where he had shoved away a large plank of wood that had been concealing what remained of the table they'd always had in this room. On that table, there had _always_ been a framed photo, the only existing one of their family. Shinobi weren't normally ones to keep such sentimental items, but upon seeing his home in such a state… he had immediately begun to search for the photo. He had no idea if it was the only damn thing left of his wife and son, but even if it wasn't…

Armaris slowly pushed herself to stand straight, a frown on her face. _That Astra bitch wouldn't care about anything here. Which means… he's in control. Not her._ She nodded and vanished into her shadows to look around, just in case it wasn't in the right spot. Knowing Shei was himself certainly helped to ease the edge off her already frayed nerves. Taking the cue that it was safe to continue, Shei moved more ancient debris around until he uncovered the frame. Upon doing so, he immediately realized that it had already been opened up and had the photo in question carefully removed. Frowning, he eyed the object for a long moment before setting it down again and stepping away.

With this matter more or less taken care of, though not with the end result he'd hoped for, Shei (who had always been mute), tapped lightly on the nearest piece of wood to get Armaris's attention. The cat was quick to reappear and fix him with a questioning look. He responded only by gesturing at the empty frame. She frowned softly and raised an eyebrow at him, shrugging softly. Shei was forced to admit defeat and opted to change the subject. With quick hands, he signed a simple question. _"Are they alive?"_

Armaris frowned at this. It wouldn't be an easy question to answer, and her expression certainly told that much. "They're both alive, but… Aniko is in a particularly unusual situation." He gave her a look that pretty much demanded an explanation. "You and her were both dead, and then brought back to life with necromancy by a woman named Astra. She had control of the both of you, until Espio killed you. Someone used magic and brought back dead people on Mobius and now here you are."

Well, that explained the blood, and probably also the strange fatigue he felt. It didn't, however, answer the more pertinent question at hand. _"Where is Aniko?"_ he signed in response. What Armaris was implying was clear already. He supposed he just needed to directly hear it in order to believe it.

"We are _not_ going there. I will _not_ let you get killed or worse," Armaris vehemently replied, glaring. "Absolutely _not_."

Shei didn't back down. He remained firm and steadfast. _"Tell me where she is. I will not sit here and do nothing while she is in danger."_

"She's not in _any_ danger because she has the God of Demons protecting her." That struck Shei as the precise _opposite_ of safe, and the look he gave Armaris communicated this thought quite clearly. Armaris shook her head and bit out, "She's being controlled by Astra, and Astra will not let her die. She also has use to the god, so he _definitely_ won't let something happen."

Irritated with this response, Shei made an unhappy clicking sound with his tongue and turned his head away from her. He took a few moments to just think and let the full weight of everything he'd been told sink in. Only then did he finally ask, _"Where is my son?"_

"He left with a friend. He's more or less okay, but-" Something clicked in Armaris' mind and her mood flipped quickly. "You didn't tell him a _damn_ thing about having Darkness, _did_ you?"

That caused his full attention to snap back to her. After a notable pause, he signed back at her with slow deliberation, _"That was not my choice."_

"Why did you two not _tell_ him? That has led to a _lot_ of problems lately," she snapped before realizing what was happening and moving back a bit.

The implications of her words were dire, but her concerns had to be addressed before this could be. _"His mother, his senseis, and multiple village elders believed it was in his best interest not to tell him,_ " he answered with a frown, gaze drawing inward. _"Aniko and I discussed it at length, and she decided that she agreed with them. I did not, but agreed to support her decision until such time that it was proven that he needed to be told. That time simply never came. We believed he was safe. That was all we wanted."_

Armaris' fists clenched at this and she so desperately wanted to hit something, to break something near her to vent her frustrations but nothing could bring her to damage the house she'd grown up in. She bit back her anger enough to respond with agitation evident. "His Darkness isn't dormant anymore. It's starting to cause a lot of problems, like I said."

Shei immediately answered with a simple demand. _"I need to know the extent of it."_

"There's a lot to cover, and I don't _know_ the full extent. I can only give some details, then I'll have to have someone else explain later. Is that fine?" Shei nodded. "He's been moody, slaughtering people without hesitation en masse, he's nearly attacked me and was willing to kill you earlier. Oh, and there's some piece of shit who's trying to sway him to their side, which is the woman that's causing most of this fucking _shit_."

There was a bit of a pause before Shei replied to her. " _Who is the woman?"_

"Her name is Nyokae," Armaris answered.

 _"What else do you know about her?"_ Shei asked, determined to learn as much as he could about what they were dealing with here.

"She's strong and fast, for sure. I didn't really have time to react to a knife she stabbed me with. Nyokae has some sort of relationship with Espio, most _likely_ romantic to some degree. And she's allied with some really ancient and powerful enemy," Armaris explained. Already, her anger was ebbing slowly.

While all of this was important, undeniably, Shei found himself focusing on one detail in particular. _A romantic relationship with someone like that… Perhaps it was inevitable. Such a match would have been inevitable, once upon a time, when the clans still thrived. It is the sort of relationship we are naturally drawn toward._ Pursing his lips together behind his mask, Shei signed to her, _"Have markings appeared on him yet?"_

"Only one at this point. They seem to have all disappeared except for the one."

He understood. His son was sporting a clan marking now… or, more likely, a combination of two, given his mixed heritage. This was _far_ from ideal. Unhappy with this whole situation, he signed to her again, _"Where is Espio?"_

"Don't know," she answered. This served to make Shei even more unhappy, and he started for the door. Armaris didn't hesitate to follow after him, slowly sinking into her shadow. Not paying this too much mind, Shei jumped back down to the ground far below, landing in a neat crouch in the lush grass. Only, a fresh wave of weakness and fatigue hit him right in that same moment, causing his balance to fail him and him to awkwardly tipped over sideways until he was able to catch himself on the tree. He'd been fine while just standing, but his sudden movement was apparently too much too soon. This evoked an immediate reaction consisting of a frown and some choice words that he could never have the pleasure of speaking aloud. Armaris stared at him from the darkness before melding into his shadow, watching him curiously. "Are you okay?"

There was no point in trying to play this off (and besides that, lying was dishonorable), so Shei simply told her, _"Tired."_

"Then don't resist," Armaris said as she drug him into the shadows with her. "I'll move us both along." Resistance was clearly futile, so Shei relented and let her take charge. He realized she likely wasn't going to take him where he wanted to go, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. All he could do was wait and see where they would wind up.

 **~保護者~**

 **7,052 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support! Posted (at about 5:20 p.m.) 04-12-20.**


	68. Blackest Night

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these two confrontations… especially for the one who has a change of plans.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Haha, I'm sorry! XD Yeah, he really did wreak some serious havoc there. Poor Sonic and the others, they're pretty helpless without his mom. Hopefully she heals fast... :( Yeah, Espio's... not doing so hot, to put it lightly. On the one hand he lacks the capacity to be bothered _as_ much by killing Shei as most others would have been in his position, but on the other hands... it's still awful. As for his Darkness consuming him... unfortunately, it's doing a pretty good job of that so far. Anyway, on a _much_ lighter note, I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying the story so far! That always means so much to hear. :) Thank you for all of your support, and do your best to stay safe!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Blackest Night"**

 **~保護者~**

The uproarious sounds of combat seemed to vanish as Kaden prowled into the dark chamber where his enemy waited. He had beaten through her armies enough to force a direct confrontation, which was precisely what he intended to do. And he knew she was here. Separated from the rest of this realm though her black mist-filled throne room was, he could see her sitting there on the throne in question. She smiled at him, elbow propped up on an armrest and her cheek in her hand. "Nareish," he snarled in lieu of a _proper_ greeting.

Nareish grinned fleetingly, just long enough to reveal the whites of her teeth. "Kaden," she purred in a tone that he loathed. "Here to avenge your son, I take it? And here I thought that demons do not care."

He glared at her. Hard. "I do not," he responded icily. "This is not about _him_."

"So you intend to settle old scores? To take your revenge for your poor lost demons?" Her eyes scanned his face. "Or is there something more to this little visit, hm?"

"If a fool dies, he dies. I take no pity on the weak. They are more useful to me dead and used as fodder for my legions then alive and in my goddamn _way_." His grip shifted on his sword, prepared to attack. " _You_ are in my way."

"Come to stop me?" she asked. When he moved closer, close enough to cut her if he lunged forward just a couple of feet, her smile grew. "I'm afraid you will not have much luck in that endeavor."

"Afraid…" Kaden repeated softly, testing the word and finding it distasteful. He gave his sword a sharp twirl in his hand. "No, you are not. You are bold, overconfident, _stupid_. But you are not afraid. Although… you _should_ be."

"Of you?" Her head tilted slowly, a coy smile playing at her lips. "I think not."

Dimly glowing eyes narrowed. "Do you think your tiny emotions, your foolishly contrived plans will _matter_ once you cease to exist?" he challenged her. "The Void has already swallowed realities far more vast than you seem capable of comprehending. _You_ are nothing compared to it."

Nareish laughed. "Concerned, are we?"

His sword shifted to point at her throat. "You stand in my way," he growled.

"Oh, I am aware of what you are doing, Kaden," Nareish assured gleefully. "I know what you desire. That ancient power… I will not deny you it. In fact, I am quite curious to see how events unfold."

Fangs bared. "I will not stand here idly and allow you to _let_ me do as I please."

"Then by all means… stop me," she invited with an idle wave of her hand.

Her words were a bait. He refused to rise to take it. His own words were colored by a low, continual growl as he tightened his grip on his sword. "I think not." Slowly, reluctantly, he lowered his blade. The briefest flicker of surprise poked through her normally unruffled demeanor, but she was just as quickly back to smirking at him as though unconcerned about anything at all. He turned to stalk out of the room. "The Void will devour you soon enough… no matter how _prepared_ you think you are to prevent it. And when it does…" he paused, looking over his shoulder to aim one last glare at her smug face. "I intend to _watch_."

For once, her smile faded. "Do you have even the slightest inkling what I intend to do, Kaden?"

"Do _not_ call me by my name, woman."

"Have it your way, then. But I await your answer."

Kaden turned back around. He regarded her through narrowed eyes for a time before simmering down enough to reply. "Rumors spread like blood," he muttered. "I already know what you are doing, what you are attempting to accomplish,"

"Then why resist me so?" she asked him. "As I said… my vision for a new reality does not include ridding it of you, or your kind."

Baring his fangs again, Kaden moved closer in a slow and predatory manner. "Time and again, you have invaded my territory seeking _allegiance_ ," he reminded her, tone dripping with venom. "Every time you come, your soldiers die before you. And yet you keep gathering new allies, launching new assaults… I am not sure whether to applaud you… or continue to think you stupid."

The smile returned. "Every action of mine has a purpose, Kaden. You and I are not so different, in that regard."

He snarled at her once more. "You think you will gain a powerful new ally, but you will not. Pain is all that is here for you… and I do not make deals with _filth_."

"There is more waiting for me, for both of us, than the hand we have been dealt by the Faein. What I have is not a dream. I intend to turn it into a _reality_." Nareish finally sat up straight and set her arm in her lap. "You and I… we want for the same thing. An existence filled with nothing but Darkness. A place where those who do not belong suffer and die while we grow ever stronger." His right ear flicked faintly and his arms crossed. Her smile grew. Seeing that she had his attention (however slightly), she turned her palm over, revealing some tiny creature that had appeared in her hand. "When a creature is so weak as this… it is a pleasure to watch it die. She then proceeded to crush it into dust that idly drifted toward the floor. "Do you not wish to do the very same to Jet? To Locke? To every other wretched soul who has ever defied you?"

Though her assumptions were bold, almost too much so, Kaden merely bared his teeth at her again. "You ramble," he said softly. "Find your point before my patience runs out."

"Whoever survives our passing does so only by our consent" she responded. "That will never change. What will change… is that minor _irritations_ such as the Immortals will cease to be."

Just like that, whatever vague flicker of interest he'd had was lost again. "Such a rousing speech…" Kaden glanced behind him toward the outside world, ears keenly attuned to the sounds beyond this room. "But it would seem that most of your comrades are no longer alive to _hear_ it."

"That matters not," Nareish answered, not a trace of concern in her voice or demeanor. "There are others where they came from. There will _always_ be others. You, however… I'm afraid I cannot replace _you_. I would so _hate_ to have to kill you, given how much I enjoy what you do."

"You assume you can end my life?" he challenged.

She raised an eyebrow. "You believe you can end _mine_?" she challenged in return.

"Your spawn will inherit the wounds I leave on you…" he snarled.

"An interesting point," she smirked. "But I am afraid I can inflict much the same damage to you as well. I believe this means we are at a bit of an impasse." When he didn't answer her, she leaned forward in her seat, resting her arms on her knees. "Death rides the winds, little demon. Can you feel it yet? From the space between realms it comes, hungering for death and destruction… You can resist it, if you'd like, but I cannot advise it. It will not end well… for you or your goals."

Kaden scoffed at her… but turned away. "Do what you want, witch," he growled. "I do not care. But stand in my way again… and I will have your _head_."

Laughing, she leaned back in her chair. "I look forward to it."

Seething but silent, Kaden vanished from the room. It seemed that there was a great deal he had to do…

~保護者~

Things were quiet until the crunch of fresh grass beneath boots intruded upon their ears. Espio looked around in silence, unsure what he was expecting to find but managing to be vaguely disappointed regardless. He had to admit… he had hoped that the Hollows would stay dead. Fortune wasn't exactly smiling down upon them though, or so it would seem. Nature and people were restored, but it seemed that had come with a price.

Keeping low to the ground, Espio slunk back to where he had left Kial. He slipped past a newly-repaired grave-shrine contained within a very small temple. It was a burial site for an ancient warrior, and this was said to be where she had died. Perhaps the old remains of such a strong individual was why these soul-eaters were prowling around this area in such numbers. But, then again, maybe that was only part of a larger problem.

Whatever. He didn't care why they were here. That they were was reason enough for him to keep his sword in hand. "Kial," he called quietly to get his blind friend's attention. Once he had it, he continued. "We need to go back." He didn't say why. The Hollows may have been impossible to sense (they gave off no auras and the like), but Kial was surely smart enough to know that there was something dangerous here. Hopefully that meant he wouldn't ask questions. The more time they spent talking, the less time they would have to escape. And besides that, if one with a more acute sense of hearing came too close and heard them…

Kial gave a silent nod, lowering his entire body and motioning for the chameleon to lead the way. _I'll have to try and follow behind him, somehow,_ he thought to himself, willing his feet to shift into that of a much more unusual form (padded in such a way that would help him stay silent as they moved along).

Thinking fast, Espio took the sheath from his sword and nudged Kial's hand with one end. "Hold this. I will guide you."

The cat grabbed it lightly, nodding once more. "Go," he answered lowly. Espio began walking without further discussion, tugging Kial along using the sheathe. He kept close to the ground, crouching behind trees and within bushes as they back-tracked to where they had been before he'd spied the first Hollow. Once they were safely away, he tugged his sheath out of Kial's hand and returned it to its usual place at his hip.

Kial's feet returned to normal and he frowned, arms crossed lightly. "So… where do we go from here?" he asked.

Taking stock of their location, Espio answered, "Graves dot the landscapes nearby. Hollows are often drawn to the dead in hope of finding and feasting upon their souls. We will have to go around."

"Air isn't safe, I reckon," Kial said, mostly to himself. "Going underground wouldn't work well for you, so I guess that really might be our only choice overall.

"Some Hollows fly," Espio confirmed. "Some also burrow and dig tunnels. It is safest to remain on the ground - or the trees, if need be." He resumed walking, this time allowing his footsteps to make _just_ enough noise for Kial to hear and follow.

"And sadly, I have no way of _going_ in the trees," Kial muttered, mildly unhappy with such an admission. "I'd run into something or off of something else before we made it anywhere." He followed behind Espio closely, his ears turning to listen to the almost inaudible footfalls.

"Perhaps." Espio offered no reassurances, merely this word and a small shrug.

Kial sighed with a shrug. "I'll get over it. No need to comfort or whatever," he joked, managing a small smile. "Jokes aside, what were you doing with yourself all those years we were separated? You didn't sit around on your ass, that's for sure."

Espio decided to indulge the bobcat this once and answered, "In a manner of speaking, I did for a time. I was not engaged in much combat, nor training as often as I should have." He paused, thinking, then found himself admitting, "Although… the years were not wasted, I suppose."

"You met some good people, yeah? Perhaps learned a bit about yourself?"

"I met… many people. The group you met… with the exception of some, most of them were a part of a larger group. We were all… friends, I suppose." Espio took one last look around before deciding to sheathe his blade.

"Fair enough. They all seem like pleasant enough people, anyway," Kial answered with a faint shrug. "I wandered around for several years before anything really happened. Eventually, though, Nivren passed of old age. Never found him a mate, though… I always kinda knew I wouldn't be _able_ to." The cat's face morphed into one of faint sadness, the memories of his long-gone companion surfacing before fading once more. "At some point, a man named Saethrim was on Mobius. He never explained why he was there, but he took interest in me."

Recalling the giant wolf Kial had always traveled with in the past, Espio took time to think this over before speaking. "Who is Saethrim?"

"He was the God of Mythical Creatures," Kial answered softly. "A very wise, and… quiet man. You might have gotten along with him, honestly."

The wording tipped Espio off. "He is dead, then."

"Let me ask this. Who do you think I am now?" the cat asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure you may know, given the information I've told you."

"It does not take a genius to figure it out," Espio responded blandly. "Particularly when you witness someone morphing their body into that of various beasts."

Kial smiled, chuckling softly. "Blunt as ever. Saethrim passed his title on to me one day after enemies of his came and engaged with him in battle. He was already wounded, and the battle was fatal. That is why I am who I am now." Espio remained quiet, as he often did, to allow himself time to process everything he'd been told. Kial gave him this time, then added, "I sometimes wonder if I was right to have avenged him in the way I did. I showed little mercy simply at the behest of my anger. Though, what is done is certainly done. Now, would you mind answering the _other_ question you left? I believe it was about having learned about yourself with your friends."

 _They were worthy of death, so why hesitate to bring that death upon them?_ Espio found himself wondering. However, he soon pushed that thought aside. "I did not answer because there is nothing to say."

"You didn't learn about yourself in that time?" Useless though the gesture was when used in response to a _blind_ person, Espio merely shrugged. Assuming that Espio had either remained silent or done an action such as the one he had performed, Kial moved along. "How about this, then. Who, aside from your family or me, was the most memorable person you know from that group?"

"Vector," Espio answered without hesitation.

"Why so, then?"

This time Espio did hesitate. Why _did_ Vector matter so much to him? The idea of friendship had always been foreign to him up until a certain point in his life, and even now he had to admit that he struggled with it. But Kial likely knew that. "I don't know."

Kial thought for a moment. "I'd guess that he cared a lot about you and helped you through a lot. That might be a part of it, but definitely not the whole thing."

Recalling the giant wolf Kial had always traveled with in the past, Espio took time to think this over before speaking. "Who is Saethrim?"

After a lengthy pause, Espio relented a bit more of the truth. "He always… did what he could. It was not always enough, but he did… try."

"I'm glad to hear you had someone like that," Kial responded lightly, a smile on his face. "Everyone needs that in their life." Espio considered that to be a matter of debate, but he opted not to say so. This was precisely the _wrong_ place to have an argument. About a second and a half later, Espio reacted without thinking by taking hold of Kial by the arm and roughly hauling him several steps forward. This allowed the cat to narrowly avoid a kunai knife as it sailed through the air before disappearing into a thick bush. In the instant that Espio had grabbed him, his body had begun to change so that his skin was far thicker and harder, but this process stopped when he realized he was already out of danger. "What's wrong?"

"You nearly met a knife," Espio responded flippantly, gaze scanning the nearby trees. Then he added in an almost casual manner, "Given its trajectory… I do not think it would have ended well for you."

Kial's face gained an almost unnatural edge, as if expecting more to happen by now as he removed his staff from his cloak. He wasn't angry in the slightest, instead focusing more strongly on his surroundings than he had been before. "Do you know where they are?"

That question was answered when Espio whipped his sword out, followed by the harsh screech of metal on metal as he parried Nyokae's latest attempt on his life. Scowling, he threw her off and demanded, " _Now_ what do you want?"

Unsurprisingly, she laughed. "What," she then mock-pouted, "am I not allowed to come visit you when you have friends over? How dreadfully _boring_."

"Who are you?" Kial asked, letting one end of his staff rest on the ground. "Surely you realize that attempting to kill another is not a pleasant way to introduce oneself?"

His interruption caught her attention and she looked at him with upraised eyebrows. After taking his appearance, she told him, "Darling, nothing about the matters shinobi engage in is _pleasant_ to outsiders. Given who you are travelling with, I would have assumed that you knew that." Her head tilted. "Or are you blind _and_ daft?" Espio stared at her coldly, but didn't intervene just yet.

"Understandably, I may be considered daft in terms of my knowledge of the ways of shinobi. However, it is still not a pleasant experience," Kial tilted his head softly. "You are one who cares not, regardless. You follow your own path, do you not?"

She chose to ignore him this time. Returning her attention to Espio, she said, "To answer your question, love… I merely wished to let you know just how much I have enjoyed annoying all this time, and how much I look forward to continuing to do so in the future. Is that so wrong?"

Irritation bubbling to the surface, Espio retorted with a simple, "You are unwelcome."

"You say that… yet here I am. Funny, isn't it?"

"Nyokae…"

"What?" She blinked at him with falsely _innocent_ eyes. "I am merely here to visit. Is that so hard to believe?"

"With someone of your temperament, I would be willing to believe otherwise. What is your purpose in being here?" Kial asked, a frown appearing on his face.

She shrugged, sporting one of her typical smirks. "At this point, it is a given… there will be pain."

Espio pointed his sword at her throat. "Perhaps for _you_."

"And him," she easily countered, "if he continues his attempts to involve himself."

"I am willing to endure pain if necessary, though your threats feel mild and weak at best in an attempt to gain a rise." Kial's skin resumed its earlier process, growing harder and thicker by the second. He made no move of aggression, and remained standing where he was.

"And who says that that is my goal, hm? Perhaps I am merely having fun." Nyokae all-too-casually put a finger on the flat side of Espio's sword and tipped it away. For some reason, he let her.

"Do it somewhere else," Espio muttered, already moving to walk around her.

Her fingers gently wrapping around his wrist stopped him. "Not now," she gently chided. "You and I are not finished here."

Kial took a step forward, frowning more. "Who are you to say when he is not finished with something? Is it not his choice to be done with this confrontation?"

A kunai with an explosive paper tag sailed toward him, managing to dig in just enough not to fall to the ground once it met his skin. Espio started toward Kial, but her use of equal strength was enough to pull him back to where he'd been. When he shot her an icy glare, she smiled. Almost _sweetly_. "Oh, come now. It is not as though his… _odd_ form of defense won't keep him alive. For now."

"You are wasting my time," Espio told her in response. He wrenched his wrist free with a bit of effort. He was pretty sure her grip had left bruises. "Get to the point."

She responded to his movement by simply looping her arms around his neck. This contact was affectionate _enough_ to make him stay still for a moment, albeit unintentionally. "And if I do not wish to just yet?" she asked him. "What if I merely want to spend some time with you? Is that truly so hard to believe?" She was playing with his emotions, or trying to. He _knew_ that to be true, but that didn't make it any easier to try and shut her words out. Yet… he also knew simply spending time together was something they _had_ done somewhat frequently in the past. It felt like such a long time since they had last been able to.

"Entirely," Kial answered, slowly and with deliberate care removing the kunai from his skin. "You continue to attempt to manipulate him with your words and actions, though much of it is to fuel your own motives. What have you done to make him believe _otherwise_?" The cat carefully placed the kunai back on the ground as he walked away.

Of course, for her own amusement, Nyokae grinned and opened her mouth to actually answer him. Espio was quick to silence her by putting a finger to her lips and muttering, "Don't you _dare_."

This made her laugh. "You are truly no fun. And here I was actually going to tell the truth, for once… What a shame."

"'For once'. Such an implication meaning that you are often fond of lying. Does this mean you lie to Espio for your benefit?" Kial asked, continuing to step closer in a slow manner.

"Of _course_ she does," Espio said unhappily, dropping his hand back down to his side.

"You accuse me of a lack of honor?" Nyokae asked him. Her head canted. "Let me say this, then. Stand amidst the ashes of a trillion corpses and ask them if _honor_ matters. Their silence is your answer." She shook her head a bit. "But it makes no difference in the end. If you do not fight, you lose. Fighting, in _any_ form, gives you more of a chance. And I believe I am correct in saying that you wish to live."

Espio frowned at her. "Bold of you to assume I fear death…"

"You ask as if you are to have honor, but as I have mentioned you let nothing bind you. That shows itself more now than earlier." Kial sighed softly. "'Death and life are intertwined in a dance that never ends. As long as one remains, the other continues. To refuse death is to refuse life. To refuse life is to refuse death.'" Kial's facial expressions hardened. "You ask me to ask if honor matters to those who have died by immoral actions, and still believe that honor matters none? See for yourself what it matters."

"You are too passionate about things that do _not_ matter," Nyokae told him, sparing him a brief glance. Then she smiled. "Still reeling from the loss of your teacher? I suppose that is your right. Such a shame we could not have continued on without him standing in our way…"

Kial "watched" her for a moment before sighing. "Whether you and your allies were the cause of my teacher's death, you must realize that there are forces far beyond your control. Beings capable of rending realities and altering fate." He seemed incredulous at her words, stepping yet closer. "His death was sad, but necessary. All actions serve purpose, and all will lead toward the _intended_ future."

"'Fate'... You put too much stock in something that does not exist." Espio looked ready to say something, but she cut him off by giving him a few quick kisses. That was always effective in shutting him up for a moment or two.

"Keep yourself off of him," Kial muttered. "There are few things that _dare_ attempt to change reality, and they are given that power through the actions of the Faein. The time of the True Immortals will come, where they rise to a place capable of changing all things for the better good. Those that wish to bring harm to reality will not be able to do so in the face of such."

"Chaos is the one true order of things. To pretend otherwise, to pretend to see order where there is none, is the _sheerest_ folly." She again turned her head to look at Kial. "You claim the Immortals seek to do good? Then you fail to see the truth behind their actions. For a time, the Immortals bound me, banished me to a place that was not a place… a prison with no walls. I had no knowledge of who they were, why I was left to _rot_ in a hole beyond the confines of time and even _reality_. They left me to _suffer_. What about that strikes you as _good_?"

Espio was again silent. This... This was something she had _never_ spoken of before. Not to him, at least. Likely not to _anyone_ aside from her leader. There was always the chance that this was yet another elaborate lie, but something about the _poison_ in her voice and the anger in her eyes... Could it be that the Immortals truly had done such a thing? Such an experience... surely it would twist _anyone_ who experienced it. And such vast, unrelenting anger and pain would _certainly_ provide an explanation as to why she was so willing to pursue the idea of ending the Immortals once and for all. Understanding her point of view, however, while useful... did not make her _right_. Her motivations were starting to make sense for the first time, though, and through that he understood something. Something he had known all along but had never grasped the truth of quite so deeply before. _Her mind cannot be changed._

"What in my words implied that all Immortals have been good?" Kial responded easily. "I never uttered such a thing. I speak of those that are to become _True_ Immortals. And to imply that all Immortals are inherently good or bad is _false_. Just like you and I, all are born different. Their experiences, their lives, they are all _different_. Though, surely you know that which is true for one of the 'main' timelines is most often true for the rest." He stood mere feet from them both now, a deep-set frown on his face. "The Faein would never allow an Immortal with wicked intentions for reality to come to a status like themselves."

Finally, Espio ducked out of Nyokae's grasp and stepped back from her. "Enough," he told them both. "Your arguing is pointless." Kial stood quietly for a moment before nodding gently to Espio, starting toward him.

Nyokae huffed at him and, naturally, ignored what he'd just said. "So this is all you have to offer…" she said, eyes on Kial. "Empty promises and blind faith… that will only get you so very far before it leads you to your death."

"You follow such a path as well," Kial answered softly, turning his head just enough to face her. "And if I need to die for the greater good of existence, so be it. I will have lived my life how I wanted to." He turned himself away and prepared to ignore any further words she may say, sighing. _We both follow such troublesome ideals._

Thankfully, she seemed prepared to ignore him now. Turning back to Espio, she said, "Tell me something. Why are you out here, hm? I seem to recall that you made it a point to _avoid_ these soul-eaters."

Espio blinked at her. "There are fates worse than death," he remarked blandly.

"That may be so," she returned thoughtfully, "but I am still not convinced that death is what you seek. Is it peace of mind, then? Escape from the constant companionship you were being afforded?"

Amber eyes narrowed. "It hardly matters."

"What do you _believe_ he seeks, then?" Kial asked Nyokae quietly, turning more properly to face her.

Nyokae ignored him again. She closed the distance between herself and Espio again, leaning her forehead against his… but pointedly keeping her blade pressed into his so that he couldn't use it to swipe at her. This earned her a glare. "That you are so complicated to understand never ceases to entertain me," she murmured, yet another smile tugging at her lips. "However… I suppose I _do_ want one honest, direct answer out of you."

He regarded her warily for a time before finally huffing and looking away. "Ask, then, and get it over with."

Apparently pleased with this response, she afforded him another quick kiss before passing a piece of paper into his hand. "That will guide you to a meeting place, if you wish to come," she murmured. "We have not had a chance to talk, just you and I, since you were on New Babylon. I will ask you there… if you see fit to join me."

With another frown, Espio glanced at the paper in his hand. _This is on Mobius,_ he immediately realized.

"Oh… and one more thing." Nyokae traced a finger along the side of his face, tickling his cheek and prompting him to smack her hand away. She merely smiled yet again. " _Do_ come alone, will you? I would hate to have to suffer yet _more_ interruptions."

Scowling anew, Espio let the paper fall from his hand. "Then spend your time there alone."

Her amusement with his words was apparent in the faint twinkle in her eyes. "I do not believe you mean that," she responded lightly, "considering the fact that you have been seeking time away from your allies just as much as I have."

"Espio. If you truly wish to go, I will not stop you, and you know such. I advise against it, for you know well within yourself as much as I do that she may be luring you into something far worse than you realize. Even if she is not, her words are poisonous to those who hear them, and you know this," Kial said. "You can ignore my words if that suits you and your desires, however."

Nyokae spoke up before Espio could. He let her say her piece, but didn't pay too much attention to it all. Kial's words were nothing if not logical, but _damn_ the cat for wording it like he had, for putting it all in _his_ hands. As if he had had any control over what he wanted… him and his cursed emotions. And of course, she was aware of his anger and turmoil, and she pressed her advantage like the ruthless fighter she was. "It truly is _your_ choice, love. So I will ask you the same question I have been asking you for years now. What is it that you _want_ , hm?"

"Leave him be, now that you have said what you intended to," Kial murmured. "If you cared, you would now allow him to decide for himself rather than attempt to continue as you will."

"I was merely making a point," Nyokae smirked. "Working to settle an old argument, if you will." Shaking her head, she quickly planted one last kiss on Espio's mouth before _finally_ turning to go. "But, have it your way, cat. It appears likely, however, that we will meet again… and I will not feel so inclined to stay my hand then." With that said, she leapt high into the trees and sped off through them, soon vanishing from the area altogether.

Kial sighed and turned to Espio, all hardness leaving his expression to make way for his usual compassionate look. "Are you alright?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice. "I didn't mean to get so… heated."

Though Espio sheathed his sword a tad harshly, his tone was devoid of inflection when he replied, "I'm fine."

"You say that, Espio…" Kial murmured. "Are you simply avoiding it, or do you truly feel fine?"

"Irrelevant," Espio retorted, already beginning to walk away.

Kial nodded to this gently. "I understand," he answered. "Do you wish for me to be quiet as we walk?"

Given the option to say yes or no but not really caring enough to decide one way or another, Espio simply defaulted to his usual response. "Do as you please."

"I will only speak if I have a question, then," Kial said in response. _What has she done to you…?_

Elsewhere, Nyokae appeared close to where Armaris currently was. Watching the cat closely, she canted her head and idly toyed with a dagger between her fingers. _So you have the nerve to believe that you and your friends can mend what I have broken… how very bold of you._ Armaris remained curled within her own shadows as she often did, a faint fog protruding from the telling mark of where she laid still. _Why he insists on hanging around your ilk, I will never understand. Even half-demons are still rather… vexing to be near._ Ice blue eyes grew visible within the darkness and narrowed at the chameleon, but never surfaced. _Ah. So you are awake, then. A pity. I had hoped to kill you in your sleep. Oh well._ She knew full well that that would never have worked, but who really cared. A girl could dream.

"The _hell_ do you want?" Armaris called in agitation. "If you didn't realize, I have more important matters to attend to than dealing with your shit."

"Oh? Pray tell." Nyokae took a seat on her branch. "Is hiding on that list of _important_ matters?"

"Who said I was hiding?"

"That you were, indeed, hiding would seem to indicate that."

"Go on about whatever you want. Just get to your point and move along."

Nyokae rested her head on one of her hands and coyly remarked, "And if my point involves Espio?"

"I said it once and I'll say it one more time. Get to your point and move along," Armaris answered, narrowing her eyes further.

"Oh, I will… but I believe you will be interested to know that he is coming with me," Nyokae smiled.

Armaris almost visibly raised an eyebrow at this, seeming mildly amused. "Oh? Says the least trustworthy person I have the displeasure to know."

"With him," Nyokae said slowly, "it is often what he leaves _un_ said that is most important. I am sure you know this. When I ask him to do something he does not have any desire to do, he tells me so. And, of course, he _means_ it. When so determined to refuse, there is a fire in him. I believe you know his temper as well as I." Her smile grew. "It simply was not in him this time, nor did he at any point tell me _no_."

The cat emerged from her shadow with a hateful glare. "And why do you want to tell me, huh? Seems idiotic to keep your enemies in the know."

"It would be…" Nyokae acknowledged, twirling her dagger, "if not for the fact that your knowledge will help me in the end. And besides… I enjoy observing how people react. What fun is anything otherwise?"

Armaris's claws extended and her eyes gained a faint yellow glow. "What's your plan then? You gonna try and take me alive?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not now," Nyokae laughed. "There is little point in that. Although, your anger is entertaining to say the least."

"Laugh it up. I'll bathe in your blood, like the demon you so _claim_ me to be. Would that make you happy?" Armaris answered, her teeth bared.

"Honey, few things make me _happy_." Nyokae stood and very idly stretched. "Knowing that you are not getting what you want, however… that does help."

The cat idly twirled her own dagger of magic wisps, frowning. "And yet you don't explain what of my knowledge will _help_ you. What do you want from me, then?"

"To tell you _everything_ will only spoil the fun," Nyokae teased gleefully. Then, giving her dagger another quick twirl, she actually relented. "However… I suppose I can stand to tell you this much." Her dagger sailed through the air just then, slicing through Armaris's side before lodging itself into whatever was at her back. "You are losing him, kitten. Everything you and your allies have done or _tried_ to do… it has done little to aid you in your cause. Even if he never truly joins me, he will soon no longer be _against_ me… and that spells death and suffering for you lot. But by all means, continue to interfere. See how much he _appreciates_ your efforts when he finally spills your blood as he has been wanting to for so long."

"You feel it necessary to say such a thing when you know we would not back down? Kill me _first_ , bitch," Armaris spat. "He is my brother and I won't stop trying to help him."

"Oh, I am aware… and it is that blind _determination_ you possess that will make your pain all the more delicious to witness." Nyokae turned and stepped onto another branch, prepared to leave, then stopped and turned back around. "One more thing, kitten. Your… _brother_ , as you put it… will soon be well beyond the point of caring about you. I suggest you remember that." Smirking, she turned back around and vanished.

Armaris turned and grabbed the dagger, pulling it free from its lodging and growling. _Espio… I never want to fight you. I don't want to be on the other side, because I can't fucking stand the idea of hurting you._ She whirled around and slammed the dagger through a tree with a burst of wind, her body shaking. "God fucking _damn_ it, Espio! Why can't I help you more?" She fought not to lose control of her emotions, but it was so damn hard now. Everyone she cared about felt so distant, even as she opened a portal and stepped through it. She needed to step away... this was all becoming too much.

 **~保護者~**

 **6,564 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 11:50 a.m.) 04-16-20.**


	69. Shaken

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) throughout this internal conflict… especially for the one who's suffering from so much turmoil.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Who can really say... poor Espio is really struggling, that's for sure. Oh, Nyokae is a chameleon, though. Kial was the cat in this scene. XD I'm not too sure Armaris would fare well, but I guess we'll find out! And yeah, Kaden is still very much not his true self right now. The heroes are very much at a loss, poor guys. :/ Oh, so it's no liner gonna go down like that. This is actually gonna be the last main series story. There'll be plenty of side stories, though!**

 **~保護者~**

 **"Shaken"**

 **~保護者~**

It was with shaking limbs that Shadow slipped away into the spare room of Espio's house, away from the crowd and any prying eyes. Tails and Jet both observed his departure, but he waved off their silent concern with a hand. It wasn't like he was going to do anything stupid, like trying to escape through a fucking window or some shit… He just felt sick again all of a sudden. _Really_ sick, in fact, and the only thing he could think to do about it was try laying down. Espio probably had herbs stashed away that were capable of taking the edge off of such serious nausea, but that relied on Shadow being able to _eat_ said herbs. And he sincerely doubted he'd be able to keep it down. Best not to try his luck.

He stepped into the room and shut the door, only for it to immediately open again. He turned to see Tails holding out a plastic bucket for him. "You're looking pretty ill," the fox said in explanation, "so I asked Sonic to go to my house really fast and grab this. He took the 'really fast' part pretty seriously I guess."

Though he was determined _not_ to vomit, especially not when close enough to people with sharp enough ears to hear it, Shadow accepted the bucket. He'd already decided not to press his luck, after all. "Don't let him come in right now," he responded, heading toward the bed. It was little more than a traditional slim mattress on the floor with a couple blankets, but it was comfortable enough. He wasn't going to complain.

"I won't," Tails promised quietly. "I know you don't like people seeing you like this." Shadow laid down and tried to close his eyes. Tails regarded him in silence before speaking again. "Listen… even if you can't sleep, I want you to stay in bed as much as possible right now, okay? Given your physical symptoms, as well as the worse ones you've suffered in the past, I don't like how much you've been up and around today."

Shadow offered a slight nod, but instantly regretted it. The room spun, nausea intensifying, stomach clenching. He had to take a moment to just breathe before he could trust himself to say anything. "I know," he mumbled.

"Message me if you need anything, okay? You should still be completely linked up with my communicator, so you'll just have to do…" Tails hesitated, floundering for the words he needed, then settled on, "...whatever mental stuff you do." He paused before asking, "Will… that be too much right now?"

Given that this option didn't involve movement, it would probably be fine. ...Probably. "No." Shadow took several more deep breaths. Talking was _such_ a bad idea right now. "It's fine."

"Okay. I'll let you rest, then, if you're sure." The door closed. Footsteps retreated to the front room. Finally, Shadow was alone.

As it happened, Tails couldn't have left at a better time. Shadow barely had time to jolt up and lean over the bucket before he lost the private battle he'd been fighting and his stomach emptied itself of what few contents it even had. Rather than feeling better, he found himself only feeling worse as he coughed and gagged in the immediate aftermath. Sure enough, a second wave soon hit him, burning his throat slightly but also succeeding in finally bringing him some measure of relief. He no longer felt quite as sick, but he was left feeling a bit shaky and weak as he pushed the bucket away in disgust and laid back down. The post-heave tremors soon abated, much to his relief, only for the normal " _post-drug withdrawal symptom_ " shivers to take their place. Opening his eyes, he lifted a hand enough to look at it and how much it was shaking before putting it back down. Hoping to be able to get some sleep, he curled in on himself a bit and closed his eyes again.

Only… he couldn't sleep. His body was restless. He felt the need to get up and move around, to the point where he found himself fidgeting antsily. Sitting up and needing too badly to move, he tried to focus on other things. Instead, he found himself unhappily ticking off items on a mental checklist of sorts. There was lethargy, lack of appetite, restlessness, shakiness/tremors, weakness, cravings (because of _course_ there were), nausea and all of its related issues, agitation, exhaustion, inability to sleep… And now his thoughts were racing, or starting to at any rate. The beginnings of a headache were starting to prick at him as well. He buried his head in his hands, resisting the urge to groan. Dammit, he'd been _fine_ earlier today. Why were things suddenly amping up again? Why couldn't he just have some _peace_ for once?

He caught himself rocking where he sat (another odd trait of his he had apparently gotten from Kaden) and forced himself to stop. Only, this lack of movement made him strangely desperate to move in some _other_ way. Though he was able to remain still for the moment, it was almost more difficult to achieve than it was worth. So, with no better alternative, he slowly and reluctantly allowed his body to resume its earlier motion. More nausea hit him in that moment, causing him to curse under his breath. His thoughts raced some more, eventually landing on one crucial point.

Suddenly, escaping out that window to find relief didn't seem like such a bad idea.

 _That_ thought evoked a whole slew of emotions, some of which he didn't want to even try comprehending. Despair, anger, defeat, stubbornness, guilt, hatred, desire, need… god, what was _wrong_ with him? These symptoms weren't even that serious! Why the fuck was he suddenly fighting with himself about whether or not to succumb because of them? It shouldn't have even been a question he had to _consider_! For _fuck's_ sake, he was pathetic.

Lifting his head from his hands, he cast a withering look at the window in question, one equal parts spiteful and longing. _Such an idiot._ Shaking his head, he shifted to lay back down… putting the window at his back. Best not to look at it. Maybe that would help him think about it less. Except he couldn't quite get it out of his head. His mind oh-so- _helpfully_ chose to remind him that a window was precisely what he'd used to escape his own home in years past… back when he was fighting to get clean and _losing_.

He'd lost the battle, given in to his cravings, slipped out of his bedroom and window, and proceeded to slide backward for months and months afterward. Maybe it had been even longer, who really knew. He hadn't exactly had the best sense of time back then. Or anything else, for that matter. It took some effort to remind himself that that was the specific outcome he was trying to avoid. He couldn't _do_ this, not _again_. He couldn't put himself through that life a third time. Wasn't it bad enough that he'd been conquered by his addiction twice before? Why was he even _considering_ allowing it to happen a third time? _Because I'm an idiot,_ he reminded himself, closing his eyes with a scowl.

Well, perhaps that wasn't _entirely_ true. There were logical reasons for all of this. Reminding himself of them took his mind off of his turbulent emotions for the moment, so that was precisely what he did. When recovering from addiction, cravings were inevitable. They could continue for years at times. When getting over an addition to _this_ drug, however… saying that the user could suffer for "years" had to be the biggest understatement of all time. After all, Zero was no ordinary drug. Chances were that he would be fighting against cravings, however infrequently, for the rest of his _life_.

"Zero" (as it was called on the street) was known by many users as a so-called "ecstasy drug" due to the extreme pleasure, ecstasy, and so on that it caused all of its users to experience. Worse than that, however, was the fact that it was the single most powerful such drug in existence. Withdrawals from _this_ drug could continue on for _eons_ after even just a few uses... not that he had only used it a _few_ times. And, of course, that was the reality that Shadow had been facing for far, far too long.

By now, he knew every single withdrawal symptom he was at risk of (as he still suffered them) by heart. Anxiety, insomnia, lack of appetite, shakiness, migraines, depression, panic attacks, restlessness, irritability, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, racing pulse, nausea, stomach cramps, muscle tension, muscle aches, tremors, shakes, hot flashes, nightmares… The list just went on. Yet, as horrible as these all were when they reared their _fucking_ heads (and they all did, no matter how infrequently), there was never any doubt in his mind that the cravings were by _far_ the worst symptom of them all.

Whenever they hit, however rarely they did so these days, they were still so intense and so powerful that willpower alone was often almost not enough. Nothing he did could prevent him from _almost_ going straight back to the drug every. Single. Time. He relied rather heavily on the support of Tails and Espio to get through these situations, but he knew he had a frankly _terrible_ habit of often not saying anything to them at all. He knew, in the back of his mind, that that was foolish. It was _stupid_ , even, for him to allow that damned drug to influence him enough after all these years that it _still_ affected his behavior. He hated needing help, hating asking for it, but it was this exact behavior that had directly led him to this personal emergency now.

Try though he might, he couldn't shake the grim feeling that maybe if he'd have allowed further help in the past… who knew. Maybe he'd have been more stable prior to being drugged again. Maybe that would have led to less severe symptoms now. Or maybe this was all nothing more than just wishful thinking. And _thinking_ was something he needed to _stop doing_ , because he was suddenly recalling the names and locations of a couple of suppliers, people from whom vials of Zero and packs of needles could be acquired… Their numbers had long been deleted from his communicator, but didn't he still know them?

Temptation struck _hard_ , and Shadow looked warily at the device on his wrist. As shameful as it was to admit it to himself, he knew that he was probably less than a _second_ from following through with his desires. He was managing to hold out… but he was still weak. _Weak_ was what he was. Too weak to completely resist. No, he stared at his communicator, mind on those deleted contacts that haunted him, weighing on his mind, taunting him on his worst of days…

Shadow cursed under his breath and tapped on the screen to light it up. He _had_ to do this. He _needed_ this. God, he _wanted_ this. But… no. No, he couldn't do this. He _couldn't_ do this to himself, not again. He just couldn't _do_ this, especially not with Sonic here now (and not to mention sitting _right in the other room_ ). Irritation threatened to bubble forth in the form of a low growl, but he stubbornly bit it back. He stared at the device a moment longer before forcing himself to turn the screen back off. Then, with what little self-control he had left, he unstrapped it from his wrist and flung it across the room. He heard some part of the device snap as it struck a wall before dropping onto the floor.

There. Done. It was gone now. But he didn't feel better. Too restless to stay laying down, he got up and paced around the room. Thoughts swirled through his mind as his pounding heart fought to beat its way out of his chest. Feeling hot and cold all at once, he marched open to the sole window and flung it open to let some fresh air in. He lingered there a moment, shivering, breathing heavily, still trying to force himself not to cry ( _fuck_ these emotions), when he finally gave into a different and lesser desire. With heavy feet, he walked back over to the bed and picked up the pack of cigarettes he had left next to it earlier.

Knowing full well that he needed to collect himself and get his shit together (especially before Sonic managed to notice anything was amiss, as he _really_ didn't need a "big brother lecture" right now), he pulled out a single stick and, with trembling hands, lit it. Normally smoking in a house was something he frowned upon, and he damn-well knew Espio wouldn't have approved, but he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. This little bundle of chemicals was probably the only thing that was going to prevent him from taking off to shoot up right here and right now, and he would be _damned_ if he took that risk just because he was inside. He'd come too close to slipping already. Now was not the time to be pressing his luck.

Once he was sufficiently calm, he incinerated what little was left of his cigarette and just leaned on the windowsill for a time, focusing as much as possible on the breeze sifting through his fur. There was no denying that he felt better, if only somewhat, but he was hardly pleased with the method through which this low level of peace had been attained. _Trading one addiction for another… I should have never done such a thing._ Stifling a sigh, he turned around and sat against the wall beneath the window, bringing his knees up to his chest and burying his face in his arms. Suddenly, he felt exhausted again. Emotionally drained, too. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

The next thing he knew, a knock was rousing him from his unintentional and short-lived nap. He lifted his head, blinking blearily at the door for probably too long before it clicked that someone was on the other side of it. With great reluctance, he shifted and got to his feet, then walked on shaking legs toward the source of the brief noise. He had a guess as to who was there, but he soon found that he was sorely mistaken. Instead of Tails or even Sonic, he saw perhaps the _last_ person he would have expected. Namely, Steam.

Too unsteady on his own legs, Shadow gripped the door a bit more tightly in his hand. He tried to conjure up a convincing scowl… but he strongly suspected that it was much too weak to work. "What?" he mumbled. Though he only said one word, it sounded slurred even to his own ears. _Fucking hell._ He wanted to slam the door shut right then in order to escape this situation, but even in his current state he was pretty damn sure it would draw unwanted attention his way. So he refrained.

"I wanted to talk to you, Shadow," Steam murmured, frowning ever so minutely. He watched the darker hedgehog for a moment before his frown deepened. "Do you mind if I step in?"

Not trusting himself to speak anymore, Shadow simply released his hold on the door and sat back down against a random spot against one of the walls. He chose to pointedly ignore the fact that he'd stumbled while walking there. _Can't even walk properly..._

Steam took this as a 'yes', and stepped in, gently closing the door behind him and sitting down a few feet away. "How are you feeling?"

That much should have been obvious. But, just this once, Shadow relented and gave an answer. "Like shit."

"I figured as much. Tails seemed worried, so I came to check up on you." Steam's nose twitched faintly and he glanced toward the open window. "Did you smoke recently?" Massaging his temples with his fingers to try to stave off his headache, Shadow simply nodded. Steam didn't fully respond to that besides some heightened concern flashing to life within his eyes. "I know I can't help much, but I just wanted to keep you company and hope that it does something. Do you mind me being in here?"

"I don't care," Shadow mumbled, barely suppressing a fresh tremor.

Steam nodded slowly, biting back a soft sigh. "There's something in particular I wanted to bring up, and it's got a lot to do with how you were 'born' and the first part of your childhood." Shadow gritted his teeth, not speaking again largely because he didn't know what to say. "When everything was happening with you, I was taken from where I was as a young child. I was experimented on, and I saw it happen to you as well. I know you likely don't remember much of that time for several reasons, though…"

Though he wracked his brain, Shadow found that he had _no_ recollection of ever seeing Steam before in his life. Certainly not back _then_. That, coupled with his current state of exhaustion, confusion, and perhaps slight delirium meant that he really didn't totally follow what Steam was saying. _The hell…_

The green hedgehog then thought to slightly amend what he had said before. "Well, not in this timeline, at least. In the timeline I'm from. I don't wanna dredge anything up that'll make you feel worse, but I wanted you to know that I understand the shit you went through when you were that young."

No matter how much Shadow hated any memories of his past, no matter how vague, a distraction of _any_ sort was something he desperately needed right now. It occurred to him dimly that that might have been Steam's aim here... giving him something to focus on that was important enough to him that _could_ focus for the most part... So, with no better methods of coping presenting themselves, he rolled with it as best as he could. "...Why were you there?" he eventually asked, speaking slowly enough to force his words to be clear. Mostly.

"I was wanted for my very unusual regeneration. I could be experimented on and no lasting damage would be left because it would heal quickly," Steam answered just as slowly. The lack of speed he used to speak here was actually helpful, for it allowed Shadow to better follow what was even being said. "And _damn_ my memory, because it was awful as hell to watch it happen to someone else as well."

Shadow's thoughts were foggy for a time before a clear one managed to surface. "...Gerald always… desired to make himself unkillable," he remembered aloud.

Steam nodded. "Exactly. On top of that, I was prime testing for him to try new things on and see if it would kill a normal person." Shadow nodded slowly, but immediately regretted doing so. His head pounded in protest. Steam glanced to Shadow with a faint grimace but didn't say anything regarding his actions. "It was never… _pleasant_ , to say the least."

With no other response to give, Shadow merely mumbled, "I know."

"So, what do you think of Li? I know he went and talked to you, but now I'm curious." Steam asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. The other hedgehog thought that over for a time before offering a weak shrug. What was there to say? He was pretty sure they'd only spoken once, and it hadn't been for long. Unless he just wasn't remembering properly at the moment, which was _entirely_ possible. Steam nodded slowly. "If you talk to him again, certainly try to see past his very… _meek_ exterior. You two could get along. Well, you also kinda did, but that was in my timeline…" The green hedgehog offered a weak chuckle and smile, but said nothing more on the matter.

It took a few seconds for it to fully register that Steam had stopped talking. From there, it took several more seconds for Shadow to decide he was curious enough to want to know more. So, reluctantly, he asked. "What?"

Steam blinked once and decided to answer with a question of his own. "Do you remember what he talked to you about?"

He didn't entirely recall. Not at the moment, at any rate. It was pretty hard to keep track of _most_ memories right now. Everything was so fucking _hazy_. "...Not… completely."

"My assumption is that he talked to you about something to do with making things. That's what he does with his life and he's happy with it."

That triggered a brief memory of the event. Something about the wolf examining his gun… or something. Shadow shrugged a little again. "He spoke about weapons."

"Well, he's definitely got an affinity for that. He's a blacksmith and all." Steam shrugged softly. "I'm fairly certain he's taken an interest in you, because of your own affinity for weapons as well."

Shadow frowned a little. _An interest?_ he found himself thinking distractedly. His (failing) attempts to ponder over that distracted him enough for a brief moment that he mostly didn't notice the latest chills that decided to wrack his frame.

"I should explain that a bit better," Steam admitted. "Li is the God of the Forge, and he might actually be thinking about seeing if you'd like to work with him." Shadow had no answer to that, no real response to give, so he focused instead on resuming his attempts to massage away his building headache.

Another knock sounded at the door. Not being entirely cognizant of this fact, Shadow didn't react to it at all, too lost in his symptoms to notice. When the silence persisted too long, there was another knock. Steam frowned at Shadow, said nothing, and pushed himself to his feet to open the door quietly. Tails stood there, hand still upraised as though prepared to knock again, and he blinked several times at Steam in confusion. "Oh, uh… hi." He peered past Steam's shoulder to where Shadow was seated, then frowned. In undertone he murmured, "Man… he does _not_ look good."

Steam shook his head softly, frowning. "No. I've been trying to talk to him to keep his mind off it all, but it's probably getting worse."

Pursing his lips together, Tails stepped into the room, only to pause and kneel down. Picking up several broken pieces from the ground, he asked, "Shadow, did you do this?"

Shadow sort of started at the sound of Tails's voice and looked over at him blearily. After a few seconds, his gaze shifted to the communicator Tails was holding and he scowled. Offering no explanation for his actions, he simply looked away and muttered, "Yes."

Tails sighed and took stock of the damage. "Why?" he asked, though he didn't expect an answer. Predictably, he got none.

"I didn't even notice that…" Steam muttered softly to himself, arms slowly crossing. Internally, it bothered him that he had completely missed such a detail.

Tails blinked at him again. "How could you not? There are bits of it all over the floor here…"

Steam shook his head and sighed. "I just… dunno."

After a few seconds, Tails shrugged it off and looked back over the device. "Jeez… he really busted this thing. It won't even power on anymore."

"It can probably be replaced, though switching storage might be iffy if it's damaged at all," Steam murmured.

"I'd rather just repair it if I can… there's a _lot_ of important stuff on here, and he's had this thing for so long that it's the only way most people know how to contact him." Tails frowned at the communicator, thinking, and then it clicked. _...Wait. Maybe that's exactly why he broke it?_

Steam's still partially tired mind didn't connect the dots as well as Tails and he tilted his head curiously. "What is it?"

The fox hesitated, then turned back to the silent third party in the room. "Shadow…" he started again. "Why did you throw this against the wall?" He knew that if they were alone, Shadow would have told him, even if it took a while to convince him to do so. As it was now, though, he chose not to say anything. Tails dared to voice his assumption in lieu of wasting time waiting for cooperation that was never going to come. "Was it because you didn't trust yourself?" he asked, addressing a fairly common issue that had popped up throughout the years. Shadow's silence was truly telling, and Tails felt a trickle of dread. _For him to react to that the way he did… that must mean he almost did precisely what he doesn't trust himself to not to do in situations like this._

Steam watched with a growing frown, tightening his arms against his body for some reason before rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. _Shit… this hit him hard and fast._

Shifting his attention to Steam again, Tails asked quietly, "What do we do? The medicine we were given can only help with milder symptoms. They were doing fine at that, for the most part, but if things are escalating now…" He trailed off nervously.

"We may really have to try and push to get that medicine from the da Asani if it's still available…" Steam murmured, biting his lip as he thought.

Tails frowned at him. He'd heard second-hand about that conversation, but he'd nearly forgotten about it before now. "...Yeah… you're right. But how would we do that? They're so… reclusive and distant."

Steam released his lip and sighed. "We need someone closely allied with them, or at least in generally good standings with their race. Which means someone like Jet, Kath, Sein, or Alana." His arms fell to his sides and he rapidly tapped at his leg. "It'll need to be someone like them, but Jet would have the easiest time... " The hedgehog's words soon fell into almost inaudible rambling as he quickly attempted to dissect the situation to find the best course of action.

"I'd wager Jet's our best bet," Tails agreed. "Would you go ask him about it? I've _gotta_ stay with Shadow."

The hedgehog nodded slowly and moved to step out the door, only to bump into Li as the wolf approached to knock on the door. Steam moved aside to let Li in as he walked out. The wolf glanced over to Shadow and gave a noticeable frown to Tails. "What's going on?" he asked quietly.

Tails let out a small sigh. "It's… complicated." He glanced at Shadow, taking note of how zoned-out the hedgehog seemed to be, then turned back to Li. "I don't know how much you might've heard, but Shadow… he's really struggling right now to recover from the effects of an old - and _unwanted_ on his part - addiction that was recently… reintroduced by whoever attacked him when he was kidnapped a little while back. It's all… hitting him pretty hard right now."

Li's ears noticeably folded down and he frowned more. "That… that's _awful_ …" he murmured softly.

"You don't know the half of it," Tails mumbled. "I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but he's dealing with the effects of 'Zero', of all things."

The wolf's eyes widened and he mouthed something in another language. "That's _horrid_. I just… _fuck_." Li bit his lip and watched Shadow with immensely concerned eyes. "What do we do…?"

"Steam is going to ask Jet to try to get some medicine for him. Hopefully that will help. It's certainly more than we had to work with before. We had no idea what we were dealing with in the past. Not really." Twisting around, Tails looked at Shadow. Much to his surprise, the hedgehog was starting to nod off a little. _Oh, good… maybe he'll go to sleep._ He really could use the rest. He gestured for Li to wait one moment and walked over to Shadow to help him stand and get back to the bed. Once he had Shadow laying down, he left him be again and returned to the wolf.

Li watched Shadow quietly before sighing softly. "I hope that they can get that medicine…"

"Me, too," Tails admitted sadly.

"So, uh… do you know Shadow somewhat well?" Li asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

That managed to make the fox smile. "Oh, more than that," he said. "I've known him a _very_ long time. Don't expect to hear him ever say so out loud, but we've been close friends for a lot of years."

Li managed a small smile as well. "That's good to hear." He rubbed the back of his head, chuckling softly. "So, I've got a couple questions regarding him… but I don't wanna pry too much."

"Go for it," Tails invited. He held up the communicator in his hands. "Hope you don't mind me tinkering while we talk, though. Shadow _really_ did a number on this thing."

"That's fine, actually," Li answered with a bright smile. Tails immediately began pulling out some specialized tools and set to work. "I do the same a lot, so it's no big deal. Anyway… Shadow… what's he like? I don't expect a full synopsis or anything. Just some idea of how he is."

"Hm… that can be a bit tricky to answer," Tails admitted. "Are you referring more to personality? Or is it more behaviors and the like?"

"Personality more so, I guess," Li answered. "I… wanna know how to approach him and talk to him."

"He can be a bit moody," Tails offered. "That's just how he is. But… it's not as bad as it was when he was younger. The teenage years we all suffered through really hit him hard." In spite of himself, he let out a small laugh. "That led to a lot of squabbling with friends and family back then."

Li's head tilted in a display of his growing curiosity. "So, if he sounds or acts irritable, that's really just a normal thing?"

"Completely," Tails confirmed. "And it's not always genuine, either. Sometimes it's a coping mechanism, or at least something that he uses to cover up what he's actually feeling." He paused, thinking, then provided an example. "Sadness, in any of its forms, is one he'll do that sort of thing with. He tends to act angry or worse, when in reality he's just upset."

The wolf's face contorted in light confusion. "Weird… Novei does things that are really similar, actually."

"Maybe, but you don't need to worry about Shadow punching your lights out," Tails laughed. He'd already deduced Novei's fondness for such a behavior… and Li's fear of it.

Li sighed in relief, shaking his head softly. "Thank god… She's just… violent sometimes. She can be a really decent person, but the moment any agitation is present, her willingness to kill anyone surges again."

"Espio is like that," Tails observed. "Shadow's just… not. Although, he definitely will shoot to kill without hesitation the moment he's given a proper reason to. But interactions with you will never prompt him to pull the trigger, I can promise you that."

"That's great to hear. I, uh… might've run from him the last time we talked because I was worried he'd try to kill me or something," Li admitted sheepishly.

Tails laughed again. "Well, now you know."

Li shared a short laugh before speaking once more. "Anyway… Here's more of an opinion based question. If you had to try and explain the kind of person he is, what would you say?"

"I can't say I really know how to put it," Tails admitted carefully. "Like I said, he's a complicated person. He's definitely said and done things he's not proud of. He's experienced things he doesn't want to remember, and often can't. But, despite all of that and despite what he was literally created to be… I think it's important for people to know that his heart's always in the right place. He just has a hard time proving that sometimes."

There was a slow nod from the wolf, seeming to understand this. "That all makes a lot of sense. Definitely, the last bit is good to note," Li said, smiling. "This all helps a lot."

Something about his words made Tails's somewhat lighthearted mood falter again. He looked up from his work to check on Shadow again. _If only we could better help you… huh?_

 **~保護者~**

 **5,624 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed this rare delve into Shadow's mind and emotions! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help. Posted (at about 9:30 a.m.) 04-17-20.**


	70. A Little Faith

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these three very different scenes… especially for the best dad.

 **~保護者~**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Hello, MelGamingPlays! Yeah, he's in a bad state, but trust me - Shadow's not better off dead. He'll get better, just like he did before. He just needs time. :) Oh, and that wasn't a tantrum. That was just his way of ensuring he couldn't go through with any ideas he got from his cravings, thus keeping himself safe. :P Oh, and the child mind thing isn't actually true anymore! Allow me to explain. After a certain point in his infancy, his body was aged up to that of a child's. Eventually, his mind caught up and his body was aged again. This process eventually resulted in him being a teenager physically and mentally, which is how Ivo found him. Ivo then physically aged him to an adult in hedgehog years, but his mind took time to catch up (namely, the entire duration of "Hero" and much of "EotS"). He's now an adult mentally and physically, just suffering serious emotional and mental difficulties due to withdrawals. But, like I said, he'll get better in time. I promise, I won't make him struggle forever. :)**

 **Yep, Shadow's struggle inspire the title of that chapter, since that chapter focused all on him for once. A nice change of pace, I think. And yeah, this sort of stuff happens in real life. Helps his suffering pull at people's heartstrings a bit more, I guess? *Nervous laughter* Anyway, thank _you_ for all of your constant support! Love hearing from you, it always brightens my day to see your reviews. Hope you enjoy this newest chapter! :)**

 **~保護者~**

 **"A Little Faith"**

 **~保護者~**

Astra blew one of the walls of her temporary home out, letting the debris fly wherever it would as her anger reached its limits. "God _damn_ Rosalline!" Her magic pulsed outward and launched several books off the floor into the atmosphere before she managed to slightly contain her anger. "I'll fucking kill all of them next time," she muttered to herself, grabbing a pen and rapidly jotting notes down in a book. "And I'll be _damned_ if Astra forgets this shit! Fucking piece of shit, Kaden. I can't stand you."

Her eyes peered down at the open wound on her body and she growled. "Gotta fucking do something about that before it gets infected. I'm not a doctor, more like a surgeon," she muttered, her fingers flicking and threads flying out the tips to sew the damage closed. The cat's work was surprisingly precise and diligent, despite her shaking with anger at the moment. The air grew charged with her magic as she began levitating several books around her, haphazardly jotting down notes and drawing complex diagrams with several pens at a time.

As if she wasn't annoyed enough, the fact that doing all of this wasn't enough to help her calm down at all was making the entire thing _worse_ for her. Astra could feel herself slowly pushing the boundaries of her anger once more. She decided to vent once more by blasting her table into nothing and leaning against the wall. "Still several broken bones I need to mend. Internal bleeding, and some bruising I need to handle."

Astra ignored her anger for the time being as her meticulous and almost tedious repair work. Her magic slowly brought her internal wounds and damage to a point where she could stop the bleeding, piece the bones back together, or remove the agents of bruising before they could fully form. "All of this because he decided to barge in _like that_ and ruin my plans and my spells. Fucking bastard."

In response to her rant, a blade suddenly drove itself deep into her stomach from behind, then tore upward. "I suggest you mind your tongue, girl," came a soft but no less chilling threat.

The woman growled instinctively and pushed herself to move forward, pulling her body off the blade and turning to face him. "Oh, is _that_ how you're gonna do this after that fucking miserable ending of that battle?"

Blood dripping from his sword, Kaden (or, rather, his clone) lowered his hand for now and fixed her with a decidedly darker than usual expression. "That your petty grudges were not satisfied does not mean nothing was accomplished," he rumbled, a growl notably coloring his tone. "I gave you a task. Nothing else mattered."

"I was _trying_ to kill two of the biggest problems that we'll run into because they have Light. Rose is a problem just by existing because she's strong and _very_ capable of fighting."

Striding forward, Kaden grabbed her by the throat and pinned her harshly against the wall. "Does it not occur to you that their Light must be _taken_ before they die?" he snarled. "Doing so ensures they cannot simply be revived again. Not for _many_ years."

"And what about that Balancer, huh? He doesn't inherently _have_ Light, yet my plan to kill him was ruined! All it would take to remove him is to be _Semi-Immortal_."

"If you intend to kill someone like _that_ ," Kaden told her, tightening his hold on her throat, "then more will be required than what _you_ can accomplish. You waste time in battles you are not equipped to win."

"I _almost_ had him dead. Li was out of the way, that Therian was out of the way, and I had a clear shot to kill _both_ of them. I called for you to deal with the Immortals since you're _more_ than capable of killing them for a while, which would have given ample time to get rid of those two _pests_ ," She growled.

"I am _not_ at your beck and call," Kaden snarled. "You interrupted me with something _foolish_." He slammed her backward into the wall, creating cracks in it.

"I don't _want_ you at my beck and call," she snapped. "That was a _chance_ and it got fucked over for _both_ of us!"

"For _you_ ," Kaden corrected angrily. "You fail to see beyond the limits of your emotions, girl."

"I applaud you for not calling by the same _derogatory_ nickname you call her," the cat muttered. "Though I am far more than _just_ a girl."

Her words were odd, but Kaden had long expected that he understood the frankly _broken_ nature of this woman's mind. Glaring hard at her, he tightened his hold enough for the tips of his fingers to begin drawing blood, only to simply fling her to the ground. Albeit with great force.

Only a grunt escaped Astra's mouth before she rose to her feet and idly blasted away another of the walls of her home. "I _need_ her dead! She can reverse the seed I planted and if she finds out about it, she _will_ remove it."

"She will be dealt with," Kaden growled at her. "But it will be done _properly_."

"Let me know. Or rather, let _her_ know. I probably won't be here for that," she muttered, crossing her arms and kicking a book away. By now, it seemed most of her anger had subsided and she was merely pissy. "What do we do about that hedgehog? He _obviously_ knows too much about what's happening."

Kaden actually took the time to carefully consider this problem before letting out another growl. "The Void is poised to burst free of its bonds soon," he muttered. "He will be one of the first it attempts to swallow."

Astra's eyebrows furrowed as her threads began sewing her new wounds closed. "Why him? Doesn't it have more important targets? He's just a Balancer."

"He stands in a unique position to _interfere_ ," Kaden responded impatiently. Then he added, "It will also be drawn to the energies he wields. The Light, in particular… it will want to destroy that."

She frowned momentarily before beginning to write in a book. "Interesting…" Astra's attention focused on something else that certainly wasn't nearby before looking back to Kaden's clone. "What about the Immortals? They're _very_ strong, and certainly capable of growing very quickly."

Another growl. This one was more hateful than the last. "I will deal with them," was all Kaden said. He turned and began to leave, only to stop and look back over his shoulder at her. "Send your other ninja out. He needs one final push before he loses control again, it would seem. Her presence will suffice."

"If there's an attack here, she will lose control of Aniko. It is also possible to wrest Aniko from the mind control, and that's something that I'm sure you're aware of. Do you still want her to have any part in this?"

Glowing eyes narrowed. "I _am_ aware," he told her. "Whether or not control over her is retained in the end, it is more important for her to accomplish her task. I do not _care_ what happens to her after that. She can be killed easily enough."

"Do you want me to do so if they begin to free her?" Astra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You will be unable," Kaden told her simply. "If the need arises, someone more capable will handle her."

The cat closed her eyes and ruminated on this. "Fine enough. You're aware of the current state of Mobius, yes?"

This time, what escaped him was less an irritated growl and more a furious _snarl_. "Yes," he bit out. "I am _aware_."

"I was watching Mobius. That black cat retreated into some portal. I couldn't follow. The Balancer seems to be struggling, and luckily, Espio is alone with that… _god_." She snorted angrily, agitated.

"Send her out now, then," he responded simply, turning away again. "He will not be left alone forever. Not with so many allies of his worrying over him."

"Focus solely on pushing Espio?" The answer to that should have been obvious by now, and Kaden therefore didn't dignify the question with another response. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through her matted hair. "One more thing before you go. I mentioned the seed. Do you want me to start making use of it?"

"Do what you will," he said rather dismissively. "You are the one connected with it. Therefore you are the only one who knows when it is safe to proceed."

 _Unusual free will. I'll take it._ "Alright. If anything presents itself, I'll mention it. Last thing though… _Petry_. Not Astrantia. I'll do what I can so she doesn't _fuck_ this up."

Kaden scoffed and resumed walking away. As if he cared about her goddamn _name_ … but he soon found cause to stop and face her one final time. "A warning…" he drawled. "Nareish appears to have become aware of your activities. She may come for you… and I will not _protect_ you from her."

"What does she intend for me?" the cat asked, eyes narrowing.

"Suffering and death. What else?" With this flippant response given, he twirled his sword in his hand and left the house, not turning back this time. Soon, he was gone.

 _If I have to, I'll kill us first._

 **~保護者~**

"Wave?"

Hearing his voice, Wave faded into view from the mists of golden magic that swirled around them. The mists permeated the entirety of this realm, the Lost Hex, but though it was lethal to most they were unharmed. Once she saw him, she relaxed into a smile. "Hey, Jet," she greeted warmly. "What brings you here?"

Rather than dumping everything on her all at once, Jet offered only part of the answer. "You have not been in contact much. I was checking on you."

"Sorry," she responded with a small shrug. "I guess I got a bit carried away. It's been too long since I've come home."

He inclined his head in understanding. "I know."

Her steps carried her closer, and she lightly dusted off one of his shoulders. He had yet to fully clean the ash off of himself. "What in the world have you been up to, dare I ask? You're filthy."

"I was thrown _into_ the filth," he huffed at her. "It isn't as though I took a nap in it."

Shaking her head, she ceased her futile efforts to clean him up and let her hand simply rest where it was. "Why else are you here?" she asked. "I understand you were worried, but there must be another reason. I know you trust me to take care of myself."

That was true, and he certainly did. He also trusted her enough to know he could be honest with her and not suffer harm because of it. "Mobius is not as safe as we had hoped it would be," he revealed, looking away. "Calypso has healed it and all those on it, but danger is coming again."

His concerns and thoughts were strong enough that she sensed them. He was making no effort to hide them, anyway. Not when in her presence. "The World Eater…" she breathed. A moment of stunned silence passed before her expression hardened. "How much time do we have?"

Though he shrugged, he did have a guess. "A day… perhaps two."

"That will be enough," she told him firmly. "Dad and I will meet it in space. Taking it down before it reaches its destination would be _preferable_."

She was correct, of course. And he knew they would be victorious, but… he still couldn't stop himself from sighing. "Be careful," he murmured, turning his head back to face her again.

Her hand shifted to place itself on his cheek for a brief moment. His heart gave a little flutter when she smiled at him again, though the smile was smaller this time. "I will. I promise. But you should promise me the same thing."

Such a reasonable request could hardly be denied. Gently taking her hand into his own, perhaps in an effort to prolong this moment, he murmured, "I promise, Wave."

Giving his hand a little squeeze, she slowly slipped hers away. "I need to go prepare. You should probably head back now. But I'll see you again soon, alright?"

There was no chance for an extended farewell. The mists gradually swallowed her as she turned and walked away from him, and soon she was gone. Sighing, Jet opened his eyes, finding himself back on Mobius… where he had never truly left. He had slipped outside a short time ago in order to make contact with Wave, and out on the porch was where he still stood, arms crossed as he leaned back against a wall. He glanced around the immediate area, taking it all in, before shifting his attention to the traditionally door-less entrance to the front room of this home. Sure enough, Cream soon stepped through it. "Mister Jet?" she asked quietly, as though worried she was interrupting his thoughts. He blinked at her. She took this as permission to continue. "Mister Steam is asking for you. Will you come inside?"

Steam was, huh? That likely didn't mean anything good. And judging by the state Shadow (whom he knew Steam had been with earlier) seemed to be in, based on his aura… it almost certainly didn't. _Stronger medicine is required._ He had a suspicion that that was what this was about, but nevertheless waved a hand in a gesture for her to return inside. She nodded and did as asked, and he pushed off the wall to follow suit. He caught Steam's eye upon entering the room, but again gestured with a hand. This time, he was gently quieting the person in question. He didn't need to hear an explanation. Everything about Steam's aura told Jet that his guess had been correct. He knew what was going on.

Not paying attention to whatever reaction Steam had to that, Jet crossed the room to his parents. They were talking quietly and he felt irrationally nervous about interrupting him (hadn't Ross always _hated_ Jet doing that?), but nevertheless he approached. Maybe it was foolish of him, maybe it was even childish, but even though he by no means had to go anywhere or do anything dangerous… Jet didn't want to go alone. He couldn't ask his mother to accompany him, not when she was so anxiously awaiting Kath's return from Eras, but maybe Sein…? Talking with the man earlier had left Jet feeling better than he had in a while, and though the idea of being alone with any sort of a father figure made him nervous as hell for reasons he did not want to think about… he couldn't shake the idea that _trying_ would be worth it.

Swallowing his nerves, he hesitantly reached out and gave Sein's arm a little tug. The blue hawk turned, blinking a few times before casting him a smile. "Hey, Jet. What's up?" he asked.

"I have to go," Jet murmured, glancing away. "Shadow requires medicine the da Asani produce."

Sein's confused frown formed and remained for a few seconds before he pushed himself to stand, casting Alana a look quickly to say that he was leaving as well. He had a strong feeling that he knew what Jet was wanting, and certainly wanted to follow that feeling. "We'll be back soon, alright?"

Managing a small smile of her own, Alana inclined her head. "Alright." She looked at Jet before adding, "Try to relax a bit, my son. You will find no trouble there."

That wasn't what he'd been nervous about, but sure. He'd pretend. It was easier than acknowledging the truth. "I know." Then, casting a vaguely thankful glance Sein's way, he headed back outside.

Before Sein could follow suit, Sonic noticed Jet's departure (having heard the conversation) and walked over. "You're going with him, huh?"

Sein gave a nod. "Yeah, he seemed to want me to go with him. If he wants it, I've got no reason to say otherwise, yeah?"

Sonic smiled, actually properly smiled for the first time in too long. "He's actually really making an effort to spend some time with you," he observed. "I was worried he just… wouldn't." _Not after Ross._

"He seems to really be warming up to me," Sein offered with a small shrug. "I'm not complaining, though. I've wanted this ever since I knew Alana was going to have a child."

"I understand," Sonic answered. He thought for a moment, considering the options before him, then suggested, "You know… why don't you come back again once you get the medicine to Shadow? I might know a way you two can hang out a bit more before shit hits the fan again."

Sein blinked a few times, curiosity evident on his face before he gave a smile and another nod. "'Course, kid. I'll be back soon." Sonic responded by waving him off and returning to where he'd been earlier. The hawk vanished from sight as he quickly headed out to follow Jet. By this time, Jet had already teleported straight to the da Asani homeworld and was waiting around for Sein to arrive. Once he did, Jet walked to the building they needed, which was sort of their equivalent to a hospital and pharmacy combined. More specifically, it was about the only one that still prescribed and handed out (however rarely they did so) the medicine Shadow now needed. Sein glanced around curiously as they walked, taking note of various things before asking, "They really don't change a whole lot over time, do they?"

Jet initially only shrugged, but soon he said, "No. They have little motivation to do so, overall." As he spoke, he walked through the building toward the part of the building where the person they needed to talk to would be.

"Makes sense," Sein answered with his own shrug. "They don't often have much of a reason to, either."

Jet nodded vaguely before fully shifting his focus to the person he had come to see. He conversed quietly with the person for a few minutes, both of them speaking in an odd mixture of the native da Asani language and modern Babylonian, before the person gave a small bow of respect. "Of course, my lord. I will prepare it immediately." They shuffled off into another room through a door behind them.

Being called that made Jet's eyebrow twitch. "Don't… call me that." But it was too late. The younger man was already out of earshot.

Sein made a nearly silent clicking sound with his tongue before glancing to Jet. "You don't like being referred to that way, do you?"

"I am not the king anymore," Jet answered stiffly. "Even when I was, such respect was… unnecessary."

"Eh, I get it. I had a few people give respect that I didn't really feel was… needed when I was younger. I always tried to get them to not do it, but it never worked out," Sein sighed softly. "One of those things where, if they're determined to do it, they'll just keep going on."

Jet shrugged, but dropped the subject. The person came back, holding several bottles of medicine. They handed it over grimly. "If the person did indeed suffer from such extensive usage, I cannot promise this will be enough. Come back if more is needed."

Managing some manners, Jet inclined his head. "Thank you." With that, he turned to leave, grateful that he wouldn't be forced to socialize any longer. For the moment, at least.

Sein walked after him, but not before inclining his own head in the same manner. "So… what's on your mind?"

There were probably a few good answers to that, but Jet didn't necessarily want to bring any of it up. "...Nothing important," he eventually said.

He picked up that Jet might react adversely to bringing up most things that were _definitely_ on his mind, so Sein instead picked a different subject. "So, are you feeling better than you have been?"

Seeing that there was no harm in answering that, Jet did so. "I suppose," he relented after a short pause.

"That's what matters to me at this moment, then," Sein admitted. "I'm really glad you're feeling a bit better, if nothing else."

Jet took some time to think about that, carefully weighing his words before finally forcing them out. "...Ross… was nothing like you," he admitted. "Being around you… it's been _difficult_ because of him." He scowled at the ground as they walked, deliberately avoiding looking at Sein. Then, even more quietly, he added, "I hate that."

"Don't worry about that," Sein said softly. "You're trying. That's what matters to me. You obviously want to or you wouldn't do it, so I'll support you doing so no matter what." The blue hawk offered a bright smile. Somehow, though normally not one who found comfort easily, Jet found himself feeling a bit relieved at Sein's words. He wasn't sure how much he believed them (yes he was trying to give the man a chance, but was that really good enough?), and yet… Sein had seemed genuine. However, he didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded a little. Sein continued smiling at this, and simply motioned his head in the vague direction of Mobius despite how _vastly_ distant it was from this world. "Sonic wanted to talk to me about some sort of idea, so I guess I'll be talking to him in a moment."

Jet frowned slightly. "About what?"

Sein offered a very unhelpful shrug. "Something about… uh…" He took a moment before realizing that he didn't _fully_ remember what it was that Sonic had said. "You know, I think I'm gonna have to pretend I didn't forget."

Somehow, Jet felt a twinge of amusement. "Of course," he responded blandly. "Because a person of your stature has no business _forgetting_ things."

"Aw, not you too!" Sein said with an exasperated sigh. "Alana, Li, and now you? I'll never get away from the teasing!"

"Not with that defeatist attitude," Jet quipped.

Sein huffed. "You're just like your mom, too," he teased, smirking. "Next you're gonna be threatening to punt me to another planet or something."

Jet answered that with a huff of his own and even a small eye roll. "Only if you were Sonic," he answered.

"Good to know you've got a friend like that," Sein murmured, rolling his eyes in amusement.

Sensing that this conversation was mostly over, Jet responded with another one of his shrugs and teleported back to Mobius. Sein smiled gently and teleported after him without much hesitation. Jet immediately went inside and disappeared into the room where Shadow, Tails, and Li were in order to administer the medicine. Seeing this, Alana watched him go and then turned to face Sein. "That did not take long."

Sein nodded with a smile. "Yep. It was pretty easy. They just kinda listened to Jet, because he's cool and a badass and all."

This earned a quiet laugh. "Sein, you are ridiculous," she gently accused.

He smiled and leaned in to talk to her quietly, his face growing more serious. "He talked a little about his, er… 'adoptive' father, Ross. He mentioned that he's been struggling to interact with me because of it," he murmured softly.

Alana's smile faltered, as did her good mood. "Ross?" she asked. She'd not heard that name before… or anything about an adoptive father.

"That was… the man who raised him. The way he spoke about Ross worries me, a lot," Sein answered, a frown on his face.

Now duly concerned, Alana questioned him further. "What has he said, Sein?"

"Not much, really. He said that he was 'nothing like me', and I don't really like that implication," Sein admitted slowly. Alana frowned at this. "Sonic, though, mentioned something about abuse and neglect. I… _don't_ like that, but I don't wanna pry."

Alana was stunned into silence for a long moment before she could force herself to speak. "That man hurt _our_ _son_?"

Sein nodded slowly. "Sonic wouldn't lie," he muttered. There were very strong notes of anger in his voice, but he did well to quell them for now. Being angry wouldn't fix anything.

"This must be dealt with," Alana told him firmly. Then she sighed and admitted, "But… perhaps later. Jet is not in a position to handle such a thing right now."

"Absolutely. And to be honest, this isn't a good time to try and do it anyway, regardless of that," Sein said. "There's just a lot going on at once." She gave a small nod of agreement. "Alright, well… Sonic wanted to talk to me about something, so I'm gonna go grab his attention."

She relented with a small nod. "Alright."

The blue hawk moved across the room to Sonic, gently tapping on his shoulder to grab the hedgehog's attention. "So, what's up?"

Sonic immediately looked up, having been lost in his thoughts, then blinked. "Oh, right." He straightened. "So, we were talking about you two spending time together, and that got me thinking about ways you could do that. I asked Alana, and she confirmed for me that New Babylon was restored as well. Some further questioning of other people revealed that some of Jet's belongings are still in the palace, including the full contents of his old bedroom." Sein's head tilted curiously, but he didn't say anything and motioned for Sonic to continue. Sonic did just that. "So, before I get too much into this, how familiar are you with the idea of so-called 'age-inappropriate' interests, supposedly 'abnormal' attachments to objects, and the like in people with autism?"

"Uh… I know it's something that isn't unusual, and I can pretty easily piece together what you're talking about regardless," Sein answered, still curious.

"Right. So, in Jet's case, he's got a really special fondness for trains. Always has." Sonic relaxed into a smile. "He's always loved model trains, toy trains, real trains… you get the idea. Because of that, he's acquired a lot of them over the years. To be honest… a lot of that's my fault. Once I learned how much he loved them, I started giving them to him any time I had the chance. Kath even made him one once, for your guys's equivalent of a Christmas-like holiday." His smile slowly shifted into one full of fondness. "Anyway… he and I, we used to build tracks for his trains all the time. He loved being able to hang out, and indulging in an activity he enjoyed so much really helped him to relax whenever he was upset."

Sein's heart was positively melting at this idea and he immediately whirled around to Alana. "We're going to New Babylon, like, now," he stated, leaving no room for argument. The light in his eyes said he was letting _nothing_ stop him from experiencing this.

When she almost hesitated in spite of her obvious desire to accompany him, Sonic piped up with, "You can go. One of us will contact you if Kath comes back before you do. I promise."

After a moment's pause, Alana relented. "Alright, Sein."

Ears working, Sonic then added, "You're going to have to wait just a second, though. Sounds like he's still busy in there." He gave that some thought before continuing. "Since we have time, want to know another fun little detail?" His smile was back in full force.

Sein quickly turned back around and blinked a few times. "What's that?" There was impatience and excitement in his voice, very evident in the quick way he spoke.

"This is gonna sound _totally_ silly, but hear me out," Sonic chuckled. "So, there's this old show that used to run in the earlier days on television here on Mobius. I don't remember anymore what it was called, but Jet _loved_ it when he was a kid. It was all about this train and its adventures, but it and all its friends had personalities and names. I don't know why, but that was brought up one time so, as a joke, I started naming all the trains I gave him. He and I even jokingly named all the others ones. And… well, they kinda stuck." A specific name popped back into his head just then, and he laughed, "Oh my god, that reminds me - the _best_ one I ever named was this stupid little engine that couldn't drive properly. Ended up calling the damn thing 'Tipsy' because it freaking drives like it's drunk."

The blue hawk's smile widened ever more at all of this, soaking in the information so that he could make sure to make use of it later. "That's absolutely _amazing_ , Sonic!"

His excitement was infectious enough that Alana found herself smiling anew. However, it was Sonic who spoke then and not her as Jet finally emerged from the guest room. "Hey, Jet," he called, "wanna go have some fun?"

Jet stopped walking and regarded him with (for once) open confusion. "...What are you talking about?" he finally asked.

Sein was positively bubbling with excitement. "Let's go to Babylon!"

That… explained nothing. Looking back and forth between the pair, Jet sought some sort of an explanation. When one didn't seem forthcoming, he turned to Alana. "What are they going on about?"

She shrugged a little, but nevertheless said, "Sonic believes it would be good for you to spend some time relaxing, while it is still possible for you to do so."

Okay, so that was _something_ at least. But still hardly the explanation Jet had been after. "...Fine," he told Sein with a sigh. _So long as someone says what the hell is going on._ Sonic just smiled at him.

Sein grinned widely and gently grabbed Alana's hand before extending his free one to Jet, offering to teleport them all together. Very, very hesitantly, Jet reached out and slowly accepted the hand he'd been offered. He cast Sonic an anxious look, which Sonic was quick to acknowledge with some mouthed words of encouragement. Jet hesitated a moment longer before taking a breath and trying to relax. Sein waited for this to happen before teleporting them to Babylon. He let go of Jet's hand when they arrived, not wanting to stress him out unnecessarily.

This prompted Jet to cross his arms, mostly for self-comfort. "Why are we here?" he asked again. " _Specifically_ , that is."

"Where is your room?" Alana asked in turn.

Given that this was most certainly _not_ the response he'd been expecting, Jet blinked at her several times. "My… room?"

"Yeah," Sein answered, smiling.

"Why?" Jet found himself asking again.

"I _promise_ you'll understand when we get there," Sein replied, motioning softly for Jet to lead.

Sensing that Sein might _actually_ just take off and try to find it himself if given the opportunity, Jet staved off the desire to question him again and began walking with a heavy sigh. He led the two of them to the very top floor and then into the hall where Kath's observatory was. That was at the very farthest end of the hall, but on the right side about twenty or so feet from those doors was another set of ornate double doors. Pulling them open, Jet revealed the immaculate room hidden within, looking untouched by time despite how long it had been since he'd last spent time in this space. "This is it."

Sein slipped past both Jet and Alana, quickly and curiously investigating the room. There wasn't too much to note in the room anymore, since most of Jet's belongings now resided on A'latria, but the bed and desk remained, as did an open closet full of boxes and the like. Resting on the wall beside that was his Extreme Gear… which had seen some better days. There wasn't much beyond that to look at. Sein's curiosity was piqued at the sight of the Extreme Gear. "What's this?"

Jet walked over to his board and skimmed his fingers over one of the most broken areas. "A racing vehicle," he said. "It flies."

"So it's like a board version of a sparrow…" Sein said, kneeling down to inspect it more closely. "Except, well… it flies instead of hovering."

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Jet answered.

Sein stood back up, smiling brightly. "Anything else of interest?"

 _Sonic… what the hell did you fill his head with?_ Resisting the urge to sigh again, Jet glanced over the contents of his closet before shrugging.

"Sein, must you be so vague with him?" Alana gently chided.

"I'm _sorry_ , but I want to see more than just what he told us about!" Sein answered. "Is that so wrong?"

"What were you told?" Jet asked him with audible suspicion, seizing the opportunity as it came.

Sein started rattling off information at far too high of a speed for his own good before wholly realizing that he was making no sense and slowing himself down. "He talked about trains," he simplified before smiling sheepishly. "Er, you liking trains and all." Jet's initial reaction was to be annoyed at Sonic for bringing something like that up so fucking _randomly_ , but… he couldn't quite mask the faint light of positivity that entered his aura. "So, uh… yeah. He told us about that and well… I wanted to see them."

"If you do not mind," Alana gently added. "We will not push."

Jet hesitated for a long couple of moments, thinking, before just giving in. It had been years since he'd pulled any of this stuff out, anyway… so he turned around and walked into the closet. Before too long, he'd uncovered a couple of wooden boxes and slid them out toward Sein with careful pushes from his foot. The last one he grabbed was carried out instead and set down with the others. Then, feeling a touch awkward (mostly because he'd never really shared this sort of thing with too many people before), he just gestured weakly and said, "They're in these."

Sein gave a gentle smile before opening one of the boxes and slowly reaching to grab one, but stopped to look at Jet, seeming to ask for permission. Jet just shrugged at him, not in any way telling him he _couldn't_ proceed. Sein continued as planned, carefully picking up one of the trains to inspect it. Alana took a seat by his side, prompting Jet to eventually sit down on the other side of the box from them. Sein's mind went to work and his aura flared to life around his body before flowing around the room and very intricately coming together all around to form a long train track. He then gently set the train down in front of him onto the track and watched it slowly roll along with the movement of Sein's aura.

Given how easily his attention could be snagged by things he truly enjoyed, Jet found himself just watching this for a time. Before he knew it, he realized he was actually relaxing quite a bit. It was… a nice change of pace from how he'd been feeling lately. So nice that he realized he had actually _missed_ being this peaceful. How long had it been…? Deciding that didn't matter right this minute, he turned to the box Sein had opened and dug around in it for a moment before pulling one out and setting it on the track as well. Following Sein's lead, he began carefully pushing it along with his aura. Alana watched them both with a contented smile, feeling perfectly happy to just watch them enjoy themselves. Sein decided to take it a touch further, creating a fully fledged system where several other tracks that branched off and continued on their own paths could take a few other trains that he slowly began setting on it as well.

After watching this for a short bit, Jet pulled another train out also. Alana decided to ask, "Where did you acquire this one? The detail is quite intricate."

Turning the train over in his hands, Jet answered, "Kaicha made it." Being exceedingly gentle with this especially valuable (sentimentally speaking) piece, he set it down and sent it on its way.

"You appreciate it a lot," Sein pointed out a soft smile on his face. "Means a lot to you, yeah?"

"The gift was… unexpected," Jet admitted. "He went out of his way to surprise me with it. That he did that and put so much effort into making it… It mattered to me." Alana couldn't stop smiling at this little revelation. It was such a rare thing, hearing about her father actively showing such kindness and care… and that made it all the more special.

Sein gave a bright smile at this and watched Jet. "I can understand where you're coming from. It's definitely… rare to hear of something like that ever happening," he admitted softly, chuckling.

Jet didn't answer that, but instead dug through his box again and pulled out a new train. Much to Alana's surprise, he volunteered information about this one without any prompting at all. Holding the scribbled-on train for them to see, he murmured, "My youngest, Suri… she made this one when she was still small. It was Wave's idea."

There was a long moment of Sein internally and almost literally squealing with delight, adoring this little fact. "That is _adorable_."

Unable to recall all of a sudden, Alana gently pried a little. "How many children did you have?"

"Four," Jet answered. "There were others that I took in, over the years, but those four…" He shrugged and trailed off. But it was clear that he was happy to an extent to be talking about them… long gone though they seemed to be. That no doubt brought him pain.

"Did the others make any of these?" Alana asked him, hoping to provide more happiness to him as opposed to sadness.

He shook his head. "No. They made other things, but not these."

"You still appreciated those just as much, though, didn't you?" Sein asked.

"Yeah. Of course." Jet set the train down and let it go. Sein continued watching this all in contentment, settling back and letting all of the trains move along as they would if they were real. It was in the midst of this peace that Alana eventually left, leaving her boys to enjoy their time together… smiling and enjoying one another's company just as she had always dreamed they would.

 **~保護者~**

Introductions had been made several minutes ago. Sonic waited patiently for the usual "I-just-met-this-person-and-want-to-say-things" chatter to fully subside before saying, "I'm sorry we had to meet under these sorts of circumstances, Shei. I wish things could have been more pleasant." The chameleon shrugged a little and made a vague hand gesture. That reminded Sonic of something. Looking around at his other friends, Sonic asked, "Um… I don't suppose you lot know sign language. Or is it just me?" The only person in the room he wasn't addressing was Silver. Having just been revived very recently, the younger hedgehog was tired. He'd finally settled down for a bit of sleep a short while ago. Come to think of it… wasn't Locke still out, too? A quick glance confirmed he definitely was.

"Cream and I know some," Vector volunteered. "Espio used to resort to it during missions sometimes, or when he just didn't want to talk."

"Yes, he did," Cream confirmed. "I believe I know enough to understand anything Mister Shei says."

With a nod, Sonic turned to Alana and Steam. "What about you two?"

Alana, who had been watching the goings-on without comment prior to this moment, offered a shrug. "I know some," she offered vaguely.

Steam shrugged. "Not enough to be much help, sadly."

Another nod. Sonic looked back at Shei. "Listen… this probably isn't the _best_ way for you to find out, but there's someone you need to meet."

Cream straightened. "I will get him." She stood from the chair at Espio's table and hurried off toward his bedroom.

No doubt puzzled, Shei signed a simple question. _"Who?"_

"His name is Sako," Sonic answered. Cream emerged with a tiny bundle in her arms. "And, well…"

The bundle squirmed, soft blanket falling away enough to reveal a tiny face. Cream carried the baby toward Shei, who had clearly put the pieces together and was stunned in the vague, quiet way that only those who were largely inexpressive could manage. "He is your grandson," the bunny murmured, carefully lowering Sako into Shei's arms. "He was only born days ago."

Having just awakened from a nap, Sako yawned sleepily while Shei watched him. There was a period of silence… one that somehow just gave Sonic the _feeling_ that there was some sort of unspoken bonding taking place. The sight made him smile a little. Eventually, Shei shifted Sako in his arms, freeing his hands so that he could sign. _"How many days old is he?"_

Looks were traded. No one seemed terribly sure. "I… dunno," Vector finally said. "The days seem to really be blendin' together lately…"

"He's less than a week," Sonic said, trying to be helpful, "but more than two days. I think I can be pretty certain of that."

Shei nodded and signed back, _"That is good enough."_

"Why did you need to know?" Cream asked.

 _"He should be beginning to climb now and cling to those carrying him,"_ Shei answered. Not awaiting a reply, he gently lifted the baby so that Sako was upright. Just like that, tiny hands grasped at Shei's shoulder without hesitation. Sako pulled himself up further, got comfortable, and laid his head down while he indulged in another yawn. Shei removed his hands and, sure enough, Sako stayed where he was without any struggle. This seemed to satisfy Shei. _"Good. Any delays in this area are not unheard of, but do make care more… difficult."_

Sonic thought he understood. "Because chameleons travel and fight a lot, right?" A nod answered him. He responded by gesturing to the wall panel behind which Espio's foods, drinks, and medicines were stored. "Before everything was healed, a few survivors of the attack on this village came by. One of them brought the blanket he's been using, and one brought a couple traditional bottle-things. Espio mentioned that Sako wouldn't need to have anything right away, but is that still true?"

It might have been hard to judge, given the slightly iffy estimation on Sako's precise age, but Shei soon shook his head. _"No. He will need to feed within the next day or so."_

"Juice will suffice, yes?" Cream queried.

 _"Yes. But I will handle it."_ Shei turned his head to watch as one of Sako's little hands started patting the older chameleon's mask in apparent curiosity, but soon returned his attention to the others. _"Armaris said that Espio has left."_

This topic was pretty inevitable. Sonic made no effort to skirt around it. "Yeah, he did," he confirmed, glancing outside. Armaris was still out there somewhere, right? Probably a bit of a distance from the house, too, if he had to guess. "He just left… not even an hour ago, I think. But, knowing him, he's probably pretty damn far away by now."

Shei nodded slowly, not at all surprised by this information judging by his current demeanor. _"Where would he have gone?"_

Cream sighed softly. "We do not know. He did not tell us anything. But, then, he seldom _does_ explain himself."

This earned a soft huff from Shei. _"Too much like his mother, that one."_ He stood but, though Sonic was reflexively alarmed that Sako wasn't being held, the baby maintained his position effortlessly and didn't seem at all perturbed by the motion. If anything, it seemed to have interested him, judging by the way he was now looking around.

"You goin' somewhere?" Vector asked, shifting in his makeshift seat on the floor.

The only answer Shei gave was to walk over to the panel Sonic had indicated earlier. He removed it in a practiced motion (lending credence to Sonic's long standing belief that such panels had been used in their homes for a very long time) and then set it aside. He then carefully rifled through the contents of the compartment, soon removing one of the wooden bottles once he'd located it. He set it on the table to his left, then began pulling a few leaves of some kind and some grapes. Then, using some sort of a bowl and grinding tool, he quickly and easily turned these ingredients into a small amount of juice, which was then simply poured into the bottle. Sako showed no interest in it yet, though he did watch Shei work with wide eyes, so the bottle was simply left on the table for now to be used later.

"Will he cry when he needs things?" Cream asked, filling in the silence with a tilted head.

Shei shook his head. _"It is unsafe to do such a thing. Hollows and others that inhabit these lands will actively hunt for anything that so blatantly reveals itself to be tiny and helpless."_

That was a decidedly… gruesome thought. But it made sense. "What do chameleon babies do instead?" Sonic questioned.

 _"They will fuss,"_ Shei answered _, "as other babies would. It will just be quieter."_

Duly noted. "Anything else we need to know?"

 _"Do not lay hands on him without permission when his parents are here,"_ was the grim reply. _"Not while he is this young. No matter how Espio and the mother feel about him, whether they accept him or not, their instincts will nevertheless remain - and they are powerful. Even simple unwanted touches can earn violent repercussions from either of them."_

Vector scratched at the back of his head. "Right… We sorta knew about that." He thought for a second, then frowned. "How long's that gonna keep up, anyhow?"

 _"We age very much slower than other species on this world,"_ Shei explained, displaying great patience despite their constant questioning. _"Sako will be small for years to come. He will not even begin to walk until his first century."_

Although he'd had an idea about the crazy aging process for chameleons before, Sonic felt his eyes go wide. Wait… if that's true… how the hell long ago was Espio born? He did some calculations in his head, which only further fueled his shock. He'd have had to be alive at the same time as Mom, Dad, and Locke, back on South Island. Maybe… maybe even before then.

"Yeesh. That's a long time to be raisin' a kid." Vector eyed Sako was a fondness on his face that had once been reserved solely for young Charmy and Cream. "Good thing this kid's worth the work. Ain'tcha?" Of course, Sako didn't respond to him in any way. He couldn't have, first of all, and besides that he was _much_ too entertained by grasping at and tugging on Shei's horn. Shei allowed him to persist for a surprising number of moments before gently redirecting him to play with the blanket instead. This only worked for a few seconds before the child was back at it again, however. It was actually rather impressive, the amount of focused determination he was already displaying when so young.

When Sako lost interest in this finally (mostly because Shei continued to keep giving him other things to do instead), the baby's gaze landed on Steam. Apparently curious about him in particular, he stared with those wise and innocent eyes that all babies possessed. Sonic noticed this with a smile and nudged Steam. "He's looking at you. Seems you caught his eye."

Steam stared back at Sako for a moment before managing a small smile. This display was enough to raise his spirits, even if only temporarily. "I'm not much of a baby person, sadly."

"It's not for everyone," Sonic agreed, "but even then you've gotta admit that he's cute. ...Albeit probably still lethal somehow, if _only_ because of what species he is."

"Perhaps he is," Steam admitted slowly, crossing his arms and rolling one of his shoulders in a deliberately wide arc. Why were his muscles so tense…?

Sonic let the matter go at that point. Cream's suddenly rapt interest on the doorway leading outside was plenty distraction. "What's up?"

Slowly, the bunny frowned. "Armaris is… upset," she revealed slowly. "I believe she just left."

Steam's eyes glowed a golden color before he frowned. "No way I can follow her. She's going to a realm I've got no access to."

That drew Shei's attention to them. With a small frown he signed, _"If she has gone there, then she will not want to be followed, regardless. Let her return when she is ready."_ Given that Steam couldn't completely follow by his own admission, Sonic quickly translated for him.

"I've got an idea of where she went, regardless. It's likely she's with her dad, so she'll definitely be safe." Steam shrugged faintly, not as concerned as he'd been originally.

She signed back immediately. _"I am aware of where she went. She has gone there before."_ Once again, Sonic translated.

Steam blinked a few times, a touch confused for a moment before he simply nodded. His eyes wandered away slowly as one of his hands idly began lightly scratching at his head. "So, is there anything that needs to be handled in the meantime?"

Sonic sighed. "I mean… I would normally say that preparing for the next big attack would be our next move, but by the way Jet was talking… it sounds like Wave can handle that World Eater mess on her own."

Unexpectedly, so much so that Sonic nearly jumped, Alana piped up. "If what he said about her is correct, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then she most certainly _can_. As such, our efforts should be focused elsewhere."

"I do not know what else we can do," Cream admitted. "We cannot handle Mister Kaden as we are now. Especially not with Miss Analia still in desperate need of rest."

"But that ain't the only problem at hand," Vector reminded with a frown. He turned to face her. "I _know_ there's no way you wanna let Espio just take off like he did. You wanna find him, don'tcha?"

Cream looked down, blinking rapidly to force back a few random tears. "Of _course_ I do," she nearly whispered. Then, drawing in a small breath, she painfully admitted, "I have already lost both of my parents to the evils of this world, and beyond. I cannot stand to lose him, too." Steam stayed quiet throughout this entire thing. He'd placed a lot of faith in Kial being able to help with Espio, but… how much would he be _able_ to help?

"There doesn't seem to be too much we can do about it," Sonic muttered unhappily. "If he doesn't want to be found, he just won't be. That's all there is to it." Shei said nothing throughout all of this, though the frown he had been wearing earlier was more pronounced now.

A portal snapped into existence beside Steam and Armaris stepped through, her hair tied behind her in a ponytail and noticeably highlighted with bright blue at the tips. Her clothes had also changed into a plain red shirt and some pants with grey shoes and a black leather jacket. "What's happening?"

Trying to lighten the mood slightly, Vector started off with, "Oh, you know… some bondin'." He gestured to Shei and Sako, the former of whom was again gently stopping the baby from tugging on his horn.

She blinked a few times and watched Sako for a moment before managing a gentle smile. "Little bastard's already clinging, eh?"

Shei raised an eyebrow at her words, but nevertheless answered, _"As he should be."_

Armaris raised an eyebrow back at him, curious as to what he was thinking. "Something wrong?"

It was too much to try to sign, so Shei simply gestured in a way that clearly communicated, _"Ask them."_

The cat glanced to the others, idly motioning with a hand for someone to explain. "What's up? I dunno how much time passed here."

"Um… okay, first off, what do you mean by that?" Sonic questioned.

"I was in a Realm of Death. Time passes there very differently, so I've been gone a few days in however long it's been here," Armaris explained simply.

"It's been several minutes," Vector helpfully told her.

Sonic tried to recall what things he knew about the Realms of Death, decided this detail was most certainly _not_ one of them, then shook his head. "Uh- _huh_ … Okay. Anyway, to answer your question, we were all trying to decide what we need to be doing since Wave's pretty much got the World Eater thing handled, by Jet's telling."

"So, what is it?" Armaris thought and cut in _quickly_ before anyone could dare capitalize on her minute mistake. "It's _obviously_ a world eater, but other details. I've kinda been in a place where I didn't listen to much of anything."

"Some sort of massive demon that breaks worlds and then eats them, all apparently without breaking a sweat," Sonic shrugged. "I don't know too much beyond that."

The mention of demons certainly left a sour taste on Armaris's tongue, but she said nothing about it and cast a glance to Steam. "You're from that other timeline. Anything else you got to add?"

"Not really," Steam answered, crossing his arms once more. "Wave and her dad should be able to handle it."

"Besides that," Sonic continued, "we're sort of at a loss about what to do. But… Cream really does want to go after Espio."

"It really could be dangerous to go. Not just because of Nyokae, but if we upset Espio as well. If anyone went, they'd have to be incredibly careful, and capable of holding their own against _ninja_ ," Steam answered.

Cream pursed her lips together, debating whether or not to say anything, before finally asking, "Do you truly believe he would hurt us?"

"Yeah, didn't he get… I don't know, calmed down or somethin'?" Vector asked, no doubt deeply concerned.

Armaris sighed lowly. "Darkness is very confusing and difficult to understand and handle. His emotions are _definitely_ in a volatile place right now, which is probably a part of why he bailed when he did. It's entirely possible for him to attack someone, and even pretending he doesn't Nyokae is still a problem. She's a ninja and a _powerful_ one at that."

Finally, Shei rejoined the conversation. Catching her eye, he signed, _"Is she currently on the planet?"_

"Maybe," Armaris murmured. "Considering it hasn't been long since I left…"

Steam decided to pipe in, confused. "What does that have to do with it?"

The cat's whole demeanor shifted and she groaned, putting her face in her hands. "Son of a bitch decided to come and talk to me. She said something about Espio not being on our side soo-" Armaris's eyes widened and she mouthed several expletives in agitation before moving to head for the door. She halted when Steam's hand snatched her wrist and lightly pulled back.

"We don't need to rush into anything. You admitted she's strong, which means she's a problem. If you rush in, she very well could just kill you if she can get away with it," Steam explained quickly, staring her down.

Armaris's eye twitched and she pulled her hand away before glancing to Shei. "What do you think we should do, then?"

 _"Left to his own devices, there is no telling what may happen,"_ Shei answered slowly. _"If he can be found, it is necessary for someone to interfere in whatever that woman is attempting to do."_ He shifted Sako a little when the baby fidgeted and squirmed before continuing, speaking more to the others than her this time. _"You must also remember, though, that not as much of this is her fault as you may have been led to believe. Outside influences can affect one's Darkness, yes, but the true depths of corruption come from an individual's heart." Frowning he glanced away. "He is not inherently evil, but the potential for that to change has always been there."_

"I'm _very_ aware of that, Shei," she very lightly snapped, not so gently gesturing to herself before biting back her anger. "Sorry," the cat muttered, settling down slowly. "Nonetheless, we still need to do something about Nyokae."

"What can we do?" Sonic responded. "We don't even know where either of them _are_."

"We know where _Kial_ is," Steam answered. "He's got my communicator."

Sonic's ears perked up. "Wait, he does?" Immediately, he turned his communicator screen on and then tossed the device to Steam. "I don't think mine's linked to yours, so tracking it's on you."

"I'll link it. Shouldn't take me long, considering I modified the thing myself with Tails in my timeline…" Steam murmured, already beginning to go through several calibrations.

"Let me know when you find it," Sonic answered. Then, looking around at everyone, he said, "So… new question. Who all should go? Aside from you, Armaris. I know _you're_ going."

"Shei," Armaris answered, glancing to the chameleon. "I _want_ you to go as well."

Shei immediately nodded… though he knew that that meant Sako would have to go as well. For the child's own sake, he _needed_ to be with a relative during these first days of his life. It was important for mental and emotional growth and development… not to mention physical safety. _His presence may aid us in our task, as well._

Armaris idly cast a glance between Vector and Cream. She wouldn't argue against them going, but Armaris certainly didn't want them in more danger than necessary.

Understanding what she was thinking, Cream murmured, "I know Vector and I cannot go with. Besides… the fewer people go, the better, I suppose."

Armaris nodded slowly and idly teleported a sheathed weapon to her, fastening it around her waist. "I guess it'll be me and Shei, then."

Sonic sighed, but agreed. "I'd go with if I could," he told her. "I just… I _have_ to be here for my brother." He glanced at Alana who, who had said nothing, but he didn't ask her to go with either. Just like he needed to be here for Shadow… she needed to be here for Jet.

"Don't worry about that, Sonic," Armaris answered. "You're better off here, regardless. No offense."

He waved her off. "Yeah, I know."

Armaris sighed and crossed her arms. "Anyway… I guess that's it, aye?"

 _"Not entirely,"_ Shei answered. He looked pointedly at Steam in order to further convey his meaning.

The cat clicked her tongue and waited semi-patiently before the hedgehog seemed satisfied. "I've got it linked. It's also connected to the rest of the communicators that are active, just in case something happens," Steam answered, glancing to Sonic. "You don't mind if they take it with them, right?"

"No, it's fine. Most of the things on it are obsolete these days, so it's not like I have anything important to try to keep. Tails made sure it can still call, and that's the important thing."

"I mean, considering that you're old and just kinda came back from the dead…" Armaris murmured, shrugging. "I was gonna take it regardless."

Sonic tossed her a glare. "You can stop talking _right_ now."

"Oh, and _who's_ gonna make me, hm?" she said almost sweetly, sticking her tongue out. "I'd love to see you try."

"You-"

Vector cut him off. "Uh… I don't think fightin' back's a great idea there, Sonic…" Sonic's glare shifted to him.

Armaris tossed Sonic a whistle to grab his attention. "I'll kick your ass when I get back." She winked and snatched the communicator from Steam with a tendril of Darkness before her body appeared to bleed into the floor and disappear. Taking her lead, Shei disappeared out the door.

 **~保護者~**

 **10,349 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 4:45 p.m.) 04-29-20.**


	71. Awakening

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these scenes… especially for the one who has finally come to.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Awakening"**

 **~保護者~**

 _Espio… you've really got me worried._ Kial thought to himself as he followed behind Espio quietly. _You act unusual… and yet you somehow remain the same within that._ His head hung low as he thought this over, frowning. There was so much Espio wasn't telling, and he knew that. That's what bothered him about it. In the end, he decided it was worth a try to _ask_ Espio. The worst his friend could do was attack him. "Hey, Espio. How are you feeling?" Predictably, that was a question Espio ignored. The cat thought for a moment before rephrasing. "I was obviously there… but… _what_ happened with that woman?"

"Nothing," Espio bit out, striding further ahead as though to put some distance between them.

"You know that's not really the truth, Espio," Kial said simply, crossing his arms as he sped up his pace to make sure he couldn't lose the chameleon. "It bothered you."

"It doesn't matter," Espio responded bitterly.

"But it _does_ ," Kial murmured softly, shaking his head. "If you have such an adverse reaction, you are likely attempting to avoid feeling something related to it." Once more, he was completely ignored. Kial fell quiet for a moment longer before changing the subject. "Who is that woman, to you?"

Espio didn't have to give the question any thought before he answered. "An enemy."

"Why?" Kial questioned, curious.

"It should not be necessary to _explain_."

"I'm just curious," Kial answered. "You seem conflicted, despite your immediate answer."

Only a deep breath contained the spark of temper Espio suddenly experienced, thus allowing him to keep his voice level. "I am not. She is an enemy. _Nothing_ else."

The cat was quiet for a time, not wishing to press this any further. He wasn't entirely sure what Espio's mental state was like at the moment, and had no idea as to what was okay to question and what would make the situation worse. In the end, he decided to continue on a new subject. "How are _you_?"

As always, Espio's answer was a swift and simple, "Fine."

Kial tilted his head. "You're quick to answer, but not willing to think on it. Is there something you're not wanting to say?"

Oh, there were a _lot_ of things Espio didn't want to say to Kial. Or anyone else, for that matter. But he also didn't necessarily want to acknowledge that fact, because that meant acknowledging the fact that she had pissed him off yet again and he was upset enough about that as it was. It also meant giving thought to why the things she'd said had gotten so under his skin, which was just… not happening right now. "No."

The cat took the small delay before the answer as Espio having given some thought, so he readily accepted that the chameleon seriously had no desire to speak about it. As such, he simply nodded. "Got it. On a completely different note, why did you pull me out of the way earlier?"

"You were about to be stabbed," Espio stated frankly, like it was obvious. Because, truly, it was.

"Why do you care?" Kial asked, tilting his head again. "You do, or you wouldn't have pulled me out of the way. But _why_?"

"You would be dead, had it struck," was all Espio told him in reply.

Kial nodded slowly. _So he's absolutely not going to be speaking emotionally. I guess I'll have to keep trying other topics to see what he will talk about._ "How about this. Do you have questions for me?"

This earned a frown. The question was unexpected enough to get Espio to spend a moment or two thinking it over, but ultimately his response was still only a one-word answer. "No."

"Nothing, then?"

"I said no."

"Just checking," Kial said, shrugging softly. "Well… let me ask you this, then. Who are you?"

Completely caught off-guard, Espio stopped walking. After a long pause, he turned to face Kial with a scowl. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

"When you look at yourself, who do you perceive yourself to be?" Kial asked, his face for once devoid of the usual compassion. "What do _you_ see?"

A matter such as this was one Espio had never before _thought_ about. The truth was that he really never thought about this sort of thing. Most of the time, he would argue that there was no point. "It doesn't matter," he eventually muttered, starting to turn away again.

"Why does it not matter, Espio?" Kial questioned. "You exist, do you not?"

 _Obviously_ he did. But that didn't mean he had to answer this damned question. "Just shut up," he shot back, beginning to walk again.

Kial continued after him, eyebrows furrowed. "Why should I?" the cat questioned. "I ask this in seriousness." Espio _wanted_ to say that the reason was because he'd fucking cut him if he didn't stop talking, but he couldn't quite bring himself to believe his own words just then. So he held his tongue. "If you can give me any answer, then I will let the topic go." With no answer to even _give_ , Espio stayed silent and picked up the pace again, suddenly more determined than before to put space between himself and the bobcat. Kial returned to speeding up to keep up with the chameleon. "What do you _think_ I am looking for as an answer?" he questioned.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" Espio snapped, temper flaring again.

"That's the entire point of the question," Kial answered in return, frowning. "You're not _supposed_ to know." Espio's more logical side kicked back in at that moment and he spent the next few seconds silently cursing himself for letting his emotions dictate his reactions. Again. But he couldn't quite keep _all_ the anger in check, leading him to decide it was best to just hold his tongue. "The rarity of those who know who or what they are is amazing. If I were to ask myself, I could produce no feasibly decent answer. I have little understanding of the answer I could provide, whereas someone who has existed for far longer such as Cere could give a more definitive answer. I didn't want you to have an answer because you're really not supposed to be _able_ to just figure it out."

Silence answered him. After a time, Kial sighed softly. "Espio, there's a lot of things I want to know about how you're feeling. I continue asking these outlandish questions in hopes to gain insight, but I can't get through. Is it because you truly don't want to talk about anything?"

" _Talking_ is not _useful_ ," Espio answered him, finally giving up on trying again to just ignore his companion.

"It can be when given a chance, Espio." Kial answered. "Talking shows how you feel and let's you express emotion. I understand that shinobi are not supposed to express much, but everyone _has_ emotions and to stow them away where they cannot see the light makes their eventual escape far worse."

"Words are empty," Espio retorted, more irritation bubbling forth." They are _meaningless_."

"Words on their own are. The individual using them is what gives them power." When Espio didn't respond to this, Kial decided to make one last attempt. "What's on your mind…?"

"Nothing." With this flat, emotionless response, Espio suddenly took to the trees at great speed and disappeared.

Kial stopped where he was with a gentle sigh and folded his arms over one another. He was only vaguely aware of himself slipping into a sitting position with his legs crossed, almost instinctively slipping into a meditative state. None of this stopped a single tear filled with concern and fear for his friend from slipping from his closed eyes. Be safe, Espio.

 **~保護者~**

Jet couldn't shake the feeling of peace that was filling him as he and Sein began making their way down the stairs of the palace. They had cleaned his room up already and were on their way to find the young queen Saraya (he felt it was important to check up on her), but his senses were telling him she was a few floors below them. He started heading down the stairs, fingers lightly brushing across the polished railing as Sein followed at his heels. They made it about halfway down the first set of steps before a _white hot_ stabbing sensation made itself known in Jet's head.

The sudden explosion of agony robbed him of his senses for a long moment. When he recovered enough to see and hear again (not to mention feel _anything_ other than the pain in his head), he realized he had crumpled to the floor. Only the hand he had had on the railing had prevented him from falling down more than a few steps, as he had apparently tightened his grip on reflex in response to the pain. His other hand was clutching at his head, as though that would somehow make the pain cease. He didn't dare speak or open his eyes right then, for he was in far too much pain to attempt such a thing.

Only after a veritable eternity had passed did Jet start to become aware of Sein again. The other man was probably trying to help him, but Jet really had no concrete idea of what was happening right now. Pain drowned nearly everything else out, despite the fact that it was slowly ebbing away. Even once it receded enough for him to be able to somewhat see straight again, he pulled himself up enough to sit probably on a step and then put his head in both of his hands. He was dizzy now, nauseas, even feeling faint. Like he might black out. Standing was likely a god-awful idea. Focusing on what Sein was saying or doing seemed like a better one.

By now, Sein was beginning to pick his son up off the stairs and descending them at a quick pace to try and get Jet somewhere he could relax for a second. " _Fuck_ , what's going on?" He questioned, hoping that Jet might be able to make a response despite the obvious pain.

It took a few seconds for Jet to fully recognize what was happening. He _didn't_ like being carried, but it wasn't as though he was exactly in the shape to pull himself free. "Don't know," he eventually mumbled. The only explanation he could get out after that point was a small, "Head hurts."

"Where should I take you?" Sein asked quickly, his eyes darting back and forth to try and figure out where to go from here. "I don't want to worry people, but we need to get you somewhere _not_ in the middle of a hallway or something."

Jet forced his eyes open again, trying to clear the blurriness from them long enough to make sense of where they were. His vision darkened at the edges in response to a small uptick in pain, but he saw enough to get his bearings. Closing his eyes again, he gestured vaguely to the left. "Sitting room," he all but whispered.

Sein all but burst into this room, finding a suitable spot to set Jet down and laying him there before dropping to check over him. "Do you have _any_ idea of what we should do about this?"

Since he felt sick to his stomach, Jet didn't want to speak. However, shaking his head sounded like just about the worst idea ever, so he forced himself to talk instead. "No."

"Okay…" Sein thought as quickly as he could before asking, "Do you know of anything that might _help_?" This time, Jet did just shake his head. As predicated, he _instantly_ regretted it. Sein rushed off at borderline supersonic speeds, searching for any sort of medicine that might be useful before reappearing back in the room seconds later with a few bottles in hand. He listed off the names of the medicines, looking to see if Jet thought any of the things he'd collected might help.

Much, _much_ more slowly this time, Jet shook his head again. That made his pain a little less intense this time around, but it still had yet to abate entirely. He knew these medicines wouldn't help, either. Yes, they were designed to help with headaches and migraines brought on by all sorts of causes, but the one he was suffering currently… something about it didn't seem _right_. He couldn't for the life of him shake the feeling that this was _all_ wrong. But… why? _None of this makes sense._

The blue hawk knelt down by Jet, setting the medicines aside and watching over Jet worriedly. "I don't know what to do…" he admitted slowly, a tinge of sadness entering his tone.

It took effort to swallow back his nausea, but Jet eventually mumbled, "It's… not your fault."

"I just _want_ to be able to help, but it seems like this is something different, right?" Sein dared to ask.

"Yeah," Jet replied after another long pause.

"We just… have to wait it out, don't we?" Sein slowly asked.

That seemed a likely, if not wholly unpleasant, possibility. "...Maybe."

"That's… shitty, but better than nothing." Jet couldn't formulate even a halfway decent reply, and so instead laid down as quickly as he dared on whatever couch he'd been placed upon. Maybe if he could sleep, this would be over sooner…

 **~保護者~**

Young Anthea, the oldest of the two adopted daughters of the Sun God, knew it was much too late for her to be awake right now. Wandering through the foreign home of the Star Goddess, she wasn't sure if she would face any sort of a reprimand for being out of bed. Only concern for her younger sister kept her from turning back and finding her way back to their shared sleeping quarters. She soon realized that she could sense the cat, anyway, so she opted to forge ahead. Stepping into the doorway to the room where their temporary caretaker was, she quietly called out, "Lady Sona?"

Sona glanced up from her enchanted table with a questioning gaze, blinking. "What are you doing awake, Anthea? I told you both to rest, just in case something happens." she said, crossing her arms. "Something on your mind?"

The ten-year-old looked down at her sandaled feet, hands behind her back in an almost nervous fashion. "I'm sorry, Lady Sona," she murmured. "It's just… It's Anya. She's having a dream again. Daddy usually takes care of her, but he's not here, so I thought…" She trailed off, shuffling her feet a bit.

The cat managed a soft smile and pushed herself to stand, setting a hand on Anthea's head for a moment as she passed and walked toward their temporary room. "What does he normally do?" she asked, her gaze flickering back to Anthea.

Relieved, Anthea hurried after her. "He tells her stories a lot. I don't know what else he does. Even when she wakes me up because of her dreams, Daddy's stories always help me fall back asleep fast."

"I'm not much of a storyteller," Sona revealed, not acting as if this would surprise Anthea in the slightest. "I got another idea, though." She walked into the girls' shared bedroom and teleported a cello into her hand with the bow in her other. "Hopefully this doesn't make things worse somehow."

Anthea crossed the room to sit at the edge of the smaller echidna's bed. Her sister was only half Anthea's age, and yet the mental fortitude (as she'd always heard adults call it) she displayed was immense. Yet, the things she saw and understood were often too much for her young mind to handle. And the dreams they caused… they troubled her to no end. Anthea sincerely hoped, for her sister's sake, that they could be tamed again tonight, as they so often were. "Anya likes music," she murmured. "Daddy can't play, but sometimes we visit Lady Cosmo. She makes lovely songs."

"Your dad isn't as cool as me for a reason," Sona chuckled, teleporting a seat as she made the motion to sit down. "Lay down, Anthea, and I'll play."

"Okay." Anthea slid back off of the bed and returned to her own. She crawled into it and under the covers, quickly settling back in for the night.

Sona took a moment before slowly dragging the bow along the strings and making minor adjustments. Then, she took time to build a resonance within her melody, letting the music start from a borderline depressive sound to something far more mellow. Amidst the music, the room gained a soft glow as various creatures seemingly created from the stars themselves appeared around her, moving along with her playing. Her eyes lifted to regard the two young children, hoping that the music was doing _something_ pleasant for them.

As she had earlier stated often happened, Anthea had already fallen back asleep. As for her younger sister… she had never truly woken up, but her sleep seemed to be gradually growing more peaceful again in response to Sona's efforts. The music continued at an even pace, never once picking up or slowing down. It wasn't often she let anyone hear her play music, and those who did were most likely entering her home without saying anything. Needless to say, Sona felt these two were a special exception, and smiled as the soothing notes she played returned the children to their sleep.

 **~保護者~**

It had been too many long years, Wave reflected, since she had returned to the town of Sanol. Nestled in the hills near what had once been known as South City during Sonic's lifetime, this small town had been just one of two settlements that the ever-dwindling Mobian population of misplaced Babylonians had built and resided in. The other had been Crestfor, an even tinier town in the forest near what had once been Future City. Sanol, however… that had been Wave's home. Following the collapse of South Island, her family and others had settled the area. There, Wave had been raised and, for a time, her little brother had been as well. There, she had first learned the art of inventing… and had first picked up on clues of the unspoken half of her heritage - the half that came from her father.

It was there that her mother had died… lost in a flood and never seen again.

Far too long had Wave's pain kept her from this place, from the memories both good and bad that it held for her. She knew now was the time to break that trend, to set foot on cobbled walkways that she had barely seen since her youngest days. There was a man here, an eccentric and all around strange man… but one she dared to call an ally. Even a friend. Unusual though he was, it was his influence that had helped her to learn how to smile and laugh even in the face of truly serious circumstances, to not let the adversity in her life cause her to forget how to do so in the first place. This man was… wise, she had to admit. He was also strong. Very strong. And it was an ally like him that she _knew_ they needed now more than ever.

Sighing softly to herself, Wave approached a home she had first come to know as a child. She could only stop the person she sought was still living there. Knocking lightly, she called out, "Cyril? You home?"

"Eh?" a voice called from behind the door, throwing it open. "Wave? It's been way too long. What brings you here?" the light yellow finch asked with a bright smile.

Wave offered a smile that was half-sad and yet, somehow, half-happy as well. "It has been. I'm sorry, Cyril." Her smile faltered. "And… I'm sorry that I've only come back now, when everything is gearing up to plunge down into hell again."

Cyril chuckled softly, metal cards appearing between his fingers as he smiled. "Not a worry, Wave. I've been doing my part where I can to keep things from _getting_ to that point, but eh. Who the hell knows? So, you came with a purpose. Tell me," he said stepping fully into the doorway and leaning against it.

"I'm sure you're aware of all the attacks that have been taking place," Wave answered. "Another one is coming, but my dad and I can handle it. After that… After that, I don't _know_ what to expect. I only know that we've long been facing a war of many fronts. A war that is rapidly heading straight for us. We're gathering what allies we can." She looked at him, eyes imploring him. "You're someone we need."

He frowned for a moment, flicking her shoulder. "Drop that face. It's not befitting of someone like you." After this, a bright smile appeared on his face. "Whether I'm needed for my _amazing_ theatrics or my incredible magic shows, you know I'll help where I can." Cyril leaned aside, revealing a sort of spell he'd cast on one of his walls to let him see into space. "After the attack, I was actually watching in case something else came, so this wouldn't change what I'm doing much as it is."

To say she was relieved was an understatement. Wave sighed a little, but smiled again. "Thank you, Cyril." She glanced at the time on her communicator before continuing. "I know you would never have been there, but you're familiar with the existence of the Northern Highlands, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. I _know_ about the geography of the planet, whether or not I've been there. Would be kinda dumb to live this long and _not_ know about my home," he winked. "Why, though? Thought people couldn't go there."

"I only ask because it is usually hidden away," Wave huffed. "But, more to the point, now you _can_ go there. In fact, I specifically request that you _do_. An ally of ours is a chameleon, born and raised in those lands, and we're gathering at his home. I can send you the coordinates… but _only_ because I know you can be trusted not to return to those lands in the future."

"I'd _never_ mess with the chameleons. Right dangerous bunch, they are," he admitted, smiling. His face turned serious momentarily, an uncharacteristic frown appearing. "Though, you said you and your dad were going to deal with something. If _both_ of you are going, something's up, yeah?"

"You'll have to forgive me for being so short with you," Wave sighed. "Things really are going straight to hell in a handbasket, and it'll get worse if Dad and I don't leave soon. I can explain more once we get back."

He rolled his eyes at her and sighed as well, flicking a metal card in front of himself and holding it to her. "Then take this with you. Don't ask questions, just take it."

She gave him an odd sort of look, but in the end she just accepted the card. She doubted he'd inscribed it with any sort of magic… but if he insisted, then who was she to refuse? "Sure, Cyril. And… thank you."

Cyril smiled, shrugging. "It's what I do. Now, give me the coordinates and I'll go meet your friends there."

In response, Wave rattled off the coordinates to him, closely followed by a set of instructions. "The house you're looking for is one that was built in the trees, not the ground. It's one of the highest up, and you'll sense a very ancient dragon just outside of it. That's the place you'll want to go. If anyone asks, and they will, tell them I sent you. It will be enough."

"Gotcha, then I'll do my super cool magic tricks and make them all my friends as well," he answered, laughing softly. His smile settled a bit and he nodded to her. "Be safe. Got it?"

"I will," she assured him. Her own smile returned and was soft in its appearance. "Remember that hawk you met the last time I visited? He tugged a promise out of me already. So now I have two reasons to watch my own back."

Cyril snickered, nudging her. "Go save the world or some shit. Do your thing." Her only response was to give him a mock-salute before disappearing from sight. The finch smirked and removed a metal card from one of his utility pockets before throwing it down, vanishing into the portal it created under his feet.

 **~保護者~**

In the peaceful retreat that was Nier's home, Finis and Cere sat outside of the Rune God's home while keeping silent watch over their sleeping charge within. The quiet tranquility of this _incredibly_ small world was shattered by the uncharacteristically panicked voice of Therin, who came running toward them at high speeds from where he had been stationed on watch some distance away. "Cere! _Cere_! _Shit_ , we _have_ to do something!"

Cere stood and picked up her halberd quickly, frowning in response. "What's happening?" she demanded of him.

The grey-furred God of Thieves cat skidding to a halt in front of the pair, eyes wide with alarm. "A horde's coming and the demons I saw are _nothing_ like the little crap-stains we usually encounter," he panted. "They're _hella_ fucking powerful, and there's _no_ way they aren't here to take her back."

In response, the Hexan's eyes glowed a brilliant red before her gaze shifted to Finis. "What say you?"

 _"Their god has not issued any commands that I have been able to hear,"_ Finis answered mentally. Being so closely related to beings of Darkness of _all_ types, he was generally attuned to such things. But this time... there was nothing. _"They likely intend to recover her before he returns from battle. They will be vicious and unrelenting."_

Therin did _not_ like this. "All the more reason to get her out of here, right?"

Finis shook her head. _"No. She is safest here, where we can easily guard her. To move her would be foolish."_

"So be it," Cere answered, the same red that glew within her eyes already beginning to surround her weapon. "I suppose that means we have no choice?" Finis shook his head, expression grim. She sighed and twirled the weapon. "Therin, make sure she is safe. We cannot afford to let her be taken."

"Yeah. Sure. I'll do what I can." Despite his curt, less-than-thrilled response, Therin's demeanor was nothing short of serious as he moved to a more advantageous position outside of the home.

Cere took a moment to stand tall and prepare a large-scale attack, her special energy gathering around herself and her weapon. "I'll do what I can to thin the horde as they approach, quickly."

Finis took to the air as he most often did, gathering his own energies around his body. As he did, he spoke within her mind. _"They will not be easy to fell. Hit them as hard as you can."_

"Understood," she replied, her eyes closing and her grip on the halberd tightening. "I'll give them a dose of the death they deal."

The demons were upon them before Finis could reply, had he even been so inclined in the first place. He unleashed a storm of Night energy into the mass of writhing demonic bodies, making quick work of the very weakest of the bunch. His attack rippled through the hordes, killing all it could kill in the time before it dissipated. Admittedly, the number of dead was not high. Even more strength would be required. Cere stabbed the flat end of her halberd into the ground with enough force to crack the ground immediately around her, a massive wave of her Judgement energy crashing into and through the very beings of each of the demons.

Even as many demons fell to the wayside, killed by the combined efforts of these two powerful beings, still more continued their furious charge toward the small home that Cere, Finis, and Therin had been tasked with defending. A few here and there, but Therin managed to finish them off with swift strokes of his sword. That he was able to do so was good, but the fact that demons were escaping past Cere and Finis was decidedly not. Finis took this information to heart and set about unleashing constant waves of concussive energy, each designed to keep the demons back long enough for Cere (who was much more well-equipped for combat than he was) to kill them all off.

The Hexan made good use of this time, lifting a hand and firing out a storm of magic bolts that stuck into anything in its path to begin eroding what it touched. She then quickly followed this with another wave of Judgement, each demon it touched receiving concussive blows directly to their bodies. The demons killed by these attacks were blasted off of the planet without remorse and with all due force, while those who survived were continually impeded by Finis's attacks. Cere launched herself into the fray, swinging her Halberd powerfully to send out blades of magic and Judgement that tore through the air itself and set off small, controlled explosions all throughout the demons' ranks.

Seeing that their brethren were failing, the strongest demons amidst these hordes started making their way to the forefront. Straight away, a small group of them managed to turn one of Finis's attacks back on him, launching him into the ground with an explosion that created quite a deep crater in the once-lush grass.

"Finis!" Cere called, turning on this group of demons and very selectively calling down a massive strike of lightning on them with her Judgement. She didn't waste time and also threw out a particularly deadly storm of magic missiles to deal with the oncoming horde of smaller demons, hoping that Finis would get up sooner rather than later. He did after a moment, coughing as his less-than-physical body somewhat flickered in and out of visibility in the places where he'd been struck. More demons came surging toward the pair, all poised to try their hand at killing them where they stood. "Enough!" she yelled, a storm breaking out all around her so she had a chance to fall back. Hurricane-force winds momentarily followed her movements, allowing her to launch herself back to the ground by Finis.

With the demons pushed back for the moment, Finis called upon his energies to repair the damage that had been done to him and then took to the air again. There was no time to waste, not with the ever-increasing aggression these demons were displaying. _The harder we strike, the harder they strike. Every effort we make is doubled by them. How do we overcome this?_ Cere glanced to Finis, asking if they should retreat. She was coming to the same conclusion… and it was well known by her that this storm could only last so long. A fresh attack came at them before he could answer, this time plowing through both of them and pounding them hard into the ground. Finis recovered in time to see the attack barreling toward Therin in the house… only for a searing pain to start to make itself known in his body. A pain that could only be caused by one thing. _Light…_

Cere pushed herself to stand when she realized what was happening, pulling Finis into a barrier made of her magic before pulling herself into it. If this was what was happening… Therin would be fine. Her concern had to lie with Finis, and so she chose to protect him. Sure enough, only a second later a powerful wave of Light pulsed over the entirety of this short-lived battle and all those who had been taking part in it. Though he was in pain, Finis took _great_ satisfaction in the screams of every last demon as they disintegrated in the warm brightness of the unexpected attack. When it finally weakened and receded, leaving no trace of the demons that had once been present in such great numbers here, he opened his eyes and turned his head to look for the source of it all.

Just beyond the door of the house, Analia stood weakly, a hand upraised in the air where what remained of her Light was retreating to and her legs quaking with the effort it was taking for her to hold herself up. The change of clothes she had been put into since she was rescued glowed with a soft light under the watchful eye of the moon high above, only further highlighting the unspoken strength she had always had… and clearly still possessed, even after all that she had been through. But that strength soon failed her and she started to collapse. Therin happened to reach her first, and he caught her by the arm before she could completely fall.

"I…" Cere's barrier dropped and she ran over to Therin and Analia, her eyes wide. "Analia, are you okay…? You didn't need to do something so… drastic."

Panting and struggling to remain awake, the hedgehog very softly responded, "It was… necessary."

Therin scowled a little, but not in his usual way. This one was more… concerned than was normal for him. "Shit, lady. You really did a number on yourself…"

Cere sighed and shook her head. "Analia, you don't need to expend so much energy. That's reckless and dangerous."

"Necessary," Analia corrected once she had caught her breath a bit more. Some of her hair slipped into her face before she shakily pushed it back over her shoulder. It was tangled and completely lacking in its normal beauty and healthy shine. "Those demons… their skills lie in arcane restraints. Given the chance to do so, they would have drained us all."

The Hexan sighed. "Don't do that again unless you have to, then. Okay? We don't need another situation like we have with Rose before." Analia could only offer a faint nod in response.

Not liking the exhaustion that was dimming her aura, Finis said, _"She needs to return to bed."_

Cere nodded and carefully picked Analia up off the ground. "You need to rest," she murmured softly, moving back inside and carrying the Light being back to the bed. Analia had no arguments to offer. She could already feel herself slipping away. Rest was… absolutely what she needed. What she had needed for _so_ many years but had up until recently never been able to attain. The Hexan carefully laid her back down on the bed and knelt down. "Rest, Analia. Do it for your own sake." The words were arranged like a demand, but every last moment of how she said it was pleading more so than anything else.

Only able to nod, Analia closed her eyes and allowed sleep to claim her once more.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,999 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 9:13 p.m.) 04-20-20.**


	72. Ties That Bind

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this revealing confrontation… especially for the one who climbs.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Ties That Bind"**

 **~保護者~**

"So… you don't remember anything about what happened, do you?" Armaris questioned Shei, her gaze shifting to him. The pair had traveled quite far, but because Shei was still tired they had slowed to a walk for now. The chameleon in question tossed her a vaguely confused look for a second or two before it clicked and he simply shook his head. The cat frowned deeply at this and sighed. "Fucking necromancy… During the battle with the woman who brought you and Aniko back, she sent the both of you after Espio. Your fighting was pretty awful," he frowned upon being told this, "because she obviously doesn't understand ninja. I tried helping him get both of you off of him, but you fuckers threw me around instead of fighting."

Still frowning, Shei signed to her and asked, _"Why were we made to do such a thing?"_

"Not sure. It seemed to really bother him, though." _For obvious reasons,_ she thought, sighing. "It was odd though. You guys wouldn't pay any mind to me unless I was in the way. It's likely that either she or the God of Demons has some sort of plan in mind for him, as awful as it is to admit."

It stood to reason that that was the case, and Shei didn't like the implications one bit. _"I need to know what else has happened. Anything else of note that has occurred involving my son or his Darkness."_

"He's had the markings, I remember mentioning that. He's very aggressive when he has flares, much like I was when I was younger. He's not entirely against killing those that he's friends with, that much I know," Armaris listed, thinking to herself. _What else is there?_ Her demeanor shifted and she grimaced. "Oh. He was also… infected with demonic Darkness for some amount of time."

Shei's interest - and his concern - sharpened. _"How?"_ he silently demanded.

"The god," Armaris muttered, a growl entering her voice for a moment. "He did it to me, too."

If he'd been capable of cursing aloud, he would've. As it was, however, he had to settle for doing it within the confines of his own mind. When he eventually responded, he did so more calmly than he would have to begin with. _"Does that Darkness remain?_ "

As much as she hated to do it in response to this question, Armaris shrugged. "I hope not, but I've got no clue."

That was… not a comforting answer. But Shei forced himself to focus on other matters for the moment, directing his subtle confusion to a different subject entirely. One that had been nagging at him all day by this point. _"Why do you try so hard?"_ he eventually asked her.

Armaris had obviously been in some level of deep thought before this question was posed, and it was enough to grab her full attention. "Huh?"

 _"You claim to be exceptionally close,"_ Shei replied with slow deliberation, _"but in truth you and he did not grow up together as much as you seem to remember. You were very young then. The mind does not always recall things properly."_

Her gaze narrowed in minute agitation, crossing her arms at him. "What in the _hell_ are you talking about? I was a young kid, and _not_ a chameleon. I had a lot more _expression_ of emotion, and definitely bonded more than you seem to think."

 _"But not as much as you seem to think,"_ Shei calmly retorted, somehow managing to emphasize the word despite talking with his hands. Then he hit her with another question. _"Armaris, how often do you believe my son was even around you when you both were small?"_

"What does it matter? And what are you even getting at?"

 _"Answer my question first."_

The cat rolled her eyes at him, muttering something in another language. "Not often. There."

"Even that does not fully express the truth," Shei told her. _"He was around often enough to befriend you, that much is true. But generally speaking, Espio was simply never there. As such, there can be no sibling bond as you claim. So I ask again, why are you trying so hard?"_

Armaris's eye twitched out of confusion, her mouth hanging slightly open. "I'm sorry, but what the fuck do you mean? I give a shit about him. Isn't that obvious enough?"

 _"My question is why, Armaris,"_ Shei said to her. _"It is unusual to care this deeply for someone who one is not genuinely sharing a close bond with."_

Her facial expression didn't change in response to this, concern as to what he meant in her eyes. "What are you getting at…?" she asked again, this time more slowly.

 _"Precisely what I asked."_

"I don't _get_ it," Armaris snapped lightly, glaring. "Stop being so damn cryptic, for fuck's sake."

Shei watched her patiently, head slightly canted in thought. Eventually, he said, _"I am only asking why you care so much. That should not be a difficult question to answer."_

"Because I _do_ , Shei," she answered, exasperated. "I don't _know_ why."

More patient thinking on his part took place as he deliberated on her response before giving his own. _"Friendship is… complicated. But what is it that you yourself perceive it to be?"_

Armaris paused for a moment and her body briefly flickered into a state of intangibility as the desire to be away from this conversation appeared. She didn't like what he was seeming to imply, nor did she feel inherently okay with the feelings that finally seemed recognizable to her. Another pause was accentuated with her vaguely remembering something her father said in the time she was gone. _'Bonds are one thing one may work to keep. Be careful not to misread them, however. It may tear you apart to learn what was missed.'_ Though she _highly_ doubted her biological father could have foreseen such an unusual change in how she felt towards someone that she (and only she, apparently) once almost considered family, it occurred to her that he always watched over her. Her eyes lifted to briefly ruminate on this fact before idly throwing a middle finger to the air and beginning to walk. "I don't want to talk about it."

That was fair enough. Shei was reasonably certain that he sensed someone nearby all of a sudden, anyway. Their rate of travel was fast enough for him to assume it was another shinobi. That only left him with the question of which shinobi was coming their way and why. If it was one from one of the few villages that were always hell-bent on starting wars… well, one glance at Sako proved that a fight against a person like that would be disastrous. So, signing quickly, Shei told Armaris, _"We are not alone."_

"I noticed," Armaris muttered softly, her hand gripping the handle of her sheathed blade and snapping it free.

Almost sharply, Shei signed at her, _"Put it away. Even if they are coming without intent to fight, your weapon will incite a conflict."_

Armaris didn't like the thought of not having her weapon at the ready, especially considering many battles before had taught her to _be_ at the ready always. Despite this, she snapped it back within the sheath and crossed her arms, eyes idly beginning to follow where the shinobi was. "They don't seem violent. Seems more like a scout."

It was certainly likely. Shei knew that villages had once been somewhat near to their current location. He had no idea if they still were, but it was definitely possible. _"We may have crossed into their territory."_

"Leave or wait?" she questioned, nearly locking eyes with the shinobi. They were still, and simply watching the trio currently.

 _"I cannot run at sufficient speeds with him on my shoulder,"_ Shei answered her. _"He is not yet strong enough to hold on during such conditions. Fleeing is not a viable option."_

"I can drag us through shadows to get us out," Armaris muttered. "Surely they'll approach. We know they're there."

 _"We will be pursued. For now, let them come. Without knowing where their territory ends, it will be ineffective to try to leave."_

Armaris sighed softly and held out a hand, motioning for the chameleon to come on out. She didn't have _time_ to waste on shit like this, and certainly didn't want to waste it by simply standing still when they could be moving. "They better come out soon," she muttered. Shei echoed that sentiment. Aniko had always called him impatient, and moments like this were what convinced her such a thing. He was getting antsy, anxious to get a move on again before too much time passed. If only he could run once they did so…

It was another ten seconds or so before the chameleon hopped out of the tree over to them. Armaris noted that their legs seemed to change in appearance when they made the jump, but she didn't care enough to comment. The female chameleon landed some feet away and inspected them before her eyes caught sight of Sako, a faint curiosity betraying the veil of emotionlessness. "From where do you hail?"

 _"Hyale,"_ Shei answered in chameleon sign language, the sort most often reserved for use during missions where _complete_ stealth was required. But at least using this ensured that she would understand what he was signing.

She blinked a few times and seemed to glance past them for a moment before she looked over Armaris, responding to him in a similar manner. _"Who is she?"_

"Armaris," the cat said before Shei could. "I understand the language."

The chameleon was visibly surprised. The fact that Armaris was traveling with a chameleon that was obviously very skilled and powerful surely meant the cat wasn't _entirely_ an outsider, but… for another race to know such a language left her confused. "Why?"

"I was raised in old Hyale before it was destroyed. He is mute, so I was required to learn the language to be capable of conversing with him," Armaris answered. "Who are you?"

The female chameleon was notably a touch cautious about introducing herself, hesitating while glancing between them both before conceding with a nod. "Tyria."

"Armaris," Armaris answered as she glanced to Shei with a raised eyebrow. She rolled her eyes a second later upon remembering that he was likely to let her do all the talking. "This is Shei."

Tyria's mouth dropped at this news and she quickly made to conceal her surprise, but her eyes remained wide as she looked back to Shei. "It is true?" Since he didn't feel like signing when he didn't have to, he merely nodded. The female chameleon was a touch anxious, unsure of how to feel about knowing that Shei was _alive_. "How are you here? You should not be."

"It's a _long_ story, and there's a lot of stuff that you neither need to know or want to be involved in," Armaris answered. "Look, we have something really important to do and need to get moving again."

Deciding he needed to step in to prevent this from being taken too aggressively, Shei tactfully added, _"There are matters that require our attention. If we are in your territory, then show us out and we will be gone."_

Tyria processed this slowly, glancing between them once more before giving a nod. If Shei was the one asking… it would be best to comply, even if the woman was aggressive. The female chameleon motioned with her head for them to follow and tore off in that direction. Armaris cast an idle glance to Shei. "Do you want me to drag you and Sako along with me?"

Shei gave this some thought, but ultimately decided he had to refuse. Such a course of action could be considered weakness, and if others were watching… it could prompt an attack. With a frown, he shook his head and carefully took hold of Sako so the infant wouldn't fall. He then took off after Tyria at high speed. Armaris moved after him at similar speeds, noting to herself that she had seen the chameleon's legs shift again. It was something she wanted to keep in mind… just in case.

Before long, they had caught up to Tyria. They followed her all the way out of her territory, and at that point Shei slowed again, both for his own sake and his grandson's. He hid his slowly building tiredness from view, but it nevertheless played a part in him stopping when he did. Tyria turned to face him and Armaris as she appeared mere seconds later, tilting her head. "I would like to know more about your return," she admitted slowly, a frown on her face. "Something big _must_ be happening for you to be… alive."

Shei saw fit to answer that. He had learned already by now that there were few shinobi who didn't know who his son was, and he used that to his advantage. _"If you wish to speak more on this, then meet us in Hyale when we return. There are outsiders gathered in Espio's home. They are allies. You will find no enemies amongst them."_

Tyria paused momentarily at this and frowned. "Outsiders?"

"Like he said, meet us in Hyale if you want to know more. Or you can ask them a bunch of questions. Most of them won't be against explaining what they can," Armaris explained, watching the other female closely. A hint of distrust was in her eyes, but whether or not she chose to hold onto such a feeling couldn't be known.

The female chameleon was quiet for a moment before giving a slow nod. "May your mission be fruitful," she murmured before bounding off at incredible speeds.

Armaris groaned softly and rubbed at her face. "You saw her body change, right?" Shei nodded once. "Shapeshifting or polymorphism. Judging by the differences in what she could do with it… shapeshifting. I'll figure out more later," she murmured, beginning to walk. "Can you move quickly?" she asked, turning to face him.

After a long moment, Shei shook his head. _"No."_ He hesitated, not liking that he had to admit this, but soon added, _"I feel too weak right now."_

"Do you want me to do the shadow thing _now_?" Given that there was no longer any danger associated with such an act, Shei caved in and agreed. Armaris nodded and let her shadows envelop and carry Shei and Sako within it as she ran off. A gut feeling told her to check the communicator once more, and she frowned at the sight of the communicator Kial was carrying no longer moving. Her pace increased and she phased into her shadow with the chameleons, a worried expression her face. Something was wrong...

 **~保護者~**

Armaris came to a sudden stop when she saw Kial sitting on the ground in a meditative state. Mild frustration made itself known to her and she brought herself and the two chameleons from the shadows and lightly kicked the bobcat in the back. "Oi, what the _fuck_ happened?"

In his state of mind, Kial almost didn't notice them arrive or the kick. He blinked once in mute surprise and pushed himself to stand, turning to face the trio. "I was walking with Espio and he ended up taking off. I couldn't follow him, even if I wanted to."

Darkness flared up around Armaris at the memory of what Nyokae had said and Kial was able to make note of a certain level of anger entering her aura. " _What_ direction did he go." The demand was posed as a statement more than a question, walking dangerously close to Kial.

Kial idly pointed in the direction he could best approximate Espio had gone. "Please step back, and remember that I'm _blind_ , Armaris. I don't know where he went."

Shei looked around slowly and carefully before signing to Armaris, _"His guess will have to be enough. We may still have time. Look around. Espio left this man in an area completely lacking in immediate danger. It may still be possible to reach him once he is located."_

The female cat's eyes idly shifted to regard the area before she nodded. "We need to get moving, then. Now. Kial, how fast are you able to move?"

"Fast enough. I should be able to keep up, especially with your Darkness expressing itself enough to guide me," the bobcat explained.

"Then do what you have to do and keep up. Shei," her gaze fell back on him, narrowing. "We're good to go?" With no other choice, he just nodded. Once more, she pulled Sako and Shei into her shadows, then tapped Kial's shoulder and rushed past him, giving him enough time to transform and follow.

Armaris weaved through trees with incredible ease for several minutes, acrobatics on display as she moved along the path. Kial's large wolven form was surprisingly capable of keeping up, and he managed to avoid slamming through all the objects he couldn't see by following the slightly noticeable mist her Darkness left behind. The female cat was quick to skid to a stop, idly putting a hand out to stop Kial's momentum since the action was so sudden. Her ears flicked and she caught the somewhat distant sounds of fighting, a growl escaping her. "That bitch," she muttered, moving along once more but far slower and hardly noticeable. In her anger, she forgot Kial and he was forced to forge his way forward with the vague guess of where she'd gone to.

Ears keen to the sound of swords meeting one another in the distance, Shei frowned and crept forward through the foliage. He spied a stony clearing up ahead, and he waved a hand vaguely to get Armaris's attention once he saw it. The cat appeared beside him silently, her eyes wide and attentive. Utilizing a common symbol used for communication during situations like this, Shei crooked a finger to tell her to stay by him, then resumed creeping forward. Before long, they reached the very edge of the trees. There was nothing of note at first, but then there was a violent flash of movement, closely followed by a shower of rock being spewed into the air as Nyokae slammed feet-first into the stone ground. She huffed and, even from this distance, could be heard murmuring, "Touched a nerve, did we?" Espio landed several feet away from her in a crouch, scowling.

"Isn't that the one thing you're the most skilled at?" Armaris accused lightly as she walked out of the foliage, glaring at Nyokae. Shei stayed behind, knowing that he was much too tired to fight right now. And besides… he had to keep Sako away. "I seem to recall that you like antagonizing people."

Nyokae turned, her eyes betraying that she was mildly surprised to see Armaris there, but she soon relaxed into a smile. "Well, hello there. I must admit, I did not expect to see you here, kitten."

"Save the chatter," Armaris answered, walking forward calmly. "What you expected doesn't matter."

"Mm, I disagree," Nyokae murmured. "I-"

For once, Espio cut her off instead of the other way around. "Shut _up_ , Nyokae!" he snapped at her. It was readily apparent to all that he was deeply worked up as a result of whatever had been going on here. Then, drawing in a breath that only _barely_ calmed him, he added, "You need to _leave_." Armaris glanced at him in mute surprise at his reaction, but didn't dare remove her eyes from Nyokae for long.

Of course, Nyokae only smiled. "I will leave when I am good and ready, love. You should know this by now. As for you, kitten… I believe it would be in your best interest to stay away."

"Make. Me." Armaris dared, a hand clutching at her blade's handle. "I'm not just going to leave. I've come too _damn_ far to let this go."

Nyokae raised an eyebrow at her, gears turning in her head very rapidly. "Have you, now? That is an interesting idea. To think we might be vying for the same thing…" She laughed a little, shaking her head. "I must regret to inform you that you are a little late to the game."

"My interest in that isn't as important," Armaris countered. " _You_ hurt him and lie to him. You try to turn him into something that you can _use_. You don't give a _shit_ , or, if you do you don't _act_ like you do. So, I'll say it again. _Make_. Me. Leave."

"You are an amusing little thing, aren't you?" Nyokae smiled, twirling a knife between her fingers. "However… I'm afraid I must decline. I have a prior engagement." Just like that, she and Espio disappeared from view again, clashing with enough force to create shockwaves through the air and ground with each strike of their blades. After a tense minute or two of this, they were again broken apart by Espio slamming her into the ground, hard enough to shatter more of the stone beneath their feet. However, far from being upset, she actually seemed pleased by the violence he was beginning to display. "Hm, better. But you are holding back, love." She picked herself up and dusted herself off casually. "That is rather unbefitting of you."

Armaris appeared between Espio and Nyokae, fixing the other woman with a hateful look. "You're an _actual_ piece of shit. What do you gain from forcing this out of him, huh?"

Temper rising further, Espio told her harshly, "Move, Armaris." He gripped his sword tightly, barely refraining from simply throwing her aside. Maybe violently. It took the cat a moment before she gave a nod, stepping out of his way while retaining her glare at Nyokae.

For the second time, Nyokae raised an eyebrow. This time it was directed at Espio. "More hesitation, is it? She is an easy target. Why not simply be rid of her?"

Morbidly curious, the cat glanced over at Espio. She wasn't scared, but she realized that he certainly _could_ have ended her life rather than tell her to move. "...Why…?" she echoed, a small frown on her face. Espio scowled at the both of them, faint traces of Darkness swirling around his sword. When Nyokae opened her mouth to say something else, he concentrated that Darkness into an attack that hit her full-on, launching her backward and with some force through the clearing and into the trees. This time, he hit her hard enough to draw some blood. Droplets were left behind on the ground where she had been standing. Armaris stood still at this sight, moving a bit farther out of his way before imploring that he talk to her _soon_ with a silent expression.

Around this moment, Kial chose to make himself known as well, walking out into the clearing and examining what he could of the situation. His skin had already morphed to be immensely hard, just in case something happened like it had when he last encountered Nyokae. His attention fell on Espio and Armaris first, noting that the chameleon's Darkness was noticeable and that Armaris' mood had… leveled out? Concern wrote itself onto his face as he stood quietly, 'watching' the proceedings. Armaris finally spoke, turning fully to Espio. "Espio… what happened before we got here?" she asked.

Espio tossed her a sharp glare, but restrained himself from lashing out like he initially wanted to. After a second, he told her, "Nothing." He watched with narrowing eyes as Nyokae picked herself up from where she had landed and oh-so-casually dusted herself off again. Something about her demeanor only furthered his anger.

"Espio, I _don't_ think this is worth it. She _wants_ you to lose control of yourself, and wants that Darkness to do exactly what you've tried to _keep_ it from doing," Armaris explained, frowning softly.

More anger flared, followed immediately by more barely-contained Darkness. "You don't think I _know_ that?" Espio responded, snapping again without having intended to.

"Since you know that, let's just _go_. You don't have to suffer through your Darkness because someone else _wants_ you to," Armaris implored, stepping closer by instinct. "Please."

It wasn't that fucking _simple_. Leaving only meant that she would follow. This confrontation would only end when she decided to _let_ it. Espio had well learned that by now, after having had so many other meetings with her very much like this one. But he didn't feel like explaining that to Armaris. He didn't fucking owe her anything. "I'm not leaving," he muttered darkly, eyes fixed on Nyokae's position. She had temporarily busied herself with plucking bloodied bits of sharp wood out of one of her legs.

"Why not, Espio? We can get away from here, _all_ of us," Armaris said, biting her lip. "Me, you, Kial, _and_ Shei." Her words broke through the haze of anger enough for Espio to finally notice his father's presence a short distance away. He glanced that way in complete silence, taking stock of the situation and who _exactly_ was with the other man. Cursing heatedly under his breath, he took several slow and deliberate steps… firmly placing himself between the pair and Nyokae as she began to approach again. Armaris did similarly, shifting herself somewhere between Espio and Shei with her black blade drawn from the sheath.

The sight the pair made earned a smirk from Nyokae. "Such a charming show of solidarity," she drawled. "Decided to partner up, have we?"

"I have my family amongst my priorities," Armaris answered easily, her own Darkness growing visible around her.

"Family, is it?" Nyokae echoed, a laugh in her voice. "I believe you are a bit delusional, kitten." Espio started to say something, but she cut him off by returning his earlier attack on her. He was knocked backward a good distance, but not too harshly. She huffed. "Impatient as ever, that one. Can't even finish my thought before he opens his mouth."

"Maybe you don't _deserve_ to finish your thoughts," Armaris muttered, lowering her stance. "All I've seen you do is cause him pain and issues. You use romance as a way to get what you want, never once thinking of _him_."

"On the contrary," Nyokae drawled, "I think about him quite often. I suppose you could say I use him… but is it truly so hard to believe his little _romance_ is not one-sided? Do you simply not wish to consider such a thing to be possible?"

"I don't consider it when the other party is being used. I've _seen_ toxic relationships, _lived_ them. You're the antithesis of someone that's good in a relationship, so _sorry_ that I find it hard to believe you care."

" _Caring_ on its own isn't much fun, now is it? We all want a bit of fun in our lives. I simply work to make it happen." Shrugging a little to herself, Nyokae idly hurled two concussive blasts of Darkness straight at the spot where Espio had landed, intent on keeping him down for the moment. "You, however… you are _much_ too hesitant."

Armaris took two steps forward, glaring hatefully. "Because I don't use my time to idly hurt others to make my own ends meet. And if you're _not_ hesitant, why haven't you struck me down? You've got a _damn_ good chance here and now. After proclaiming that I couldn't hold my own in a fight against you, you sure as _hell_ haven't made a move."

"You, my dear, are part of the plan," Nyokae grinned, expression predatory. "You are a… _friend_ of his. That he cares enough not to kill you for the moment is proof enough. Such a detail can be… taken advantage of."

The cat licked at her teeth, lowering her stance further. "So you're _continuing_ to use people to make your own goals come to fruition? Sick bastard."

"Of _course_ I am, darling." Two more blasts were flung to the same spot as the others, then a third. Each was stronger than the last, tearing apart the ground and preventing Espio from recovering enough to return just yet.

"Leave him the _fuck_ alone," Armaris bit out, growling. "If you're gonna attack anyone, attack the one _right_ in front of you."

"How very _sweet_ of you. However, I feel I must decline your _heartfelt_ offer." Darkness rapidly encased the area she had been attacking. This in and of itself was just another attack, one that would be _significantly_ more difficult for him to escape… given how much he was now forced to focus instead on not letting her Darkness draw his own out further. "As I said before, I have a prior engagement."

"Fine, then. Fuck you, Nyokae," Armaris spat, her Darkness flaring as she actively began using it to deflect Nyokae's away from Espio while managing to keep her own from touching Espio. She knew that a slip of her control could cause the exact same situation that the chameleon woman wanted.

"I'd rather you didn't, actually," Nyokae quipped, smiling another dark smile. She took note of Armaris's actions and steadily increased the amount of her own Darkness that was being poured out. She looked amused by it all, and absolutely nothing more. Not concerned, not angry, not _anything_ except entertained.

Despite the amount of focus required to continue such a task, Armaris flashed a cocky smirk at Nyokae. "But here's the thing, I happen to swing _both_ ways. I could very well do it."

"Oh? Well, maybe you and he are more compatible than you thought." Nyokae's smile grew faintly. "I do wonder how your little emotions are going to affect you in the near future, however… it may prove to be quite interesting."

"Is the lady afraid that the demon's gonna be horny? Oh _dear_ ," Armaris covered her mouth with a faint giggle.

"Mm, demons do have a reputation for a reason," Nyokae drawled. "Let us see, _how_ many spawn has your god fathered by now, exactly…?"

"I'll make sure to uphold that for you," Armaris winked, ignoring the second sentence. She had no affiliation with _him_ , and as such didn't care.

"If you do," Nyokae chuckled, "you will certainly fit in with our kind, I suppose. How very fortunate for you."

Armaris acted shocked for a moment. "You mean I could save the infertility of your race?" She looked around, as if stunned. "Oh _my_. I forgot that the chameleons had troubles getting a baby out."

"Truly, we do not need very many of them," Nyokae returned easily. "And certainly not as many as your kind tends to produce. Unlike demons… we are strong enough to survive."

"I'm a cat so that probably wouldn't help the 'baby factor' so to speak," Armaris quipped, sticking her tongue out. "And if you haven't realized, _dear_ , I'm strong enough to survive as well."

"If you are that desperate for a baby, go and ask him," Nyokae answered dismissively. "He produced one. What is one more?" She looked over the scene of the attack in the distance and gradually let up on it. "However… I am afraid I will have to hear the results of that little conversation another time. I have said my piece to him, and I believe this is enough _damage_ for one visit." She winked at Armaris before turning to leave. " _Ciao_ , kitten."

"Aw, did you not get what you wanted?"

"On the contrary… I got _exactly_ what I wanted. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your… _assistance_."

Armaris smirked once again. "Then I'll let you be on your way," she answered, waving her farewell. But by then, Nyokae was already gone. Armaris promptly dropped her false demeanor.

"So… what the _fuck_ just happened?" Kial asked. He got no answer as Armaris bolted past him and directly over to Espio, sliding to a stop on her knees to check on him. Stifling a bloody cough (because of course Nyokae had used her Darkness to beat and crush and slice, just as she always did), Espio rolled off of his back and pushed himself up.

"Espio… are you okay?" Armaris asked quietly, refraining from touching him out of worry for him lashing out. He grabbed his sword on instinct after having dropped it, but made no move to try using it. Pain had always proven to be an effective tool to keep his emotions at bay so, while his Darkness was _very_ much still a problem, he was in control… at least for now. Whatever he may have attempted to say to her, however, was cut short by the cough he had been holding back until that point. She bit her lip softly, moving a few inches closer. "Do you need anything…? I can surely go find whatever you need…"

Another cough. Espio pushed himself into a sitting position and thrust his sword into its sheath. He would worry about cleaning the damn thing later. "No," he told her after a long moment. He busied himself with swiping blood away from his eyes and off of his face in general.

The cat hesitated for some time before sighing. "I… I want to talk to you about something soon. It can wait for a bit, though." Her voice was quiet, as if she was almost ashamed to even be bringing it up.

Not exactly in the most _patient_ of moods right this minute, Espio frowned and responded, "Just say it."

Armaris very instinctively threw a barrier of Darkness around Kial so that he couldn't hear and looked to Espio for a few seconds. "Espio… I… I think I might like you." Espio's initial response was a healthy dose of confusion. Granted, he was _not_ the most well-versed in the ways of friendship, but generally speaking wasn't _liking_ the other person very much the whole point? The cat grew frustrated with herself for her own damned inability to explain it all properly. "No, Espio… I… it's more than _that_. I might be… in love with you, er…" She cringed internally at this, not liking her hesitation to speak. Why was she struggling so much? She'd _been_ in relationships before.

His attention sufficiently caught, Espio finally turned his head to look at her. He regarded her in silence for a long moment, just thinking before eventually asking with equal hesitation, "You… what?" He hated how fucking stupid he sounded saying something like that, but the words were already out and there was no taking them back.

"I don't _fucking_ know, man…" Armaris said, putting her face in her hands. "I feel stupid even trying to fucking say it, and you're already in a relationship or whatever so this all feels so _awful_."

Espio scoffed and turned his head away again. " _This_ is not a relationship," he muttered. "It's a fucking _train wreck_."

"You shouldn't have to put up with _either_ ," Armaris muttered, wisps of Darkness floating off her body. "I'm sorry…"

He took a bit more time to think about this, about everything, before telling her, "Don't be." He wasn't entirely sure what else to say, too confused by everything that had just happened to come up with a better response. But so long as she knew _she_ wasn't the one who needed to be apologizing, then he supposed that was good enough right this second. Armaris looked up at him with a frown. Her arms were twitching, as if she _wanted_ to hug him or something but was afraid of the prospect. She cursed herself for being so _afraid_ of her own emotions and not being willing to act when she knew she was already safe. After a bit of silence, Espio forced himself to move again and carefully pushed himself to stand up. This, naturally, aggravated his still-bleeding wounds, and he gritted his teeth a bit. _Damn her._

Armaris watched him stand and, after cursing herself for more lack of action to sate her emotions, stood as well. "Shei is over there… He's been really worried about you."

 _Worried_ was not a word Espio would normally associate with his father but, given the circumstances… "Why did he come?" he eventually asked, beginning to slowly walk toward the others. In a way, he sort of limped, which he hated. "He is in no shape to be here."

"I told him about your Darkness flaring. He wanted to come," Armaris explained, trudging along behind him. _Why didn't I do anything…?_ A moment of deliberation passed and she rushed up to him and gave him a quick hug fro behind. Naturally surprised, he stopped walking, then glanced back at her. She bit her lip and pulled herself closer for a moment, unsure of what else to do. "I… I'm _really_ sorry, Espio…"

After a long moment, he shook his head and quietly reiterated, "Don't be." Even he wasn't entirely sure why he was being so… blank right now. Something vague tugged at his mind, some vague memory… something involving the words " _emotionally drained_ "… but who the hell really knew anymore. Maybe it would explain why his feet were dragging, why he suddenly felt tired despite _physically_ having no need for sleep anymore.

Armaris let him go and walked beside him, releasing Kial from his temporary 'prison' and watching the chameleon. "Are you okay…?" He could only offer a vague shrug this time. There wasn't much of another answer he felt that he could give. He was fresh out of anger, fresh out of lies. He was just… fucking tired. Despite her intent to let go of him, she slowly offered a hand to help him if he wanted it. "Do you need any help, Espio…?" Something about the gentleness of this was just foreign enough for him to refuse with a shake of his head. The hand, anyway. As for her question… hell if he even knew anymore. A part of her decided not to accept this, wrapping an arm around his body and glancing up. "Fuck it… You never look like this, Espio."

"Like what?" he sighed, stopping again. He wouldn't have asked at all, had he not been certain that she would continue regardless.

"You look so _fucking_ tired compared to usual. You also seem to be having some issues walking, so… you'll have to put up with me helping you," she murmured, urging him to keep moving with very light pushes of her arm. The walking issue was easy enough to explain away. There wasn't blood all over his legs for no reason, after all. As for the rest of it, though… he didn't have an explanation anymore than she did. So, with no better response to give, he just shrugged. Armaris continued to hold him close, murmuring something about carrying him if she damn well felt the need to. All of this happened as Kial simply stood off to the side with a tilted head. A bittersweet smile made itself known on his face as he observed the two before following.

Once it was clear that Nyokae was gone and _staying_ that way, Shei decided it was safe enough to emerge from where he had been crouching with Sako. The baby looked on with wide eyes (albeit with none of the fear that even a chameleon infant would have normally displayed at _such_ a young age) as he was carried toward Espio and Armaris. Shei was careful to gauge Espio's reaction to the child's presence before they drew too close but, seeing no negativity at the moment (not that there was any positivity, either), he approached the rest of the way. Then, taking stock of his son's condition, he nodded toward the nearest tree and curtly ordered, _"Sit."_ When Espio, tired though he appeared to be, looked ready to argue, Shei responded firmly, _"Do not make me repeat myself, Espio."_

It came as no surprise that Espio quickly bowed to his father's whim. He had always been mindful, always been respectful. Even as a toddler, he had simply never been the disobedient sort. Not with his parents, at any rate. This appeared to be just as true now as it had been then. Espio gently dislodged himself from Armaris and did as he'd been told to do. Shei fully expected to see signs of his son's stubborn nature showing through, perhaps even only just in his eyes, except… there was nothing. Not this time. The level of apathy he was displaying instead was nothing short of concerning.

Shei came to a decision and moved to crouch beside Espio. Then he gently dislodged Sako from his shoulder and passed him over. Espio took the baby on reflex, but after that seemed to hesitate. When that hesitation persisted for too long, Shei sought to carefully break through it. _"He is yours, Espio. More is required of you than simply keeping him safe from harm. Our young require closeness to their parents. Do you remember how much you once clung to your mother?"_

After a long pause, Espio relinquished a small sigh and nodded. "Yes," he murmured. Though he continued to move slowly, he drew the baby closer so as to more properly hold him.

 _"Keep him close,"_ Shei told him patiently. _"He needs that of you."_ When no argument came, he stood up and walked back over to Armaris. He switched to signing to her instead, as there were matters that needed to be discussed and Espio was currently distracted by his own son. _"I do not like the way he is behaving,"_ he admitted to her with a small frown. _"I have seen this in him once before, when he was very small. The implications are… serious."_

Armaris frowned and moved a bit closer, responding in the same manner. _"What does it mean, Shei?"_

 _"The last time this happened, he was still a baby in our years,"_ Shei told her slowly. _"He was four, at the time, and Aniko and I had been out on a mission with the best and strongest that Hyale could offer. His first sensei, the one he always spoke highly of to you, was tasked with his care. But when we returned… the man was dead and our village was in ruin. Of the young, only he and two other children survived whatever attack took place. They were trapped in their homes, surrounded by fire and death, and they were all in shock. Espio was left… numb after this event, and he remained that way for months. From what Aniko and I were told, it is the way his mind attempts to protect itself after periods of unusually high emotional spikes. Something must have happened here, something that was very substantial, for him to be displaying the same response again."_

The cat's fists clenched in agitation, not liking what that may mean in the slightest. It severely bothered her to think that this was likely because of Nyokae, but she didn't know what she could do to help. As such, she implored Shei quietly to explain what they might be able to do. Not having too much of an answer to this, Shei simply told her, _"He is tired, but not physically. Nevertheless, it will be necessary for him to rest. We should return him home."_

 _"Is he going to be okay with that? He left for a reason,"_ Armaris responded, arms crossed.

 _"In his current state, he does not have it in him to become upset,"_ Shei answered. "Returning him home will not be difficult, nor will we find trouble convincing him to rest. The trouble will ultimately lie in handling his emotions once he ceases to be numb to them… as well as his reactions to those emotions."

 _"Should I just carry him then? Or should we teleport?"_ Armaris asked before glancing at Kial. She sighed when his clearly confused face told the story of what was happening in his mind. _"Almost forgot he was here."_

Shei ignored that last little bit, deeming it unimportant, and said, _"Teleportation would be quickest."_

 _"When?"_

 _"Now, unless you had something more to say to him before we are again surrounded by prying eyes."_

 _"If anyone wants to pry, I'll make sure to return that favor,"_ Armaris answered, looking annoyed by the thought before she pushed herself up and walked closer to Espio. Shei understood the distinctly physical nature of her threat, and he shook his head at her but didn't say anything about it. "Hey, Espio," she said, crossing her arms lightly. Espio looked up at her in silence as Sako climbed up his arm to get comfy by his shoulder. A small smile broke onto her face at the sight of Sako before she knelt down by Espio. "Shei wants us all to go back to your house. He says you need to rest for the time being."

This earned the very first hint of emotion from him in several minutes, showing in the form of a vague frown. "I don't want to," he soon told her. He'd left on purpose, after all.

Armaris very calmly set a hand on his free shoulder, sighing. "I'm gonna be real with you. Shei wants you to, and I'm not gonna let you argue your way out of this. Either you come with us, or I'll drag you there by myself. Maybe make that other cat help." He didn't have it in him to argue, even though some small part of him wanted to. In the end, he just sighed and gave in. She smiled and gave him a small hug, resting her head on Espio's free shoulder again briefly. The thought that Kial was there weirded her out, then she remembered that he was blind. _That'll take some getting used to._ "We'll go in a second."

"Meaning when you are ready," Espio tiredly deduced, looking back over at Sako. The child had stuck his hand in his mouth and closed his eyes, as though prepared to sleep again already.

"Maybe, maybe not," she answered unhelpfully before pushing herself off him. "Just cause you think it, doesn't mean it's right." His only response was to shrug a little. He said nothing about the hug, and in fact didn't even think too much of it just now. Armaris eventually glanced to Kial and raised an eyebrow. "Get your ass over here. We're going."

"Thanks for keeping me involved in absolutely nothing," Kial responded with an amused smile, walking over to the pair before his head turned toward Shei. "I suppose we're heading back, right?" Given that Shei had no method for communicating with someone who couldn't see, his only response was to just walk over to them.

Armaris glanced to Kial. "Yeah. We're teleporting. Get close and I'll get us all back to Espio's house." Once Kial and Shei were close enough, and with a final glance toward Espio, Armaris teleported them all back to Espio's home.

 **~保護者~**

 **7,986 words this time. Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support! Posted (at around 11:15 a.m.) 04-21-20.**


	73. Ninmu (Mission)

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this reunion… especially for the one who loves her family more than she lets on.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Ninmu (Mission)"**

 **~保護者~**

Roughly an hour had passed since Armaris had returned with Kial and the others, and she was currently seated in the front room with most of the others. Tails, and Li were still in the back room with Shadow and Espio was asleep in his own room, but everyone else was either in the front room or outside and Steam (while not actively keeping watch) was somewhere out there as well. Actually, _most_ of them were inside, but Alana had taken to the roof some time ago to keep watch. This left Shei, Kial, Armaris, Silver and Locke (both of whom were still sleeping), Sonic, Vector, and Cream. Quiet conversations were being held at various points, but Sonic interrupted the one he was having with Cream by suddenly frowning. His right ear gave a tell-tale flick. "...Who's communicator is that?"

On reflex, Vector went to check his own… only to rediscover that he had yet to get a new one since being revived. "It ain't mine," he stated helpfully, "since I kinda don't have one."

Sonic turned to Kial. "Is it Steam's that's vibrating? You still have it, right?" It irked him that he couldn't quite tell without asking around. Normally his ears would've told him with ease, but something about the way the sound was bouncing around left him uncertain.

Kial shook his head, holding out the communicator in question. "Nothing's happening with it."

"I don't think it would be Mister Tails's," Cream said. "He would have turned it off by now."

"Yeah. And he would've done the same with Shadow's, too." Sonic thought for a second, then turned and looked at Espio's door. "...Might be his, then."

Vector frowned. "Someone calling him?"

"More like blowing up his inbox with messages," Sonic grumbled. "The damn thing won't stop vibrating."

"I'll go check it out, all of you stay here." Armaris stood and didn't wait for anybody to respond, her body dissipating into wisps of Darkness so she could slip into the room silently. The device in question was easily located once she was in Espio's room, for it was sitting in plain unobstructed view on the nightstand beside his bed. Even when in the same room as it, however, the sound of its vibrations was nearly imperceptible because they were just so quiet. Ideal for when the user was engaging in stealthy activities when wearing it… or just didn't want to be _completely_ annoyed by the sound of incoming messages.

Armaris snatched it off the nightstand, glancing through the messages quickly to try and figure out what the fuck was happening. The messages showed in the order that they'd been sent, with the first one simply reading:

 _"We have a new hit for you. Accept or don't, but the rewards will be high for this one."_

A glance at Espio served as enough of a reminder that he was asleep and likely wouldn't notice for the time being. She quickly set about typing a reply message.

 _"Who?"_

The person on the other end, being none the wiser, immediately responded to her.

 _"A woman has been seen attacking various cities and has killed a number of our associates. The latest reports seem to suggest that she is demonic in nature. Her skill is beyond what we are equipped to handle. Deal with it for us and we will repay you in kind."_

Armaris felt her body run cold, but nonetheless typed out one more reply.

 _"What do they look like?"_

The response was, again, quick to arrive.

 _"Some species of feline. She was last spotted near the La Toure Estate, travelling at high speeds toward the next settlement. Deal with it swiftly."_

Armaris wanted to yell, but Espio was within feet of her. Numbly, she drug herself from the room with his communicator firmly held in hand and began trying to get to the front door without falling. "She's still alive… fuck, fuck… she's going to _kill_ me…"

Shei set a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her, but Cream spoke faster than he could sign. "Miss Armaris? What's the matter?"

"My mother… she's _alive_ again…" Armaris threw Shei's hand off her shoulder almost roughly and practically tossed herself from the porch to the ground to try and get away, but her knees gave underneath her and she curled up momentarily. " _Damn_ it."

Steam frowned at this sight and walked over, dropping to his knees a few feet from her with a frown. "Armaris, what's going on?"

A blast of wind almost threw him off the ground, but he kept himself down with a small and controlled burst of flames. "My _mother_ is alive again and she's going to _kill_ me for killing her!"

The hedgehog's eyes widened quickly and his concern rose even more than it had when the trees around them began shifting. "Armaris, _please_ don't start a tornado here. I'll handle this situation, but I need you to stay calm for a second."

"I don't know what to _do_!" The cat screamed, clutching at her head. "That bitch is _hateful_ and _spiteful_ , and she's _damn_ sure going to remember that I went after her and killed her!"

"She doesn't know where you _are_ , Armaris," he said quickly before turning his head to the roof. "Alana! Keep the wind from going out of control!" Taking note of the situation unfolding down below, Alana called forth her own wind abilities to begin gently pushing back against Armaris's, effectively cancelling them out for the most part - but in a way that would by no means seem threatening to the cat, even in her current state. Steam was quick to roll when Armaris lashed out with her hand, realizing that she had already shifted into a somewhat aggressive state. "Armaris, I need you to listen for a moment. You're safe here, and she can't harm you right now. She has _no_ clue where you are, and even if she did, there's an Immortal here. She couldn't risk coming out here like that."

"Osaina _will_ find a way, she _always_ does," Armaris bit out, gritting her teeth. "You don't know her like I do…"

Steam sighed. "I _do_ know her. She was an awful mother, abusive and destructive. Your father had to leave her when you were very young to keep you alive."

"Don't _act_ like you understand the shit she put us through!"

For a second, Steam bit his lip. "Armaris, I've _been_ through hell before. I was kidnapped as a kid and used as a guinea pig by a man who wanted to achieve immortality. He tore me apart and let my regeneration put me back together again... and again and again."

Armaris paused at hearing this and raised her head, her own fears and worries forgotten for a moment. "Wait… really?"

"Yeah…" Steam admitted. "I remember every second of it, too. I don't know what _you_ went through, but I've been through hellish torture. You're stronger than this, than _me_. Don't let her decide how you feel just because she's alive."

The cat stared at him for a long moment before turning her gaze away. "Right… I…"

"Don't explain yourself. Go relax, you've been through a bit of hell on your own, lately."

Whether Armaris wanted to or not, she eventually obliged and teleported onto the roof, leaving the communicator on the ground. Steam picked it up and read through the messages with a determined look. "I'll end this once and for all," he muttered, glancing to Alana to signal that he was leaving. She answered by motioning for him to toss the communicator up to her before he left, which he did before teleporting away.

Armaris curled up next to the hawk quietly, frowning. "I… I don't know what to do."

The glance Alana afforded her was brief but no less sympathetic. "Firstly… I would recommend trusting your allies to make good on their words. He has promised to handle this. Allow him the chance to _try_ before you succumb to panic."

"She's just… a _horrible_ person… it's the reason that I killed her in the first place…" _Even though I hadn't wanted to, really..._

"That is all the more reason to let him try his hand at defeating her," Alana said. "Such a person is worthy of no less. And this time, her blood will not be on _your_ hands. It is not your burden to bear. Not for a second time."

Armaris curled up a bit more. "I wish my dad would do it… It'd be over quickly…"

"I understand, Armaris," was the murmured response. "But you call some of these people friends. The rest you still call allies. They are deserving of your trust. Perhaps you should try sharing at least _some_ of it with them."

She snorted softly. "I don't even know most of these peoples' names. I wouldn't trust them as far as I can punch them."

This made the hawk's eyes sparkle with some unspoken amusement. "And yet here you remain, do you not? It is not all for the sake of the few friends you do claim."

"Do I _want_ to go after that woman?" Armaris asked rhetorically, huffing. "For fuck's sake, she's the _last_ person I want to see, right next to that Nyokae bitch."

Alana indulged in a lengthy sigh and turned to fully face the younger woman. "Armaris… may I speak to you frankly?"

"What?" Armaris asked in hardly concealed annoyance.

"You say you do not trust these people," Alana told her carefully, "and yet you remain in their company. You fight alongside them and allow them to do the same with you. You converse with them, you help protect them, you listen to them… Why, then, can you not afford them some degree of trust, especially when they have proven themselves to be no danger to you? They have offered you their support in every aspect that they can. All they want in return is a bit of _trust_ from you."

Armaris huffed softly at this and snorted, vanishing inside rather than continue to talk to her. _Just like my dad. Pointing shit out that I didn't wanna know._ Though she said this to herself, she couldn't find that thought to be true. She did trust these people, even Sonic, the one she so enjoyed to antagonize and terrorize. The cat remained within her shadow for the time being, deciding she didn't want to come out yet. Almost as if purely to convince her to do just that, Alana teleported Espio's communicator back into the house, where it plopped harmlessly onto the floorboards beside her. The cat internally cursed Alana for this as she materialized and grabbed the communicator off the floor.

Sonic, naturally, took note of the noise and looked over. "Uh…" he started warily before continuing, "Everything okay…?"

The cat idly flicked a small burst of air at his forehead. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a bit of a freak out."

"Erm… that's a bit of an understatement, there," Vector piped up, looking just as concerned as everyone else (with the exception of Shei, who was mostly unreadable).

Armaris waved a hand at them, as if saying for them to shoo. "Ah, quiet, the lot of you. I said it's fine."

It took a bit of thinking before Sonic decided to go ahead and risk accepting that her words were true and not a lie. "So… am I gonna get cut or some shit for asking what the hell just happened?"

"I mean, I _could_ cut you. It's not that hard," Armaris said, leaning against a wall and casually unsheathing her black katana. "I bet I can do it quicker than you can blink, too."

Shei interrupted before Sonic could start to fear for his life _too_ much. _"Armaris, do not torment him."_

Sonic huffed. "Gee, thanks for the help…"

Armaris mocked him with her own hand movements, since he didn't speak. "I'm not gonna kill him. Maybe just hurt him a little bit. Nothing big."

"I'd rather you _didn't_ ," Sonic told her.

Right about that time, Cream piped up. "Miss Armaris?" she asked quietly, drawing attention off of Sonic and toward herself. "What was on Espio's communicator that upset you so?" She almost added some sort of a title or honorific to his name, as she so often did with everyone else, but she was quick to remind herself that he had recently told her it was unnecessary.

A groan escaped Armaris at this, knowing she couldn't fully avoid Cream questioning her. "So… Espio apparently has been working as a for-hire assassin. People were trying to hire him to kill my mother, who is back to terrorizing people."

Silence initially answered her statement before, eventually, Vector seemed to have some sort of an epiphany. "So _that's_ how he's been paying for the agency all this time…"

Armaris blinked for a few moments before she uttered a word without thinking. "Huh?"

"Oh. Uh." The croc looked around for someone to help him. No one did, of course, so he continued. "I used to own and run a detective agency back in the day. He was my second-in-command, and I left everything to him when I died. I was just wonderin' how in the hell he's managed to pay to keep the property for so long, since this whole society here doesn't exactly make use of any kind of… well, money."

"O-… Okay then," Armaris nodded slowly, pursing her lips as she tried to figure out what to say. It felt so out of the blue that she was honestly caught off guard.

"So, wait, why would they want to hire him to kill your _mom_?" Vector asked quickly afterward.

Armaris sighed. "Seems like it's becoming a thing where she's making enemies by attacking their comrades or just the cities they inhabit. At least, that's the one message I actually bothered to read."

Sonic held out a hand. "Mind if I take a look?"

She raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Don't show me anything. If you think it'll upset me, say so." With that, she practically slapped it into his hand. "Knock yourself out."

"I won't say anything unless it's completely and utterly important to do so, alright?" Sonic huffed, settling back against the wall as he started reading. "In the meantime, though, you might wanna go check on him again. I keep hearing some movement in there. Might just be Sako, though."

Armaris nodded and vanished, appearing silently in Espio's room once more while glancing around. Sure enough, little Sako soon proved to be the source of the noise. Normally chameleon babies would sleep in a small cot beside their parents' bed, but since no such arrangements had been made yet here he had been laid in Espio's bed with him. The baby had been sleeping peacefully curled against Espio's back, but now was busily trying to pull himself over to Espio's front side. The constant touching and movement made Espio stir enough to somewhat become aware of what was happening, and he shifted an arm to carefully pull the baby down so that he was laying still again. Sako seemed content with this… for the moment. But he was very much still awake.

The cat sighed to herself and set an arm down to see if she could get Sako's attention. If she could get the chameleon baby off Espio, _maybe_ she could manage to keep the man asleep. Sako rolled over a little and looked up at Armaris with big eyes. Then, kicking his little legs as best as he could, he turned over onto his stomach and wriggled under Espio's arm. He continued to fidget once there, to the point where Espio stirred again. "Enough, Sako," he mumbled, still mostly asleep (if only because he was so tired) as he shifted them both a little in the bed.

His voice caused Sako to finally settle down for a second again, and the baby watched him with wide and innocent eyes for some time before his tiny tail happened to move in such a way that it brushed against Armaris's hand. The feeling of fur caught his attention and he immediately wiggled to try to see what his tail was touching. Armaris managed a small smirk and held back a chuckle at the adorable sight before her before slowly moving closer to attempt to collect Sako away from Espio for the time being. This went off without a hitch, by some miracle, and Sako was soon clinging to Armaris and looking around the room from his new vantage point. Armaris quietly and stealthily snuck out of the room with the chameleon baby on her, making sure to make absolutely no noise.

Shortly after her departure from the back room, Silver suddenly stirred, blinking blearily as he lifted his head from where it had been resting. "Did we do it, Cream?" he mumbled.

The bunny inclined her head. "I believe so."

Reading the confusion in the room, Vector asked, "Uh… do what, now?" Silver yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

"We have been monitoring that lady… Miss Rose's sister, I believe?" Cream shrugged a little. "I had hoped we could find an opportunity to free Lady Aniko."

Understandably, Shei was instantly _quite_ interested in this conversation. He ceased ignoring the lot of them (as his son also so often did) and signed, _"You are capable of such a thing?"_

Cream watched his hands closely, then smiled a little. "Mister Silver and I have mental abilities, so yes. We wouldn't normally have been able to free Lady Aniko, since necromancy can only be undone voluntarily or through death, but… he and I detected a strange mental disconnect in Rose's sister very recently. I do not like that we had to, but we pressed the issue enough to cause her to relinquish her control in its entirety. I am not sure that she even fully realizes just yet."

Shei responded without hesitation. _"She is free?"_

"Yes," Cream confirmed. She turned her attention back to Silver. "Do you think you will be able to transport her here?"

In response, Silver yawned again and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Maybe… um, Dad, think you can help me?"

Only then did Sonic finally look up from Espio's communicator. It took mere seconds for him to realize he had managed to miss an _entire_ conversation, and his ears dipped back sheepishly. "Uh… So, I may or may not have been paying attention…"

Sleepy though he still was, Silver laughed. "Nice. Takes talent, Dad."

Emerald eyes rolled. "Hush up."

"Nah." After that, Silver quickly filled Sonic in on what was happening. Once finished, he asked again, "Think you can help?"

"Sure, yeah. I'll lend you a hand." Sonic looked around. "...Actually, we may have to ask Alana to do it. Astra's apparently working with Dad now, so she's probably… far away, to say the least."

"I will go and ask," Cream offered, standing up.

"Need a hand getting up on the roof?" Silver asked her.

In response, she giggled and petted one of her soft ears. "I believe I will manage."

Silver caught on. " _Oh-h-h_ , right. You can fly. Got it. Totally didn't forget that." Sonic chuckled and gave him a playful push. Cream smiled at them and made her way outside. Once she was gone, Silver shifted his focus to other matters. "How long was I asleep?"

"Few hours or so," Sonic shrugged. "You didn't miss much."

"But I did miss stuff, yeah? Mind filling me in?" Sonic obliged, quickly summarizing everything that had gone on, and Silver took it all in before saying anything else. "Guess Uncle Shad's not doing well, huh?"

"Better, but… not _well_ , no." Sonic let out a sigh. "He's been dosed up on that stronger medicine, though, like I said. It's gonna take a few times for it to build up enough in his system to really begin to help."

"Has he at least been able to sleep?" Silver asked, eyes clouded with worry.

"Not really, no," Sonic answered. "He's been so jittery and nauseous that he can barely sit still. He keeps nodding off, but whatever sleep he manages to get is pretty short-lived at this point."

Silver took a minute to think about this. "But _Espio_ is asleep? Thought he didn't even need to do that sort of thing anymore."

"From what I understand… he doesn't. Seems to me that he's developed some sort of self-sustaining abilities that have eliminated the need for him to eat, drink, and rest." Sonic scratched behind one of his ears. "Pretty crazy stuff, if you ask me. And I have no idea where he would have gotten such a power." He turned his head to look at Shei. "As crazy rare as this sort of thing is… I don't suppose it happens to run in your family somehow." Shei gave him a look and, predictably, shook his head. "Right. I didn't think it would, but it didn't hurt to check."

"So, why _is_ he sleeping?" Silver frowned. "Since he doesn't need to, and all."

When Shei showed no interest in answering the question himself, Sonic stepped in to do so. "I don't know the whole story, just the little bits and pieces we were told when they got back, but I guess he had some sort of an extreme emotional response to something before Armaris and Shei found him. It left him pretty drained and exhausted, just not _physically_. Armaris practically dragged him to his room and made him lay down. Seemed like he passed out pretty quickly after that."

"Think he'll be okay again when he wakes up?" Silver asked, worried anew.

Sonic looked to Shei for answers. The chameleon could only offer a shrug and a one-word response. _"Possibly."_

"Guess it depends on what happened," Sonic sighed, turning back to Silver. "We'll have to wait and see."

Vector finally spoke up again, directing his words to Kial. "You ever seen anything like this before?" He stopped, thought about that, then immediately tried to correct himself. "I mean- Not see, but, erm…" He floundered for a moment, searching for a way to make this better, then just deflated. " _Sheesh_ … I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

If it even remotely bothered the cat, he made no mention of such and simply smiled toward Vector. "I've 'seen' it in… other people before. It's not something I have much experience with, though."

"You ever witnessed it to this extent?" Vector asked.

Kial shook his head. "I was young, and the stresses that the average person dealt with in that time were far… less draining. He has certainly experienced something along the extremes of such an issue."

A tiny sneeze gave away Armaris's position. Eyes turned toward her and the startled baby she was carrying, then Silver let out a small, "Aw…" Closely followed by a gentle, "Hey there, little guy. Not tired anymore, huh?" Sako turned his head to look at Silver, eyes wide as ever with his usual curiosity.

Armaris minutely cringed when Sako sneezed, glancing at him with a mildly unhappy expression. "Not so stealthy for a chameleon, eh?" she murmured softly.

"He's pretty little yet," Vector chuckled. "Give the kid time. Even his dad didn't start this early, did he?" Smiling, Sonic shook his head.

The cat rolled her eyes. "Just kinda wanted to stay silent and all."

"Good luck with that. You've kinda got a kid on ya." Vector chuckled at himself more than at her. "But, in all seriousness, one of us can take 'im if ya want."

She snorted, crossing her arms. "Fat chance." Her attention was grabbed by movement at the doorway, her eyes widening as she watched Aniko descend inward. "U-uh…" Shei was instantly on his feet, relief causing his posture to noticeably relax from its initial reflexive tension.

Aniko glanced between Shei and Armaris, a vague frown on her face. She looked the same as she always had in the past, her amber eyes bright and attentive and full of life. Her clothes were much like Shei's (being a simple black long-sleeved shirt and black pants), sans the mask, and her combat boots went well with it. Her almost amethyst-like skin (which leaned much more heavily toward purple than pink) further proved who she was. Few others had ever had the same skin color before her. Or since her. "Who are they?" she questioned, tone devoid of emotion for the moment.

 _"Allies,"_ Shei signed quickly. _"More of our son's than mine or Armaris's."_

A gruff cough-like sound escaped her and she nodded, then bowed her head in a slow greeting to them. Undeniably nervous, Sonic, Silver, and Vector traded wide-eyed looks before slowly waving. Armaris laughed faintly at this, watching them. "God, you act like she's gonna kill all of you. She bothered to give a greeting. You're safe for now."

"' _For now_ '..." Silver echoed, then he huffed a little. "Thanks for that, really helps me feel better." In spite of his best efforts, he couldn't keep from cracking a smile soon thereafter.

Aniko faintly raised an eyebrow before her gaze inevitably fell on Sako. Confusion settled onto her face as she tried to discern the source of this newborn, drawing the conclusion that this wasn't Armaris's child and instead her son's. She silently glanced to Shei before walking to Espio's room as if she had never been in the main room to begin with. Armaris blinked once and watched, before looking to everyone else. "Well… that's Aniko. Lovely when you get to know her, as long as her blade isn't turned on you."

Sonic snorted. "She is _his_ mom. I kinda didn't expect anything different."

Armaris shrugged. "Eh. Just ignore the fact that she's extremely imposing as well. That's just her natural presence."

"Lovely."

"You'll get used to it."

Kial turned his head between the people in the room. "So, er… what just happened, again?"

"Um… I think Espio's mom is back," Silver helpfully summarized for him. "She's… you know… pretty scary. Oh, and she left the room."

"Gotcha…" Kial murmured slowly.

Meanwhile, in Espio's room, Aniko stood to the side of her son's bed and blinked once with a faint frown painted on her face. Outside of the sight of the outsiders, her eyes carried a touch more emotion. Concern was one, amongst confusion and a general lack of understanding. What had caused such exhaustion from someone so much like herself…? She knelt down and gently pushed on his shoulder, attempting to wake him up. He reacted with incredible speed, leaping backward from the bed and landing in a defensive crouch on reflex. Upon seeing her in front of him, he paused and just sort of… stared. Throughout his life he had always suffered from overly-vivid dreams, and his mind was having a hard time deciding one way or another if this was one of those… or somehow real.

"Espio," she huffed, standing up fully. "What happened to you?"

Okay. So people in his dreams seldom _spoke_. That lent credence to the idea that this was real. Slowly, almost cautiously, he stood up. He regarded her for a moment longer before looking away. Lying to his mother was something he simply _never_ did, and this time was no different. "...I don't know."

Her eyes closed and she stood still for a few moments, processing this and recalling ancient memories. "I see. What about the child?"

A faint flicker of annoyance came to life within him, but he was able to quell it with ease for once. "...It… is a long story," he eventually admitted to her.

"How much can you tell me?" Aniko questioned, finally opening her eyes once more. "I sense no mother nearby."

Espio's arms crossed and he frowned faintly. "She seldom is," he responded. After a long moment, he let out a small breath and further explained, "She has not lived within these lands since ancient times. Staying here is not something she particularly enjoys."

Aniko frowned a touch deeper at this and watched him. "Who is she?"

"Nyokae." Another pause, this one decidedly more unhappy. "She hails from the third clan. I do not know its name."

She didn't respond for some time to this before glancing to a window. "Why am I here? I… Shei and myself were dead."

"Necromancy." Initially, Espio said nothing more about it than that. He didn't enjoy thinking about it.

"Who?" Aniko questioned, a touch of agitation entering her voice.

His shoulders lifted in a minute shrug. "Her name is Astra." Then, reading her intentions, he added, "She does not reside on this world. We have no idea where she is."

Without having fully intended to, she gripped the blade she had been provided when her mind was under control. _Immediately_ , she snapped the blade in two and dropped it, effectively disappointed in the poor weapon. "Whoever decided _that_ was an adequate weapon is a fool."

Espio didn't answer that directly, but instead picked up the sheathed blade he had been using as of late. It had been resting on the floor beside his bed since he'd cleaned it (which he'd barely been given time to do before practically being thrown into his room to sleep), and he took it to her. It was hers, after all. She had died with it. She just hadn't been buried with it. The way he handed it to her was almost… guiltily. "You told me never to use your weapons... but there was no choice. I apologize."

She accepted the blade slowly and simply blinked. A vague, low-pitched hum followed by some nearly indescribable sound escaped her before she set it down. "Certain circumstances require certain actions." With nothing to say to that, he merely nodded and stepped back to where he had been before. Aniko watched him before glancing back toward the door. "How long has Shei been returned to his current state?"

"Less than a day."

"Why did Armaris color the ends of her hair?"

That question was unexpected enough to make Espio pause. It was only when thinking back on the last few hours that he even realized he had seen that little detail before falling asleep earlier. "I don't know."

"Hm." Aniko nodded. "What is with her emotions? She looks like a wreck." Given that he had no idea what had happened since he'd last seen her, Espio could only offer another shrug. He hadn't exactly been one hundred percent… _cognizant_ of her emotional state prior to that, either. Not that he'd be mentioning that part. "Why has she become so inclined toward you?"

This question teased up the memory of the conversation he and Armaris had had earlier, and he suddenly felt the urge to stop talking. He knew that that wouldn't fly, though. Neither would skirting around the truth. And _lying_ would earn deep disapproval, if nothing else. There were no options. None aside from deflection. "...You should ask her," he eventually mumbled, looking away again. "Not me."

"What about yourself? Are they reciprocated?"

Lovely. The exact kind of questioning he _hated_. "Mother," he started to say, wanting to argue. He caught himself, though, and released another breath. Eventually, he spoke again. "...I don't know."

Aniko nodded. "Understood." She took a moment before speaking again. "...How have you been? You have lived a long life, surely."

 _Long, but dull._ Pushing that thought aside, Espio took the time to try and conceive a halfway decent answer. Ultimately, he barely had one to give. "I have… been fine mostly."

"We will have to speak more at a later time. There is much that can be said, it seems." Her eyes narrowed at him. "You intend to sleep more." She worded this as a question, but it sounded as if she was _demanding_ with her tone that he rest further.

Though he recognized the command for what it was he genuinely, _genuinely_ didn't know if he could sleep more. Because of its lack of _need_ for sleep, his body could seldom achieve such a state even if he wanted to (usually to escape from boredom). A quick self-assessment seemed to suggest that this would be the case here. "I do not think I can," he admitted.

"Fine. Do not expend yourself unless required," she answered him.

Just then, a voice from outside the door could be heard. "It's vibrating _again_?"

Espio's eyes darted to his nightstand, then he disappeared for about a half-second. When he reappeared, he had his communicator in his hands (much to the audible confusion of others in the front room) and was rapidly scrolling through the messages. Most were deleted, but the ones that were responded to caught his eye. _What…?_

"Explain," Aniko said, a frown growing on her face once more.

After a second or two of silence, he did as asked. "I accept jobs," he said briefly, "as you once did. Someone responded to an offer while I was asleep."

She frowned more at this, tilting her head. "Do you know who?"

"I have a guess." Espio deleted the messages in question, deciding that he didn't even care enough about that job to linger on it. There were a few, however, that had caught his eye. He made a mental note to respond to them later, if there was time. Except… one was marked _"URGENT"_. Perhaps that warranted a look. But he realized belatedly that his mother would want more explanation than he'd given, so he briefly said, "It may have been Armaris."

Aniko was quick to leave the room and drag the cat in with them, pointing to Espio. "Talk."

"Huh-" Armaris said, confused before glancing at the communicator with a nervous expression. "Oh… _that_." Espio distractedly waved her off, indicating to her his lack of upset over the situation. Armaris grimaced. "There's… a _lot_ more to it than just the messages."

"Explain," Aniko demanded, though lightly.

"My _mom_ ," Armaris whispered, a frown on her face. "I killed her a few days ago and now she's back…"

Aniko's fingers flexed into a fist, mild agitation on her face. "Why is she alive? More necromancy?"

"Not really. Some magic thing that brought people back from the dead…"

"And you killed her before this happened?" Some mixed form of pride shone in the woman's eyes at this, only to be replaced with concern when Armaris adversely reacted to her words.

"I didn't want to…" the cat whispered, huffing. "I didn't want anything to do with her."

Aniko watched the cat before thrusting a hand onto Armaris's head, catching her thoroughly off guard and causing her to rapidly throw the hand off by reflex. "Do not worry. She will be dead soon enough. You will not need to see her once more."

Armaris raised a finger to cut her off there. "I- yeah… about that, someone is already _going_ out there to kill her."

"Eh?"

"Someone-"

"I understood that. _Who_?"

"Some hedgehog Balancer. His name is Steam."

A level of discontent rose within Aniko's eyes, but she said nothing of it. "Alright, then. I will judge his character upon his return."

"Ah, he's an asshole. Don't need to know much more," Armaris remarked idly, shrugging. "Pisses me off just by being nearby."

Aniko raised an eyebrow. "You were always an… _easily_ upset child. Something says that has not changed."

"That's _rude_ ," Armaris scoffed, pretending to be upset.

"I care not."

Armaris then chose this moment to glance over at Espio. "Oi. You still reading?"

He was, in fact, actively typing something when he responded to her. "Yes."

"Whatcha doing now?" Focused more on what was going on in the messages, Espio didn't answer her. The cat sighed and walked over, obviously looking at the screen to see what he was doing. On the screen showed the last couple of messages that had been sent, starting with one that had been sent by an unknown person.

 _"Your employers are pleased with your latest work. They require your assistance again."_

Espio's response to that had been a simple, _"Explain."_

A new message came in as Armaris was reading. _"It is of the utmost importance that an artifact be recovered."_

"The hell do they mean by 'latest work'?" He waved her off again, more intent on waiting for a reply than answering her question. She huffed at him and waited as well, arms crossing.

Predictably, when he didn't answer the message after a certain length of time, a new one came in. _"This is no ordinary, dusty stone from some lost civilization. We are after a jewel, of sorts… one that has already been soaked in blood many times these past years. Such is its nature. That relic will unlock a door to Hell… given the opportunity."_

Frowning, Espio typed a simple reply, seeking more information. _"Hell?"_

The reply came swiftly, as it had before. _"Blood and fire pave the way to that door. Nothing but more of the same will emerge from it, should the way be opened."_

"Fucking _cryptics_ ," Armaris muttered angrily, glaring. "What the hell are they on about? More demons?"

Espio suspected he had an idea, but telling her that could wait. He typed another short reply. _"Tell me where."_

 _"A secure fortress to the north. Encrypted coordinates will be sent. Understand that there will be consequences… should you fail."_

"Consequences- Espio what the _fuck_ are you getting into?" Armaris snapped lightly, frowning at him.

"Nothing." With that said, Espio sent one last reply to the person he had been talking to. _"Fine."_

They sent a reply of their own a second later. _"One last thing. There can be no survivors."_ He frowned a little. A final message came. _"Kill them all."_

Armaris stood in front of him immediately, arms crossed. "Like hell I'm gonna let you go alone. I'm going with you."

"No. You are not." Espio turned toward the door and started walking to it.

Aniko stepped in front of the door momentarily. "I want to know what you're doing," she said. "That is my requirement before I can allow you to leave."

Knowing there was no point in trying to refuse her, Espio gave in and explained. "A gate stands on this world that connects it to a realm many refer to as 'Hell'. It is said to be where Malevolence sleeps."

Something in Aniko's eyes shifted and she crossed her arms. "And what are you going to be _doing_ there?"

"Ensuring it remains _sealed_ ," he told her, his own arms crossing. "It opened once before. We were not equipped to handle the results."

"Fine. Do not get yourself killed. We have far too much to discuss." She stepped out of the way, blinking once as she watched him. With a simple nod, he exited the room. "I will not stop you either, Armaris, but my request remains the same. Do _not_ die."

"I won't," Armaris answered, vanishing into Espio's shadow without wasting a second.

When the pair of them emerged, their intentions must have been clear, for Silver asked, "You going somewhere?"

Espio didn't answer him, but instead twisted to look down at Armaris. "Come out. You have legs. Use them."

"You'll have to make me," Armaris answered.

In response, he shifted his foot and a somehow _very_ carefully controlled burst of Darkness gently knocked her out into the open. "Walk."

" _Asshole_ ," she spat, throwing herself to her feet and glaring. "Go. I'll follow you."

With his question answered, Silver started to speak again, but trailed off. "Uh…"

Sonic took notice of an important detail. "...I'm… not even gonna ask where the hell you two are going - mostly because I'm pretty damn sure you'll ignore me - but I _am_ gonna have to say that you should get a damn sword before you take off. I know you _can_ fight without one, but still."

Before anyone else could speak, Kial piped in. "The God of the Forge just so happens to be in our presence. Might wanna talk to him, if you're wanting a weapon of any kind. Kind of his job."

When Espio looked ready to refuse, Sonic got up. "Look, just wait a _second_. I'll go get him." With that, he hurried off to retrieve Li.

Li walked in, obviously confused, followed by Sonic. "So, er... what? Someone needs a weapon?" the wolf asked, blinking a few times.

Sonic gestured helpfully to Espio. "He does. Got any katanas?"

"Uh- yeah. I've got two. Slightly different builds." Li teleported them into his hands, idly rattling about the differences between the two as he looked them both over.

"Either of them capable of handling Darkness?"

Li blinked a few times and held out one in particular. "This one is made to handle all sorts of energies, not just Darkness. It should hold up absolutely fine, even if you really _pour_ energy into it."

"That should be fine." Sonic took the sword and handed it to Espio. "Right?" Espio unsheathed the blade and checked it over, testing the weight and balance in his hand before nodding. The quality of the weapon was nothing short of impressive, he had to admit.

The wolf gave a small smile. "Keep it unless you feel the need to give it back. I've got other weapons, either way."

Despite his intense aggravation as of late, Espio managed a shred of decorum just then. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," Li answered, his smile growing momentarily. "I hope it treats you well." Espio simply gave another nod before disappearing outside. Sonic noted with a degree of sadness that he didn't acknowledge Sako's presence before taking off. Armaris disappeared after Espio just as Aniko emerged from the bedroom.

"You make weapons?" Aniko asked, walking to Li.

The wolf cowered a bit, clearly overwhelmed by her sudden presence. "I- uh- er, yes. I make weapons."

"Good," Aniko answered, turning away. Shei shook his head a little at her, then gestured for her to come over to him. He had Sako with him, and the baby had yet to meet her… and vice versa. The female chameleon walked over and stood by Shei, eyeing Sako curiously. He responded by holding Sako out to her. She carefully took the baby into her arms and held him close to her body. "He is _very_ young."

Shei nodded his head and signed back to her. _"Less than a week. He has not yet begun to feed and has only just begun to climb."_

"That explains much. We came at a fortunate time… regarding _this_ matter."

Another nod. _"He is struggling to accept the child, as we did with him prior to his birth. But he has made progress."_

 _"Good. He is obviously struggling with much, though,"_ she answered, signing to avoid anyone listening in further. _"I worry about his Darkness, since it has awakened."_

 _"Things have been far worse than you have seen,"_ he told her grimly. _"I have also not yet seen the true depths of the problem, but Armaris has seen some. By her telling, there have been instances where he lost all reservations about threatening, harming, or even killing those he is close with."_

Aniko grimaced. _"I sought to avoid this…"_

 _"I know you did,"_ Shei responded, doing his best to convey his sympathy despite having no voice. But his next words could not be sugarcoated. _"There is more, however. She told me that the cause of the largest initial flare up was interference by the God of Demons. He infected our son with demonic Darkness, and we do not know if that taint remains. It has not shown itself since then."_ An obvious agitation entered her eyes at seeing this before motioning for him to continue. He did so as soon as she indicated she was ready for more. _"The basic markings have also ceased to appear on him. They have merged into a proper clan mark, bearing your dragon and my star. It is on his right shoulder. Did you notice it?"_

 _"Of course. I could not ignore such a thing."_

 _"It has already begun to fade from view, Aniko. His Darkness is maturing rapidly. He already displays a level of control over its manipulation that you and I did not achieve until after years of training."_

 _"Worrying in its own right. It is also potent."_

Shei inclined his head subtly. _"It will only continue to grow. He has been mellow since awakening this afternoon, but the depth of its affect on his mental and emotional state cannot be understated. I have never once seen such anger in him. That is not the behavior of the boy we once cradled in our arms."_

 _"What do you believe we should do?"_

 _"I do not know. All I know is that we must act quickly. Others are actively conspiring to ensure his Darkness consumes him. We do not have much time. He does not have time."_

 _"We will figure out what to do as quickly as we can, then. I will not lose my child."_ Before Shei could respond, Sako shifted in Aniko's arms, wriggling as though in an effort to try and escape from her toward the table but ultimately failing. Just like that, his eyes teared up and he began to fuss pitifully at her, still reaching toward the table with pleading hands. Realizing immediately what was wrong, Shei fetched the bottle he had left there and passed it to Aniko. She took it and immediately set about holding the bottle where Sako could feed from it.

Once the baby had settled and was drinking, Shei's eyes softened and he signed, _"His name is Sako… by the way. 'Swift blade', if I recall. A fitting name."_

She returned this with a thoughtful hum and a nod, watching Sako quietly _. "I see."_

After a moment's pause, he changed the subject a little. _"What have you been told of his mother?"_

 _"Enough to not like her, somewhat. She does not live on this world."_

There was more that she needed to be made to understand. Shei told her without pause, _"Aniko, she is the sort that our ancestors would all have vied for the opportunity to court. She embodies much of what our people once were."_ That this may have (however subconsciously) been part or even _much_ of Espio's draw toward her was something Shei left unspoken.

Aniko was highly displeased to hear this, lightly tapping a finger on the bottle once. _"I highly dislike her, then."_

This carried great weight, coming from her, and Shei frowned. However, he did have one piece of good news. _"The two have not yet permanently bonded, nor have they come close to doing so. He has developed some measure of feelings toward her, but much of it seems to be a result of being intoxicated by the allure of her Darkness and malevolence. His mind is clear when away from her, but clouded when he is by her side. It is the same spell you and I both once nearly fell for with other members of our race. It is the nature of our kind to be attracted to such things. We were the first to overcome this, but to expect him to simply be able to do so on his own, and with no knowledge…"_ He trailed off. It was _not_ his intention to blame his partner, to shame her, to cause her any form of upset. Yet, it was also true that she _had_ to be made aware of the full extent of this situation.

The tensing of Aniko's fingers would have crushed the bottle she held had she not bore such extreme control of her abilities. She took a slow, deliberate breath, before nodding. "We cannot fully intervene. Doing so would upset him greatly."

 _"Interference will nevertheless be necessary to some degree. He cannot separate himself from this entirely on his own."_ Shei thought this over for a second, then continued, _"Although… he has done so to a surprising degree already."_

"How so?" Aniko questioned, a singular blink accentuating her question.

 _"He fights her, for one thing, and quite regularly. He would not do so if he were simply giving in to her and her wishes."_ Something in Shei's eyes sparkled briefly with amusement in light of the current situation. _"That boy has always shared in your stubborn nature, Aniko. It serves him well these days, it would seem."_

"And Armaris shares in your ability to directly point out the obvious," Aniko responded, raising an eyebrow in minute amusement of her own.

 _"I state the obvious only because you otherwise can try to ignore it,"_ Shei answered, raising his own eyebrows at her.

"So that is your 'just' reasoning? I thought better of you." Shei shook his head at her, that rare twinkle of amusement still bringing life to his dark eyes. The woman managed a wan smile before her gaze fell on those who were looking upon the trio of chameleons. "You all can turn your attention elsewhere."

Kial chose this moment to walk up to them, gaining a faint glare from Aniko (not that he could notice) that faded shortly after when she realized he was blind. "You are Espio's parents, yes?" the cat asked.

"We are. Who asks?" Aniko questioned, watching him cautiously. He obviously carried weapons that were concealed under his cloak.

"My name is Kial. I was a friend of Espio when we were much younger."

Aniko glanced to Shei, blinking once in surprise at this. Her attention fell back on Kial and she nodded. "It is pleasant to meet someone he spoke well of. His explanations were much along the lines of you being a kind soul."

"That's the goal," he answered, a soft smile on his face. "Your son was interesting to travel with. Ever curious, as well."

The female chameleon gave a gentle nod. "He certainly was."

With no way of communicating with Kial, Shei signed to Aniko instead. _"You should sit. We were both only just returned to life. We are not at our full strength yet."_ She narrowed her eyes but ultimately relented. It was true, and she still was vaguely aware of having lived some period of time she could not remember. It bothered her to know this, yet she could do nothing about it. All she could do was sit with her partner... and wait for her son to return.

 **~保護者~**

 **8,622 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help, and I hope you all enjoyed! Posted (at about 12:25 p.m.) 04-23-20.**


	74. Shadow Katana

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this audacious adventure… especially for the one who has a plan.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Shadow Katana"**

 **~保護者~**

Steam walked amongst familiar streets quietly, reminiscing for only a moment before breaking off into a run. The demoness was close, and she obviously knew he was here as well. The sounds of destruction had briefly ceased, as if she were attempting to stalk him. Two brief sword slashes imbued with Light were enough to break through the obviously half-hearted attempt on his life, and another far stronger was required for the follow-up that surged up behind him. His eyes locked with Osaina's and he glared. "So, it _was_ you causing all those problems."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met," Osaina answered, her head tilting with a faint smile. "Though, you _seem_ to know me."

"You hurt a friend of mine," Steam muttered, sheathing his sword. "You'll pay for all the shit you've put them through."

The demoness laughed openly at this, dropping on top of a building with an attack building in one of her palms. "You? Surely you don't believe yourself capable of fighting me?"

A fist collided with her demonic blade at a speed she didn't expect, the growl of a hedgehog reaching her ears. "I've fought my fair share. You're nothing compared to what I've faced." She yelled and launched him back with a thrust of her sword, teleporting and slashing at him with such speed that he was forced to defend. His arms covered his head and he stood his ground against the strikes, wincing slightly when the blade managed to chip into his hardened skin. Steam's chance came when he tilted himself, forcing the blade to slide off him and into the ground where he stomped on it and threw a Light-filled punch into the hilt to snap it clean off.

Steam brutally slammed her body when she froze in mild surprise with a flurry of punches followed by a haymaker that threw her through the corner of a building. The hedgehog jumped up, then off the nearest wall to slam into her and grab her by the neck to spin and slam her into the ground once more. Advantage taken, Steam launched a strong uppercut into her chin and she was left in a gouge of the ground. "I said it once, and I'll say it again. You're _nothing_ compared to what I've faced."

Her mouth opened to say something but was cut off by a pained scream as he threw a punch into her gut followed by a wave of Light that quickly eradicated her body. Steam took a moment to lean against a wall as he caught his breath. _How long has it been since I did that? I've lost my touch._ Steam rolled his shoulders and began heading back to Espio's home, throwing his arms behind his head. "Good riddance…"

 **~保護者~**

Cyril flew up from his portal on the ground, and made a stylish landing, whipping a top hat from one of his sleeves and throwing it atop his head. "Lovely area. Absolutely _astonishing_." A smile on his face and a slight tap of his feet, and he was walking along to find Wave's friends. "Now… assuming I know her as well as I once did, which is not much, her friends will find me if I continue walking." A thought entered his head and he chuckled nervously. "That is, if the chameleons don't get to me first." Already, multiple shinobi were in plain view, making _no_ effort to hide themselves as they watched his… _unusual_ approach.

The Babylonian flashed them all a bright smile and tipped his top hat, looking around for the dragon that Wave mentioned. It wasn't long before he felt confident in his approach and lightly jogged over. He came close enough to properly view the house before he felt a presence suddenly appear behind him, spinning around and taking a precautionary step back. "Well, how may I help you, madam?"

"Who are you?" Aniko demanded, hand already gripping the handle of her blade. "I was not made aware of others joining us."

He laughed, almost sheepishly before flashing a smile. "Cyril, man of-"

"Cut the theatrics. State your business."

Sheesh. Tough crowd. He gave a far more normal smile. "I'm Cyril. An ally of some people that I believe are currently in this house told me to come here. I now see that she didn't give anyone a warning, however."

Aniko glared and took a step closer, leaning in. "Do not act out of line. Your life will end should you dare to do otherwise."

"Noted, with a smile!" Cyril beamed, bowing to her. "I will do nothing to bring harm or danger to any of those around me." Seeming satisfied with this response, the chameleon grabbed his jacket and jumped to the porch with him before releasing the finch. She stepped inside without another word and he wiped non-existent sweat off his forehead. "Too close for comfort, m'lady."

Seeing them enter, Shei frowned and signed, _"Who is this?"_ Sako dozed in his lap, peacefully unaware of everything.

"A theatrical bird. Says he is an ally of those here sent him."

"Howdy doo!" Cyril smiled, tipping his hat. "Lovely to meet you." His gaze swept over the rest within the room. "And all of you as well. It's an honor to be here."

There was a bit of quiet. Then Silver smiled. Before Sonic could shush him up, the younger hedgehog broke into a grin and declared, "I like this guy already."

Vector sighed, the tension in the room mostly broken, and shook his head. "Of course you do."

"Well, and who might you be, my friendly compatriot? My name is Cyril," the finch explained.

"Silver," the hedgehog introduced. " _Definitely_ wasn't expecting to see a Babylonian here, though. Where'd you come from?"

A flash of color would have entered the bird's eyes if they could. "Well, no place other than Sanol! I believe you all are aware of Wave, or at least _one_ of you is."

Sonic's eyes lit up at the name of that old town (seriously, it still existed?), and he nodded. "Yeah, we know her really well. We've all been friends a very long time."

"Well, isn't that a thing to behold! She and I grew up together," he laughed. "Though, she certainly did her fair share of ignoring me for _quite_ some time."

"Sounds like Wave," Sonic huffed. "Well, when she was a kid, anyway. She was kinda… grouchy sometimes. Used to smack people with a wrench when she was mad."

Cyril's smile softened. "Ah, yes. She _was_ a bit of a grouch. Though, I like to believe I aided her with easing out of that lifestyle, just a touch."

"Maybe you did," Sonic answered, offering a slight smile.

"Ah, perhaps I should give an explanation of what I'm capable of. That may be a good detail for my newfound allies."

"Uh… sure."

This was an opportunity and the Babylonian would not let it slip away. From a box clipped to a utility belt of sorts on his waste, the bird produced a deck of cards. "I'll pick a card at random, except I cannot. I draw the card at the top, face where I _cannot_ see it and…" A flick of his wrist and the card was on the ground, a barrier popping up around his body. "My cards can do all _sorts_ of things, from reversing physical and energy attacks, to firing blasts and erecting barriers."

Golden eyes went wide. "That… is… _awesome_!"

"Ah, but it doesn't stop there, my silver and still Silver friend! I am aware of the top three cards of any of my enchanted decks at any one given time, and the effect they'll have is so categorized into my mind that I can always be aware of what each one will do and when I will draw it!"

Aniko cut in, a faint groan escaping her. "Could still do without all of the… _proclamation_?"

Cyril laughed a little, allowing his voice to drop to a much more normal level. "Ah, yes. I get carried away with my performances at times. It has bled into my life and… I oft find it hard to remove myself from it."

"I get the feeling this is gonna keep up," Sonic sighed. _That could get annoying._

Silver read his thoughts like the brat he was and cheerily declared, "Nah, he's _great_!"

"For those of you who dislike my show, I will attempt to not drag you along with the theatrics. The speech pattern is here to stay, sadly. That was ingrained in me as a child," Cyril explained easily.

"You would do well to remember that, then. You are in our lands. Play by our rules," Aniko muttered, glaring.

Cyril nodded. "For my own sake as well, I can tell." His body twirled on one foot when he sensed another approaching the home.

Aniko _quickly_ stifled his words very forcefully with a hand and thrust him up against the wall farthest back. "Another? You are not of this village. Where do you hail from?"

"Etoria," the chameleon answered without hesitation. "Shei informed me of this place and said I should com-" Her eyes widened when she realized who she was speaking to (her gaze having been turned as she bowed). "A-Aniko as well?" she asked herself aloud.

"What is the meaning of this, Shei?" Aniko asked, turning her head to face her husband.

 _"She approached with questions,"_ Shei signed to her, unperturbed by her reaction. _"Gathering allies is necessary. I told her to meet us here if she was so inclined."_

Aniko blinked once in his direction before turning back to face the younger chameleon. _"Your name?"_

The chameleon was surprised out of her shock-induced stupor to answer. "My name is Tyria."

"I sense no ill will. Come in," Aniko answered, stepping aside so Tyria could enter, which she did.

Tyria looked around before a small frown appeared on her face. "Where is Armaris, the cat?"

"She and my son have left on a mission. They will be returning shortly," Aniko answered. "If you wish to converse with either of them, you will be required to wait." The chameleon gave a soft nod and her body vanished while she found a suitable place to patiently do just that.

 **~保護者~**

Cream waited until things had settled down for the most part before standing and cautiously approaching Shei and Aniko. She kept a respectful distance between herself and them, mindful in particular of the baby, and offered an equally respectful bow. "I am sorry to disturb…" she murmured, "but I would like to speak with you if I may."

Shei traded a look with Aniko. Her manners, her grasp of the basic respect chameleons warranted one another in settings like this… It certainly drew his attention. He signed a brief response. "Your name?"

"My name is Cream," she offered politely. "If I may be so bold… I would like to explain my ties to your son."

That caught Shei's interest, prompting him to keep up the conversation for once instead of letting someone else (in this case, Aniko) take over. _"You may."_ He motioned with his hand for her to sit as he was.

Taking the invitation with an apparent measure of relief, Cream did as she was bid and sat down on her knees in front of them. "As you might imagine," she started, "I did not spend the majority of my life here. But this village, in many ways… I came to view it as my home." She hesitated, debating how to refer to Espio, but ultimately decided that nothing less than a proper honorific would suffice here. "Espio-sama once travelled with myself, some of those in this house, and plenty of others. We fought in two distinct wars… the second of which once crippled his arm and also resulted in the scar on his eye."

Her words made Shei frown. _That could not have been an ordinary battle… for my son to suffer such extreme damage._

Cream continued. "As a result of that war, there was another more tragedy. This one was more personal to me. My mother… was poisoned by dark magic. She eventually died from it." She let out a small breath, eyes closing. "By that time, I was… eight, I believe. I had known Espio-sama for most of my life, and considered him a great friend. He travelled all the way from here to my village in the far south of this continent in order to check on me. Before he left to resume his travels, I begged him to allow me to come. Eventually… he did."

Now _this_ was surprising. Shei blinked several times before asking, _"You stayed with him?"_

"Yes. In a manner of speaking… I suppose it could be said that he raised me." Cream opened her eyes again to look at them. "He became my protector, my guardian. There were many things that he did for me back then which I can never repay him for. Ensuring I always had food and a place to sleep, arranging for proper training to hone my mental abilities, defending me from threats, teaching me much about your culture and all it entails… I can only hope that I brought his life as much peace as he so graciously afforded me." Bowing her head again, she very politely informed them, "He brought my family incredible honor… by allowing me the opportunity to survive when they could not. I hope to bring honor to your family as well. It is the very least that I can do."

Aniko knelt down in front of Cream and very quietly stared at the bunny before blinking once. The frown on her face was nothing of anger or concern, the entirety of it formed from thoughtfulness. "You are yet still young," she answered slowly before taking a moment to bring more words out. "You did well in presentation and speech. My respect grew from that, but for my child to have taken to you in such a way speaks volumes. I will welcome you to our family much like I did with Armaris."

Unable to quite help it, Cream had to quickly blink tears of joy from her eyes. "I… Thank you, Lady Aniko. That means… so much to hear."

"Think nothing of it. I am merely passing back the respect you courageously showed to myself and my family. Such an act deserves recognition," Aniko explained.

Cream swiped at her eyes and nodded. After a small moment's pause, she collected herself enough to try and proceed. As huge of a deal as this was, she couldn't dwell too long on it without potentially creating some annoyance in the air between them. "I also approached because I believe you two may have questions. Forgive me if this is too forward, but… I believe I can answer some, if you would permit me to."

Aniko glanced to Shei, raising a questioning eyebrow. He returned her look with one of subtle curiosity. Eventually, the female chameleon turned her attention back toward Cream with a faint nod. "You are welcome to answer what you can."

Relieved anew at this permission, Cream nodded as well. "May I ask what you would like to know?"

When his partner didn't immediately respond, Shei signed instead. _"We have not seen him since he was roughly twelve,"_ he admitted with more sadness than he had intended to show. Aniko had always privately teased him for his somewhat higher degree of expressiveness. _"He was insistent on leaving home to travel, and never came home."_

Cream inclined her head. "He has told me the same. I cannot say with certainty, since he never was the sort to speak of such things, but it always seemed to me that he regretted never visiting you both. When he learned of your deaths, he was… devastated, in his own way. Even to this day, missing you both the way he does has continued to affect him." She shook her head. "I have never seen such grief from him about anything else, or for anyone else." Aniko's eyebrows furrowed as she listened before lightly crossing her arms. The fact that her son cared like that was touching, but she wasn't sure what else to feel about it… at least not yet.

Shei took his time considering Cream's words. _He was always the sort to express himself quietly. Perhaps not all has changed._ With this in mind, he went ahead with his question. _"In your experience, has his personality always been what he has been portraying as of late?"_

"Not entirely, no," Cream answered. "There are many things that have shifted that were never normal for him. Anger is one of the most obvious examples. But, when he truly is himself… I expect his personality and behavior are very much like what you both once knew."

"Mm... " Aniko murmured softly to herself. "I suppose that would make some sense. What has he devoted himself to most in life, that you have seen?"

"Surprisingly… he has not completely invested himself in much of anything," Cream admitted. "Of course, I cannot say for certain what he does when alone, but in my experience he always seems to flit from one activity to another, depending on what is currently holding his interest. One thing that kept him interested for many years was working under Mister Vector, the crocodile sitting over there," she gestured politely, "within a detective agency. He found plenty of use for his stealth and information-gathering skills there. But since then… since then, I do not know what he has been doing."

Aniko lightly tapped at her chin. "Then we have a similar issue. Very few things can keep us… _properly_ interested and invested. That may play into his jumping from different types of activities."

With a nod, Cream said, "One thing, however, that he has _always_ seemed to possess a great interest in is fighting and training. I do not know to what extent that is normal, but I have never seen him not interested in those things."

Shei's head canted. _"Within reason, it is normal. Until we see the extent of it, we cannot say for certain, however. It is possible that some is due to influence from Darkness. Although, I do not think it is a serious enough problem to warrant concern. I have seen no signs of it being a dire issue."_

"You mentioned that he traveled with yourself and others. What kept him rooted within that group?" Aniko questioned.

At this, Cream smiled happily. "When I asked him once, he revealed to me that he did not have many friends as a child," she responded. "However… over time, he managed to truly befriend several members of our group. Even those he did not befriend, he was still well-acquainted enough to always consider close allies. And, though his number of friends was overall low, to him… I believe it made all the difference that they were there at all. I believe that that is why he stayed."

This answer seemed to leave Aniko slightly puzzled for a moment, a thoughtful frown appearing on her face. _I see… Though, what do those ties mean now? Will they mean anything in the face of his Darkness?_

Though he shared Aniko's concerns, Shei didn't voice them. Instead, he asked, _"Who were these friends?"_

"Mister Sonic, at one time, was one of them," Cream replied. "He is the blue hedgehog that you have seen here. However, I believe they drifted apart before I came to fully know them both. Mister Vector was another, despite how very opposite his personality is from Espio-sama's. He also befriended another hedgehog, one named Shadow. He is, unfortunately, the one ailing in the spare room at this time. I believe he is Espio-sama's closest friend currently, however. Mister Tails has mentioned that prior to this war they would visit each other often, train together, talk fairly regularly, and so on." Aniko's thoughtful frown grew momentarily, her eyes glancing about to pick out where these people were so she could potentially speak to them some other time.

There was a momentary pause before something occurred to Shei. _"...This may seem odd, but has he indulged in music at all since you have known him?"_

Now it was Cream's turn to tilt her head. "May I ask why?"

"He adored music as a child," Shei explained. _"I wish to know if he has held on to at least some of the things that once brought him joy."_

At this, Cream broke into a smile. "I see…" she murmured. Then, after some thought, she said, "I believe he has, yes. I remember he used to keep old records and the like in his room at the detective agency. I believe he has also taught himself to play certain instruments. Beyond that, I do not know."

"That is pleasant to know. I do hope he kept up those skills, however," Aniko murmured, her eyes closing.

Again Cream inquired, "May I ask why?"

"How much are you aware of with our culture?"

"Enough to have gotten by, I suppose, but I was never taught in-depth. I do not believe Espio-sama deemed it necessary for me at the time."

Aniko nodded slowly. "To keep it brief… music is something that we hold dear in our traditions. Every chameleon is taught or simply capable of mastering at least one of three things: dancing, singing, or playing an instrument."

 _"It is a deeply important part of our lives,"_ Shei further explained _. "Music often communicates what words cannot. Certain festivals, family events, and whatnot will involve the musical arts in some form or another, always. These were days he always looked forward to when he was young. He enjoyed hearing the songs and watching the dances. They brought happiness to him."_ He tossed Aniko a soft look. _"It helps that his mother always took care to indulge his young heart's desires in this area."_

The chameleon in question threw him another look of her own, as if teasingly telling him to be quiet. "I simply wished for him to do that which he enjoyed."

Cream smiled warmly at the both of them. "It is truly no wonder that he cared for you two so deeply," she murmured. "You certainly cared for him in the same manner."

"I did not want to see him go down a path I came so close to following," Aniko muttered quietly, eyes closing again. "He could go far by never reaching the places I did."

The bunny nodded faintly. "I understand, Lady Aniko."

"Thank you, young Cream. Your insight is invaluable." The nearly emotionless expression Aniko bore held a simple thanks that Cream had long since learned to read due to her time with Espio.

Though Aniko seemed finished, Shei signed again. _"I have not seen signs of the respiratory distress he once suffered."_ Aniko raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing in response.

Cream shook her head. "Nor have I. I have been under the impression that his sudden regenerative abilities have healed whatever damage to his lungs that he was born with." She paused, then asked, "He was born with it, yes?"

She nodded. _"Yes. No one was ever able to determine the specific cause. We knew it was not asthma, for he could run and the like with perfect ease. Only very certain activities would trigger an attack, or him breathing in dust or the like. Nevertheless, the attacks grew so severe after a certain point that we had no choice but to take him to a modern hospital. The workers there confirmed that his lungs were damaged at the time of his birth, or perhaps before, through unknown means. They put him through multiple years of trials on various medicines used via an inhaler, and eventually found one that worked." He sighed inaudibly. "It was a handicap he learned to bear, but a limitation nonetheless."_

"I understand," Cream murmured. "I only ever witnessed a handful of attacks, but the way he would choke and struggle for even the tiniest breaths of air… It was frightening, and it certainly has hindered him before."

"I would have expected such." Her casual response was betrayed by the immense concern in her eyes that she dared not speak of.

Things were quiet for a moment. Of course, even once Shei picked up the dropped thread of conversation, it remained that way. _"I have one last question."_ Cream returned her attention to him and patiently waited. _"Are you aware of how long Espio and that woman… Nyokae, I believe, have known one another?"_

"That is her name, yes. As for how long they have known each other, I did not originally know that. However…" Cream gained a slight frown. "I am not aware of how he accomplished this, but Mister Sonic somehow managed to gain this information from Espio-sama a little while back. He said that Espio-sama mentioned a timeframe of roughly six or seven hundred years."

Shei's eyebrows rose slightly. _"An unusually long courtship."_

Cream's head tilted again. "Pardon me for asking something potentially rude, but may I ask what would be considered normal for such a thing? I know your kind live very, very long lives, and time does not hold the same meaning to you as it would, say, my species."

After a thoughtful pause, Shei answered her. _"No pardon is necessary. It is natural to be curious about things you do not understand. We encouraged the very same mindset with our son. As for your question… a single century is most common. Perhaps two if things are… complicated, as they were for Aniko and I. Granted, I do not believe Espio and that woman were courting -intentionally or otherwise - for the entire duration of the time they have known one another, but that is still an unusually long dance they have been taking part in."_

"Could it be because Espio-sama has been trying so hard _not_ to proceed further with her?" Cream asked.

Aniko briefly considered this. "That is very possible. Something may be continuing to draw him in while he is attempting to pull himself back."

Shei let out another inaudible sigh. _"She will not stop pressing the issue, Aniko. You know she will not."_

"And if she dares harm my child to do so, I will have no hesitation in removing her," Aniko muttered, a level of anger appearing in her voice.

"As is your right," Cream acknowledged softly, rising to her feet. "You have my word, Lady Aniko, that if anything else happens you will be informed."

"I better," the woman answered, then she realized _who_ she and her partner were talking to and sighed. "Please do."

Inclining her head, Cream quietly made her exit.

 **~保護者~**

"The hell're we fuckin' out here for?" A half-drunk wolf sat at a small folding table, leaning heavily on one of his arms. "We ain't… _nowhere_ near the buildin'. Think we oughta go back?"

His companion, a bear, shook his head before taking another swig of his own drink. "...Nah… Think they're serious… 'bought us watching for trouble and all. Never did say why someone'd be comin' to this shit-show, though."

With a chuckle, the wolf shook his bottle to see if there was anything left in it. "Leas' they didn't say anythin' 'bout us drinkin' some. Maybe we oughta lay off, though…" He dropped his bottle in the grass with a small _thunk_.

"Nah," his companion said again. "What'd they say we're guardin'? Some… junk from Tralius? No one's gonna come and steal this shit." He drained his bottle.

"Then why're we all here, anyway?" the wolf asked. His one moment of clarity faded away. "You got anymore beer?"

"Yeah. Lemme see…" Swaying a bit, the bear leaned down to grab the last bottle from by his feet. He sat up and started to hand the bottle over, only to freeze at the sight before him. Drunk as he was, his mind couldn't make sense of his friend's lack of an expression… nor his lack of a _head_.

He had no real time to think on it, anyway. A flash of metal relieved him of his own head, and then Espio faded into view in the faint light of the table's sole lantern. With no remorse, he flicked the blood off of his blade, then plucked the unopened bottle from the dead man's hand. He glanced around, making _absolutely_ certain that he had taken out all of the cameras in this area, popping open the bottle as he did so. He took a quick drink before simply leaving the bottle behind and returning to where he had left Armaris several minutes and half a mile away. Upon reaching her, he said, "The guards and cameras have been dealt with, but we will have to walk from here. If we teleport in, the inner security systems will detect us."

Armaris sighed, arms crossed. "You took long enough," she teased.

"You can learn much by waiting and listening," Espio reminded her calmly. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "...Unless the subjects in question are morons."

"I can wait _impatiently_ and still listen, you realize," Armaris responded in kind. "But yes, you're right." With a slight shrug, Espio began walking back the way he'd come.

The cat followed after him quietly, her body wispy as she basked in the darkness of the area around them. "So… wanna talk so it's not completely silent?"

Instead of answering her directly, he murmured, "I assume that means you do."

"Yeah. I'm not opposed to talking with people who are intellectual."

Huffing, he gave her a vaguely playful shove - much as he'd often done as a child with her. "Flattery will get you _nowhere_."

"I mean, it's the truth," she answered with a smirk, shoving him back without much hesitation.

They passed by the table Espio had earlier been near. He reclaimed the bottle he'd left behind as he asked, "What did you wish to discuss?"

"Well… there's a few things. But I don't want this to be one-sided. You come up with questions, too," she demanded lightly, crossing her arms at him.

He took another drink, not his first or even second of the night. "Fine."

Armaris smiled at this. "Alright then. First is something I've already asked, but you didn't really… have a response to it. How do you feel about me?"

Realistically, he should have seen this coming. That he hadn't was a matter to chastise himself for later. "...I'm not… sure," he eventually replied. It was the honest truth, and he tried to make the bluntness of it as painless as possible. He knew how easily he had hurt others with his words in the past, and sought to avoid that here. She didn't deserve it.

She obviously didn't _like_ his answer, but she didn't seem hurt by it in the least. "Alright, then. Your go."

As was fairly usual for him, he took his time thinking of what to say before asking his own question. "You meant what you said, then?"

The cat bit her lip and nodded. "...Yeah… I did." Her hands moved to idly fix her ponytail as she sighed. "I don't know _why_ I wanted to say it so much, though." After a moment of thought, she turned to face him as they walked along. "So, obviously Sako is your child. Even if… we never go beyond where we are now, is it okay if I'm involved in his life?"

"You would be, regardless," Espio answered without hesitation. "I do not intend to shut you out in such a manner."

A smile appeared on her face. "Good."

He hesitated for a second before resigning himself to asking things he would normally make an effort _not_ to speak about. "...Why care in such a manner for someone like me, Armaris?" he finally forced himself to ask, revealing one of the most burning questions (not to mention concerns) he had found himself grappling with.

"First, cut out that 'like me' part. You're a great person, and I won't have you arguing about it," she said, almost indignantly. He frowned but ultimately just took another drink instead of replying. "You're not a bad person. I've _seen_ you, and how you are. There's more to you than anyone would be able to see at surface level." Unsure what to make of her response right now, Espio stayed silent. He swirled the liquid in the bottle to see how much was left, found it mostly empty, and promptly discarded it. "How… how do you feel about Aniko and dad being back?"

What was there to feel? He had been so numb to so many things for so long he wasn't even sure he _did_ feel anything about this. Maybe he did and he just wasn't aware of it. That seemed to happen a lot. He didn't like that fact. "Nothing," he murmured. He chose not to add the " _that I know of_ " part. It was probably an obvious inclusion at this point, anyway.

Armaris nodded slowly. "I honestly don't know what to feel. They've both come back… more or less like I remember them, but they feel so out of place."

"Because they are," Espio answered. "Out of place, out of time… by all accounts, they do not belong." And yet… he couldn't bring himself to be _upset_ about any of this. Maybe that meant he actually wasn't.

Another nod from the cat. "Anyway… your turn."

He deviated from their current line of conversation, hoping to ease up on it a bit if she'd allow the matter to be dropped. "Why insist on coming with me?"

"I'm sure as hell not letting you go anywhere without me," Armaris answered. "We're going somewhere _incredibly_ dangerous, the God of Demons and that _Nyokae_ want you or want to do something _with_ you, and there's no telling if this is a setup."

"Regardless, this place is _not_ dangerous," Espio told her frankly. _Only the gem will be._

"That person wanted _you_ to do this, rather than someone else. If there wasn't some higher level of danger involved, it's likely they would've gone for someone less skilled. Instead they chose someone quick and precise with _extreme_ skill. I've been involved in my fair share of for-hire jobs," Armaris explained, sighing. "People normally only go for what they _need_."

With a sigh of his own, Espio reiterated - but reworded - his earlier statement. "It is not dangerous for _me_. I could well have come alone."

Armaris rolled her eyes. "Daft dumbass. I _want_ to be around you as it is," she huffed, followed by a snort. _Asshole._

Espio shook his head and flung a knife off to the left, killing a lone camera that had been watching this particular section of forest. It sparked as it fell to the ground. "Ask your question."

"What do you want to do when this shit is over? The war and all. Do you have any plans?"

"No," he answered immediately. Nothing was ever exciting or interesting enough. Jobs like this were momentary distractions from the boredom, but overall… he had little he ever wanted to do _besides_ fighting. He couldn't see that changing anytime soon.

Armaris nodded softly. "I suppose that's interesting. I don't really get the chance to settle down once it's all said and done. I chose to become a Goddess in the future, and on top of that there's undoubtedly a shit ton of enemies that I've made in the past. No rest for the wicked, I suppose."

He thought that over for a time before responding. "So you have begun training, then." Due to the way he worded it, this wasn't truly a question.

"Exactly. Been at it for a while. Cere is like a mother to me, too," Armaris explained. "I guess that may explain to some degree the amount of time I've been training."

Initially, his only response was a small nod. However, after a moment or two, he decided on another question. "Why choose to be a Goddess?"

Armaris thought about this for some time before beginning to speak. "Cere approached me some time after we became acquainted. She asked if I wanted to, and I ended up shadowing her for a while. I ended up deciding that… I wanted to do what _she_ does. Protecting others, maintaining the balance of existence, and so much more." Though he couldn't say he personally understood ( _protecting_ others was very much the _opposite_ of what he did), Espio slowly nodded his head. He could by no means fault her for a decision that ultimately suited her so well. Her gaze eventually fell back on him. "So… in those messages. What the fuck did that person mean by 'latest work'?"

"I work, occasionally, for an organization that operates mostly underground," Espio answered eventually. "There are seldom missions they send me that are interesting, but around a month ago I accepted one. It was… not as serious as this." Armaris lightly motioned for him to continue, wanting more details. Seeing this, he sighed a little and continued. "I was sent to kill a man at the head of an operation suspected of being responsible for trafficking foreign drugs onto this world. That was the only reason I went."

The cat frowned softly, her arms crossing. "That shit that fucked up Shadow?"

"Among other substances, yes." He now sported his own frown. "I was to kill him and all the others and destroy their supply. I was successful to a degree that was worthy of the organization's worthless _admiration_." He paused, then added, "They said they would be in contact again, after that. I just had not expected it to be so soon."

"Some are like that… You prove yourself good at what you do and they want you to do the jobs they can't a lot more. Got into a _whole_ scandal with two groups wanting me dead, along with the one I was working for. Who knew stealing from rival organizations would make them mad?" Though she sounded amused, it was obvious that the thought left her a touch more tired than she had been.

"Such work is not fitting for you," he told her frankly. "You are too compassionate for it."

"I've also got an issue of having a mouth, if you haven't noticed. That's what really got me into that trouble."

"I imagine."

The cat huffed. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

With a raised eyebrow, he simply reminded her, "You already asked your question."

She snorted at him. "Then get on with yours."

He had to think about that one before answering her. "What is it that you seek to do after all is said and done?" A slight pause, then he thought to add, "Do not answer with training. You and I both know you seek more from life than just that."

A sigh escaped her. "I want the chance to settle down, as much as I _can_ considering the rest of my life may end up being spent fighting off various enemies. It's just… hard to find who I _want_ to settle down with, because I really don't enjoy being alone like that." He nodded slowly, having not expected this answer but somehow not being too surprised by it. Armaris put some thought in once more before glancing to Espio with narrowed eyes. "So… what the hell did that person mean by consequences? Do they think they can kill you or something?"

"They believe they are capable of it," Espio answered nonchalantly, idly wiping some blood off of his sword with his arm as he spoke. "It would not be the first time people like them have tried such a thing."

"And the ones before are probably all dead, then," Armaris responded similarly, eyebrow raised.

"They deserved no less," was the bland, uncaring reply.

"Fair enough."

Whether or not she had anything else to say on the matter, Espio motioned for her to be silent as he crouched down beneath the cover of a tree. They were here. Armaris vanished into the darkness at his order. It was time to go.

 **~保護者~**

When Jet awoke from his short-lived nap, he immediately cringed at the still-present pain in his head. He shifted, rubbing at his temples in an effort to relieve the throbbing, but the unexpected sensation of energy arcing around his body caused him to jolt upright not a second later. He quickly quelled whatever energy it had been and was inwardly alarmed to see purple crackling around him for a second or so longer before vanishing entirely. Realizing what had happened, he felt himself grow tense. _Fuck…_

Sein quickly looked up when this happened, his eyes widening before he stood up. "Jet… are you okay…?"

Jet moved to stand, regretted that quite a lot, then reluctantly sat back down with his head in his hands. "I'm fine," he mumbled. Yet… he didn't believe his own words.

The blue hawk remained concerned with this, a deep frown settling on his face. "What… was that energy?"

Was there really any getting out of this? It seemed unlikely. Didn't help that the constant pounding in Jet's head made it _damn_ hard to think. "...The Void," he eventually said, scowling into his hands. _Why now…?_

Sein looked like there were many things he wanted to say, but he ultimately sighed and knelt down. "We won't get far trying to push it right now. You're still in bad shape. Try to rest some more."

That evoked a whole new wave of concern. "It may do… _that_ again," Jet argued, "if I sleep."

"And what are you going to do by trying to push yourself? Make your condition worse? If nothing else, just stay _sitting_ where you are," Sein responded calmly, setting a hand on Jet's shoulder. "If I see that happen again, I'll make _sure_ you're awake immediately."

Almost too nauseous to reply, just as he'd been earlier, Jet managed to force out a tiny, "Okay," before slowly and carefully laying back down.

Sein smiled gently at him. "Relax. I'm here, okay?"

That reminder somehow managed to help Jet relax in spite of himself and he offered another tiny nod before his pain dragged him back off to sleep. _...Yeah. I… suppose you are._

 **~保護者~**

Tails emerged from the guest bedroom for the first time in hours at the promise of a bite to eat. He had just started munching on some fruit when he noticed there were new people here… and old people missing. "Uh… so, I'm guessing I missed some stuff," he said to no one in particular.

Steam nodded. "Same here. I can catch you up, if you'd like," the hedgehog offered, a small smile on his face.

His smile was immediately returned. "Please do." Steam was quick to set about explaining what he'd been told of the events during his absence, interrupted by both Cyril and Tyria to give their greetings (the former being much more… _long-winded_ ) before he could finish. Tails was quiet for a time, finishing his meager meal before finally speaking again. "Shouldn't… Shouldn't we have eyes on that situation?" he asked. "I mean, we know Espio is in a _lot_ of danger right now from a lot of different places, and we don't know why they even left since they didn't _tell_ anyone…"

"I mean, probably? Dunno how happy they'd be with that, or if we can even _keep up_ with them somehow, but it would be nice," Steam answered, shrugging softly.

"Trust me, we can keep up," Tails told him. "Or, rather, one of my cameras can. I've had to use it once before for some joint mission or another Espio and I took part in. It was technically my job, but I needed someone more… combat-ready to help me out, so he went in my stead. I used a special camera to keep an eye on things and help him find the stolen tech I was after. It'll work." He paused, then nervously added, "...Well… if one of them doesn't slice it in half, that is."

Steam nodded slowly. "Alright, then. Where is it?"

"Actually… here." Tails pressed a tiny button on the side of his communicator and an even tinier spherical camera emerged from the device. "It travels with me just in case," he explained with a sheepish smile. "Never know when you might need to be able to see things far away."

"Makes enough sense. I assume you can send it to follow after Espio's communicator?"

"Since he has it on him for once, yeah. I can use that to find out where they are, and the camera can follow from there." Tails looked around, his gaze settling on Aniko in particular. "Erm… Would this be… okay?"

Aniko raised an eyebrow. "I would have spoken up had I any concerns with the matter. Do not endanger my children, and all will be okay."

Tails gulped a little. At that time, Cream rose to her feet and walked over. "You intend to try to follow him?"

"Mostly to make sure nothing happens, but… yeah," Tails nodded. "I hate to say it, but we've really gotta go back to monitoring him like we started trying to do before. Things are just gonna escalate if we don't get a handle on this situation."

"It's for the best, overall," Steam added. "We'll also know if anything goes wrong and where to go if we're needed."

She nodded slowly before saying, "In that case, I do not recommend watching too closely. It will not be a… _clean_ show."

With a sigh, Tails released his hold on the camera and let it go. "Yeah… I figured. Killing is seldom _ever_ clean, I guess."

"You can say that again," Vector grumbled. "I ain't watchin', for the record. I met him just after he finished killin' off a bunch of punks way back when, and that was more than enough for me." Silver looked like he echoed that sentiment and pointedly moved away from Tails for the time being.

"I don't blame you for that," Sonic sighed, walking over. He took a seat by Tails and Steam. "I'll watch, anyway, but only because I don't want to miss it if you guys see anything important. How will we see the feed?"

"Like this." Tails pressed some buttons on his screen and a holographic copy of it was projected above it. He then pressed something else which connected them to the camera and allowed them to watch as it travelled. "At this speed, it'll be caught up to Espio in about a minute, maybe less."

Sonic's eyebrows raised. "Damn. How'd you make this thing anyway?"

"Magic," Tails winked. When Sonic rolled his eyes, Tails laughed.

"This thing got sound?"

"Yeah. I'll turn it on once it arrives. All we'll hear is wind right now." When they fell silent, Shei lifted Sako out of his lap and into his arms before walking over with Aniko. No doubt they wanted to see this as well. It was almost certain that they wished to see how their son's fighting ability had grown and changed throughout the years, but… Tails suspected they were also concerned for him. Chameleon or not, they were still parents after all… "Okay, we should be just about caught up." Just like that, all eyes turned toward the screen. Cream quickly walked away to sit beside Vector. As much as she loved Espio like a second father, she did not enjoy seeing him fight - much less kill. That he had always taken care not to _let_ her see such bloodshed spoke volumes to her.

 _In the feed, Espio approached the main entrance to the building and carefully forced it open without making a sound. Seeing no one in the main corridor, he glanced back to Armaris. The wispy black cat slid up behind him before giving a cautious glance at the camera behind them. "Ignore it," he told her, not bothering to look at it himself. Then, with another quick glance inside, he told her, "Work your way to the upper floors. I will head down."_

 _"Got it," she answered, disappearing from view almost immediately._

As she took off, Tails frowned. "I'll send out another camera to help keep a watch out on her," he said. He released a second tiny camera and it flew away. "A second screen'll pop up once it's found her."

Steam frowned. "Can your camera see her even if she's in the shadows or something?"

"Won't know until we try," Tails shrugged. "But I don't think she'll always be hiding. We'll at least be able to see what's happening during those times.

Aniko murmured something under her breath before sighing. "Her Darkness is particular, regardless. Careful eyes with knowledge could spot her if she remains in one spot for too long." Tails took care not to say anything that might be taken as rude and so just nodded.

 _Back on the screen, the camera struggled for a second or two to keep up with what was happening, catching it as lights were blown out and cries of pain were abruptly cut short, but after that there was nothing but darkness. A few seconds later, Espio crept up to a door leading to a room full of people, illuminated by the faint light seeping into the hall. He listened to what they were saying, apparently deemed none of it to be important, and the earlier process was repeated. The door burst open and the lights were destroyed in the same instant via flying knives. There was about a second of chaos, then a flashlight was turned on in his hand. He set it on a table just long enough to find and pick up a card key of some sort, then took off again._

Aniko seemed pleased with his handiwork, the faintest of smiles creeping onto her face as she watched this all proceed. Shei raised an eyebrow at her and signed, _"Proud, are we?"_ She glared at him, telling him to be 'quiet'. He huffed silently at her.

 _The second screen popped up. On it, Armaris could be seen. In contrast to Espio, she kept bloodshed to a minimum. As she descended through a hallway, she jumped and locked her legs around a guard's neck to slam him against a wall so that he was left unconscious as she slipped off without a sound. The next guard met a similar fate as she produced a wire seemingly from nowhere and tightened it around his neck, depriving him of air until he met the same fate as his earlier comrade. A controlled burst of air shattered a window and drew more of the enemies from their rooms so she could slip past them without them being any the wiser._

Sonic sort of sighed at the sight of this. _Well… at least we won't be totally traumatized after watching them both fight. Sheesh._

The gaze from the female chameleon bore into Sonic, a flicker of anger running across her face. "Why do you sigh at her actions? Yes, she is leaving the enemy alive, but that is no reason for such a reaction."

He was quick to shake his head. "No… it's not that at all. I just… I don't like bloodshed, is all. I was pretty much forced into a life of fighting, and I deal with it, but I prefer not to see people die. I'm actually kinda relieved she's not killing anyone."

"She doesn't kill if there's no need, normally," Steam commented easily. "Not a pacifist, but definitely not too into killing."

"Yeah, I get it."

 _Back on the first screen, the camera had overcome whatever issues it had been having before and was now flawlessly keeping pace with Espio as he tore through the lower half of the building, leaving no witnesses and no survivors. He skidded to a stop at the top of a staircase leading further down, completely still and listening, and then suddenly threw himself to the side. Not a half-second later, some sort of concentrated laser blast fired up at the spot where he had just been standing. Visibly annoyed, he back-tracked a short distance to one of the bodies he had left behind and - quite unexpectedly - stole the person's rifle. He then headed back to the stairs in a defensive crouch, took aim, and fired twice. No more lasers fired after that as some sort of wall-mounted machine sparked and died. Apparently satisfied with this, he slung the gun's strap over his shoulder and continued on his way._

"Unusual choice, but not worthy of disapproval," Aniko commented lightly.

Tails blinked several times. "...Guess Shadow taught him how to do a lot more than just ride a motorcycle," he idly commented.

"Wait, what?" Sonic asked him in surprise. "...You know what, never mind. We can discuss that later."

The pair if them were ignored. _"Regardless, Aniko, it is not that unusual,"_ Shei signed to her. _"He holds a special interest in blades, but we have always known that he loves weapons in general. And I believe it was you who taught him to always be open to making use of any weapon he comes across, should the need arise."_

"I merely expected him to remain with blades. He has surpassed my expectations," Aniko answered easily.

 _"Perhaps you should tell him that someday. He was always so eager to find your approval."_

"Perhaps."

 _Armaris rounded a corner and threw herself back when she nearly ran into someone. The moment she heard them attempting to radio for help, she summoned her folding sword in hand and tossed it, letting it snap open and stab straight through the communication device as she rolled out and delivered a deft kick to their temple. She tore off after recovering her blade and snuck around the next set of guards by phasing between their shadows._

Impressed to some degree, Shei idly signed, _"She makes good use of the skills she learned when young."_

"Certainly. She remains as limbre and acrobatic as ever," Aniko added.

Tails, meanwhile, just found himself thinking, _Wonder where she got a sword like that…_

 _Elsewhere, Espio passed through a now empty room (empty only because he had killed everyone in it) and emerged into a hall. Security cameras abounded, ones he knew he couldn't simply destroy. It would garner too much attention. So, not feeling like bothering with camouflage, he simply blurred into motion, dodging and weaving between the lot of them before turning a corner. There, he found more security systems… these also being pitifully basic. He slipped effortlessly past them as well and disappeared into yet another room. More killing, of course, ensued. He emerged only seconds later with another keycard. Unsure yet what either was for, he tucked them away and continued on down the hall._

"He is not _as_ like me as you sometimes imply," Aniko murmured to Shei, raising an eyebrow at him.

 _"He is very much like his mother,"_ Shei countered easily. _"That he shares my speed and evasive ability, or perhaps surpasses them, does not change that fact."_ She huffed lightly at him.

Sonic watched them both silently. _...Guess even chameleon couples poke fun at one another and crap, huh?_ Mildly amused, he looked away before he could be noticed and chastised again.

 _Armaris peeked around a corner and grimaced at the sight of several guards in the way. She eventually emerged, forgoing all stealth and other abilities to simply walk up to them. "Alright, so here's how this i-"_

 _"Stand down or we'll shoot!" one of them said as they raised their guns to her._

 _"Don't fucking interrupt me," Armaris muttered, dark tendrils springing to life and wrapping around their necks. "You're all going to sleep." With that, the tendrils receded into the floor and slammed each of the guards into the ground as she simply stepped past them, not caring if she stepped on them in her proceeding._

"There is that temper we attempted to curb," Aniko sighed. "She was temperamental, no matter what we tried. Deeply rooted in emotions, that one."

 _"She always was,"_ Shei agreed simply.

Steam tapped his foot lightly for a moment. "Armaris can improve. Her time with Cere will certainly do her well in keeping her emotions in check." Shei just nodded. He had never believed she would _fail_ to improve, and so had no reason to say anything. Besides, he couldn't communicate with this man, anyway. At least, not without someone else translating.

Aniko frowned. "She is skilled, but I remember incidents where she refused to work on things. That is where my ability to train her faltered at times."

"She'll probably surprise you," Steam commented idly. "Armaris is not the same girl you briefly helped raise, in many ways." If Steam was bothered by her glare, he didn't show it.

Suddenly, Tails pointed back at the first screen. "Hey… Espio's actually talking to this guy."

Aniko's attention suddenly shifted from gazing between their reactions to watching the screen intently, eyes narrowing. "What is he saying?" Tails's only response was to turn up the volume to make it easier for them to hear.

 _Just as the other man finished speaking, Espio frowned and said, "Your defenses are weak at best. You believed this would be enough to guard such an item?"_

 _"We didn't need to guard it," the other man spat. "We were only hired to hold the damn thing for a night. You shits from the underground weren't supposed to know about it!"_

 _At this, Espio raised an eyebrow. "I am not with them." Walking over to the man he had already wounded, he crouched down and quietly stated, "I am, however, going to acquire some information from you…"_

The female chameleon tilted her head curiously. Espio's actions starkly reminded Aniko of her own style. _He has built upon what we taught him well._

Internally, Sonic grimaced. _Don't torture him, Espio…_ he silently prayed. _I don't think I can stomach that._

 _Darkness broke open the doors to a room and Armaris stormed in, allowing controlled walls of wind to obliterate any bullets fired at her. Her hand closed around the neck of someone firing at her and she threw them out of the room, shortly followed by the other person. The two vanished into her Darkness as she downed a cup of coffee left behind. "God. This shit is disgusting. Who made this?" She proceeded back out of the room and very simply snatched someone off the ground and continued walking. "So, what's this place here for?" she asked them. When this person refused to talk, Armaris spun and launched them through a wall and stepped into the hole it created while trapping everyone else under a wave of her Darkness. "Who is gonna talk? Because I'm starting to lose my patience."_

Tails watched the screen for a long moment before mumbling, "So she's… scary."

"She always had the ability to be. I am pleased to know she embraced that and learned to make use of it," Aniko stated. "She and her father both have the capability, but prefer to remain neutral."

"It definitely works for her," Sonic said.

"There's far worse she can do. Knowing she can drag you into the Darkness and keep you there until you die is pretty scary in its own right," Steam commented easily.

Aniko raised an eyebrow. "You speak from experience?"

"Yeah, not the death part though. She has a hard time being able to kill me at times."

"You are cocky."

"And?"

Shaking his head, Sonic grumbled, "Quit before you get us all chopped up, would you?"

Aniko frowned. "If anyone would die from it, it would be him. You would not suffer from his insufferable ignorance."

Steam almost glared, narrowing his eyes. "I've faced it before. I say it because it's the _truth_." Aniko merely glared at him, but said nothing more for now.

 _With their focus back on the first screen, they were just in time to witness fresh blood dripping from one of Espio's knives. "Try again," he murmured, emotionless. "Who hired you?"_

 _Barely able to talk through the pain as he clutched at the place where several of his fingers had once been, the other man cried out, "I don't know! Some bitch with glowing eyes, that's all I know! I never even talked to her!"_

 _That wasn't entirely a satisfactory answer, but Espio let it be for now. He had heard enough to understand what he'd wanted to. Standing, he carelessly flung his knife into the man's head, causing said man to instantly fall limply to the floor. Espio then returned to the hall and resumed making his way down it._

There was a mild frown from Aniko. "Do any of you understand what Espio seems to?"

"The person's _gotta_ be a demon," Tails mumbled in dismay. Sonic stiffened. "I've never heard of any other type of person whose eyes glow."

"Hm," Aniko murmured, closing her eyes for a moment to think. Though Shei had some questions, he decided to hold off on them for now.

 _Armaris stood over one of the few people she had trapped with her Darkness, kneeling down and glaring. "What is this building here for, and what are you guarding?"_

 _"I don't know what this place is for," the person said quickly, biting their lip. "Our higher-ups didn't tell us anything!"_

 _"Useless," Armaris muttered, forcing their body to vanish into the darkness of the room. She repeated this process with the other three present, leaving with no answers and more agitation. "If I reach the top and get nothing, I'll be pissed."_

Shei silently huffed. _"She will be angry regardless, I reckon."_ Sonic did his best not to snort in amusement.

"She is, already. Though, her anger may lead her to resort to killing," Aniko mused quietly.

"I get the feeling she won't like that," Tails mumbled.

"Potentially."

 _Espio walked down a long and brightly lit corridor that ended with a thick metal door. Rather than simply bust it down and risk drawing unnecessary attention, he swiped one of the keycards he had stolen. It did nothing, so he tried the second one. This one worked, and he stepped into the room without hesitation. There were people there, of course, and he made quick work of the lot of them before taking the time to examine the space. He found nothing of particular interest in there aside from a piece of paper that had writing on it. The writing was dark, heavy, and clearly not of a language from this world. Frowning, he took the paper and tucked it away before continuing on his way._

 _Meanwhile, Armaris was nearing the top of the building, and by now her Darkness was clearing the way as she walked. Anyone in the hallways or rooms in her path were pressed against the walls as she simply moved past them. Her anger visibly spiked when she realized she was at the top and there was nothing of use to her here. A controlled blast of wind threw a window clean from the wall it was attached to and she dropped out of it, landing on the ground and entering the building once more. A few muffled screams echoed out from the floor she'd just been on, but the cat ignored it as she tore off after Espio._

 _Sensing her approach, Espio stopped and waited where he was, idly twirling his sword in his hand as he kept an eye out for any attackers in the meantime. Armaris approached soon, sliding to a stop beside him with an agitated gleam in her eyes. "Nothing up there. The people don't really know what's going on, from what I heard."_

 _"I did not expect that they would," Espio answered her, beginning to walk further down the corridor he had entered._

 _"Asshole. What have you found out?" Armaris asked simply, unsheathing her katana._

 _"They were told to guard the gem for a night, not long-term," he answered her, rounding a corner. The few people there were killed and he continued talking without missing a beat. "A demon hired them. She left written instructions as well. It said something about not touching the gem under any circumstances. I could not decipher all of it."_

Aniko frowned and glanced to Shei. "Why can he read it?" He shook his head with a shrug. That he had no idea how to answer that question was apparent.

"Demonic taint to his Darkness by Kaden," Steam answered, frowning deeply. "It's still present and affecting him…"

Alarmed, Sonic's gaze swung to him, but Tails spoke first. "Something like that… I think it's going to _always_ be present from here on. That sort of thing doesn't just go _away_. He himself is _not_ a demon, though. I can tell you that much."

"If that's true, then how does any of this make sense?" Sonic demanded.

"The taint didn't transform him or anything," Tails quickly explained, "but it will have inevitably caused changes. I'm honestly just surprised we haven't seen any prior to this. Now that I'm thinking about it, it seems like we really should have seen some signs before."

Shei immediately signed to them. _"It may be part of the cause of his incredible anger. Demons and their energies are not exactly what you would call 'passive'."_

"That would give explanation to it, then," Aniko admitted.

 _"Give it to me," Armaris muttered, holding her hand out to him. He passed the paper to her without a word, then sped off ahead for a moment to deal with the riff raff, thus buying her time to read and translate. Naturally, he was gone for only a few seconds before returning to her. "Not allowed to touch the gem, don't go near it or stuff will come kill them. Stupid basic demands."_

 _Espio was frowning again. "Kaden would not have been involved in such a half-brained scheme. These individuals are likely working on their own."_

 _"Yeah. Let's see anything else we can find," Armaris answered, vanishing once more into wisps of Darkness._

 _He resumed walking as he told her, "There are few people left. Most are several floors beneath us." After a pause, he belatedly explained, "I saw their security feeds on an upper level. They appeared to be working on something near the gem."_

 _"Want me to investigate?"_

 _"No. I would rather you go no closer to it than is necessary."_

 _"Why?" Rather than answering, he sped off ahead once again. A small grunt of annoyance escaped her as she followed after him._

Aniko turned to Shei, quickly signing, _"Is there more than one meaning to what Espio said?"_

 _"It is possible,"_ Shei signed back. _"What were you thinking?"_

 _"He may carry feelings, yes, but I'm not sure. It seemed like he meant something else as well. Perhaps related to her demonic ancestry?"_

 _"I believe he may have meant both,"_ Shei agreed, _"albeit… without necessarily intending one of them. Or perhaps even being aware of it at all."_

 _"That which you say unintentionally can carry much meaning."_

 _"Indeed."_ With their silent conversation finished for now, they refocused on the video feed.

 _After a tense minute or so of fighting, Espio killed off everyone on two of the last three floors. Descending upon the final room of the final floor, he found people desperately working to erect a mechanical barrier in an effort to contain the intense malevolent energies it was giving off. Huffing, he immediately set about killing them as well, a matter which took no time for him whatsoever. Armaris appeared on the floor and began heading toward Espio, a notable frown on her face. Sparing her not even a glance, Espio turned his attention to whatever meager barrier these people had left behind._

 _"Is this it?" Armaris asked, sheathing her sword quickly._

 _Without a word, he cut the barrier devices apart, destroying the barrier in question. Without giving the aforementioned energies a chance to reach them, he held out a hand and tightly encased the gem in a sphere of Darkness. The two energies opposed one another violently, crackling frantically for almost too long before he successfully quelled the gem for the time being. The sphere hovered almost harmlessly back over to him._

"He possesses great control of his Darkness despite not having used it for long… far more than I would have believed," Aniko muttered.

 _"To a concerning degree,"_ Shei answered back, looking troubled. Sonic and Tails traded uneasy looks. When no one else spoke, they refocused on the video feed.

 _"What are you going to do with it?" Armaris asked, walking closer to Espio._

 _"There is little to be done aside from take it away from here," he answered her._

 _"And where do you plan to take it after that?"_

 _Whether or not he had any sort of a plan, he didn't say one way or another. Instead, he merely offered a vague and distinctly unhelpful shrug as he began walking away. Once out of sight of Armaris, he glanced at the two cameras following him, drew a knife, and promptly cut them both in half… just as Tails had initially feared one of them would._

Aniko frowned at this. "I am not surprised."

Sonic looked at her and dared to ask, "By what, exactly?"

"Him cutting the camera. And his lack of response."

"...Don't cut _me_ for saying this, but… I think we all oughta be a lot more concerned than you seem to be," Sonic said, looking away. "We don't know where he's going with that thing… or if he's even thinking like his usual self right now. It's… potentially _really_ fucking dangerous."

"I _am_ concerned, child," Aniko countered, narrowing her gaze. "I will trust that Armaris can keep him from placing it in the wrong hands, as well as being able to find him by that thing." She pointed at one of their communicators.

He sighed a little. "Chances are he won't be wearing his for long, especially if he decides he doesn't want us keeping an eye on him. He's… got kind of a reputation for that sort of thing. ...And never answering any of us when we message or call."

Steam turned to face Aniko. "Sorry he seemed to accuse you of not being concerned, but he's got a point. We don't know what he's doing with that thing and if it gets in the wrong hands, shit goes to _hell_." His serious tone seemed to make Aniko think momentarily before she sighed.

"And what do you plan to do if he _does_ place it in the wrong hands?" The female chameleon asked.

"I don't know what we _can_ do," Tails admitted quietly. "Through Nyokae, the people he has ties with… we aren't equipped to handle them."

Very quickly, Steam piped in once more. "And let's say that he loses control of himself. What do _you_ plan to do, then? Your son is rampaging without the ability to fully control his Darkness. Your plan?"

Aniko _looked_ poised to kill him then and there, but ultimately saw his point. "Hm… fine. I suppose we would need to fight him."

"And you wouldn't do anything more?"

"No more than is _necessary_ , no."

Steam glanced to Tails. "See if you _can_ track him. We may as well get to trying what we can."

"I'm working on that," the fox said. "So far, it looks like he's headed south off of that island they were on. He's headed back to this continent. I'm not sure exactly where, though. He's moving a bit too fast for the tracking system to follow with _total_ accuracy."

"Keep up with it. If you lose track of him, do your best to find an area where he might be and survey it. I don't _want_ to watch over him, but we can't take the chance." The last sentence he said after that was noticeably pointed to Espio's parents, his gaze falling on them. "I'll do what I can to make sure they come back."

Aniko gave a slow nod to this. "Thank you, Balancer. I seem to have judged you too harshly."

The hedgehog shrugged. "Don't worry about it. A lot of people do." Steam pushed himself to stand, stretching lightly. "I'll get the others up to speed. If you guys have anything you need to tell me, just let me know whenever."

Sonic inclined his head and said, "If we do lose track of Espio, we may have to send you after him. With your teleportation skills and speed, you'd be one of our best bets of being able to find him."

"Yeah, I figured as much. Just keep me updated on the situation," Steam answered, sighing and walking over to the other group of people in the room. Tails, meanwhile, focused on his communicator. If he lost sight of where Espio was…

He didn't even want to think about what might happen.

 **~保護者~**

 **12,494 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 8:40 p.m.) 04-24-20.**


	75. Taint

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this conflict… especially for the protective one.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Taint"**

 **~保護者~**

Calypso finally roused from her deep slumber to find herself laying in the grass beside a stream. She had no idea how much time had passed since she had healed Mobius, nor did she immediately recall why she had collapsed. Yes, doing what she had done could never have done anything but drain and exhaust her, but surely it shouldn't have done…

Ah. That was it. She remembered now. She had chosen to heal New Babylon as well, for one reason or another. Perhaps she had pushed herself too far, but knowing the destruction of the home he had so painstakingly built up hurt him so deeply… she couldn't have beared the thought for long. So she had acted without proper consideration of the consequences, thus causing her to wind up here like this. That was… unfortunate. At least nothing had tried to eat her yet, surprisingly.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she spied a potential reason for this to be true. Puzzled more than she cared to admit, she quietly addressed her niece. "Why you here? You no have be here. Return your friend. He be wonderin' where you are by now."

"I wasn't leaving you. You were asleep," Novei answered, crossing her arms. "And I remember a certain someone being a dumbass and _forcing_ themselves to sleep by doing too much."

"You no care before, why you care now, eh?" Calypso asked her, pushing off the grass to stand.

Novei huffed, lightly shoving Calypso. "Who said I _didn't_?"

"You actions say much," Calypso responded with a huff of her own. She batted Novei's hands away, fighting to maintain her balance. Exhaustion darkened the edges of her vision, but she remained on her feet.

"Bring your ass over here," Novei demanded, glaring. "You're not going anywhere like that."

"I going back," Calypso countered. She started to walk as best as she could.

Novei _immediately_ grabbed Calypso by the waist and hoisted the far older woman over her shoulder. " _You_ are not going anywhere. _I'm_ going, and taking you."

"You put me down!" Calypso demanded, already trying to wrestle free. She hadn't squabbled like this since she and her sister had been _children_ , for god's sake!

"What are you gonna do, _fight_ me? If I win, I'll hold it over you forever," Novei answered, tightening her hold and beginning to walk. "I'll kick your ass and drag you by the feet if you make me do more than carry you."

"You wait until I have my magic back, girl," Calypso threatened. "You _regret_ this."

Novei rolled her eyes. "You could act like you care that I'm helping, or you can let me throw you back. Very sure I could get the angle right to put you back at that house."

"You… ...what the word… an _ass_ ," Calypso accused.

"Takes one to know one, fuckwit," Novei responded in kind, smirking. "You'll never win the insult war either." Calypso hurled several Therian insults at her, crossed her arms tightly, and finally fell silent. "You know, with all that energy you just used, maybe you actually _could_ have walked back on your own, _granny_."

"I _not_ your grandmother," Calypso hissed. "You show respect where it be due, girl!"

"Says the woman who's being carried," Novei remarked. "I have the power in this situation. I could very easily hit you on random objects for hardness testing." Calypso sort of hissed at her under her breath in irritation, but made no further comments. "What did you think of Li?" Novei suddenly asked, glancing to her aunt quietly.

"You wolf friend? He too nervous. Need more confidence." Calypso was quiet for a moment before adding, "He seem smart, t'ough, I suppose."

Novei almost smiled at that. "So you approve of him, eh?"

"I not say that."

"'You actions say much'," Novei quoted simply, raising an eyebrow. "You bothered to issue a half-assed compliment." Calypso tossed her niece a glare. "What? You don't like being the one with no power, do you?"

"You shut up now," Calypso muttered.

Novei shrugged. For some reason, the fact that Calypso had said anything nice about Li made her feel… _right_. Good, even, if that's what she felt. The Therian would've contemplated more had it not been for the fact that she simply felt like being quiet and enjoying what was around her. Also, the fact that she got to carry Calypso around. That was a nice added touch.

 **~保護者~**

 _Why must it be injections?_

Gritting his teeth, Shadow pointedly averted his gaze as Sonic carefully dosed him up on more medicine. His vision blurred and ears rang for a second, but just like that even more of the haze and pain of withdrawals faded into the background. Though he had only been injected a couple of times, to say that he felt _substantially_ better was an understatement. No longer was he incoherent and bordering on delirium, no longer was he off-balance and emotional, no longer was he exhausted but unable to sleep, jittery and fidgety, shivering and shaking, slurring his words and scrambling to understand incessantly racing thoughts… Some shakiness remained, and of course the cravings did as well, but it was mild enough now to be _so_ much more manageable.

This was the relief he had been so desperate for. Not the short-lived reprieve more drugs would have afforded him, but _this_. True and proper _help_ for the problem, not merely something that would exacerbate it. That he even _considered_ seeking out more Zero earlier was something he couldn't, _wouldn't_ forgive himself for. Or admit to. Much less to Sonic. He wasn't exactly keen on discussing any of this with Sonic, really. His brother, however, apparently had something to say. "Tails showed me how to do this earlier after Jet showed him. I've never injected anyone with anything, though, so sorry if it hurt."

Admittedly, Shadow wasn't in the _best_ of moods right now. Being as tired and yet sleep-deprived as he had been and still was (coupled with everything _else_ he had been dealing with) left him a touch moodier than he really cared to think about. Still, none of that was Sonic's fault. Biting his head off over nothing wouldn't do. "It didn't," he assured simply. Belatedly, it occurred to him to wonder why Sonic was even handling the needle to begin with. Wasn't he afraid of them?

Emerald eyes studied him for a long moment. Just long enough for Shadow to consider the idea that maybe Sonic was somehow fucking broken in some form or another. Then Sonic managed to catch him off guard. "You've gotta be sick of this room by now," he sighed. "I know it hasn't been that long, but with everything you were dealing with… it must feel like you've been in here for years."

It did. That Sonic knew that was surprising. But, then, maybe it wasn't. _He was always teased for being blind to the obvious, and yet… it is not for nothing that he was once the most capable leader amongst us._

"I'm betting you want some fresh air, huh?" Shadow's gaze swung around to him. Sonic managed a tired smile. "I won't object to you going on the roof or whatever. My only request is that you stay close, okay?"

That wasn't an unreasonable request. Not by any means. Shadow certainly wouldn't object to having some leeway, being allowed to give himself some space and some quiet outside of this damned room. As such, he had no argument to give. He moved to stand. "Fine."

Looking pleased, because of course he was, Sonic also stood. "Tails and I both have our communicators on. Message or call if you need anything, okay?"

Shadow said nothing more to him. He jumped out the window, the same _fucking_ window he had been agonizing over a veritable eternity ago, and flipped himself up onto the roof. From there, he jumped into the nearest tree branch and settled onto it, savoring the coolness of the night breeze. The weather had been unusually pleasant for this area (despite it being so prone to extreme storms, winds, rain, lightning, snow, and god-only-knew whatever else) as of late, and it seemed that pattern intended to continue for the time being. All the more reason to come outside now, while the skies were still clear.

The tree branch shook lightly as Tyria climbed onto it, releasing her camouflage and glancing to him curiously. "Who are you?"

Crimson eyes turned to her and stared in silence for a long moment before Shadow looked away. "...I should be asking you that," he grumbled, "considering _you_ are the one who initiated this."

"I ask names of all I meet, is that not customary of your kind as well?"

Another long silence ensued, but eventually Shadow sighed. "It is rude to ask another's name without first giving your own."

"Oh. Tyria." The chameleon's head turned faintly, regarding him curiously as she waited for him to speak once more.

Once again, Shadow was unhappily silent for a time before responding. "...Shadow."

"What is wrong with you?" Tyria thought for a moment then corrected herself. "Currently."

That question rankled, and his once _somewhat_ irritable mood turned properly sour. "Nothing," he told her.

"You seem upset. Did I cause it?" This time, he opted not to answer her. Curiosity overwhelmed her and she moved a bit closer, only by a few inches or so. "It persists. You have had it for a few days?"

"Had _what_?" he demanded. Did she think he had an illness or some shit?

Tyria's eyebrows furrowed. She had _definitely_ said something wrong, but what was it? In the end, she decided to somewhat start all over. "You have been upset. Something plagues you," she explained, trying to figure out what she _needed_ to say to him to not garner further anger.

Though his anger didn't fade away, it didn't immediately decrease, either. "It is none of your concern," he muttered.

"I do not like to know others are upset," Tyria murmured softly.

"You cannot expect to always see others _happy_ ," Shadow countered. However, he made an effort to simmer down upon hearing her words. It wasn't her fault he'd been feeling like hell lately. And apparently still did more so than he had first believed.

"Happiness is subjective. I prefer to see others in a state of… 'being okay'. Not deeply bothered by things," Tyria tried to explain, her mind going to work as she tried to stop stunting her sentences so harshly.

"My point stands either way," was the short response.

Tyria raised an eyebrow. "Then what of yourself?"

Shadow closed his eyes with a frown that bordered on a small scowl. "Speak plainly if you expect answers."

"Ah-" Tyria nodded. "What do you feel now?"

"That does not matter."

" _Why_?"

At this, Shadow did scowl. Not this again. _It is bad enough Espio does it._ "It does not matter to you. You have no reason to know or _care_."

"Reason need not exist, but I understand." Tyria settled down and looked around. "Hyale is… different."

"Explain," Shadow muttered.

"The air feels different. Not colder or warmer… but there is something not the same as what is in my village. The area also feels… unusual. That may be due to the outsiders being present, however," Tyria explained. Shadow huffed but said nothing more at the moment. He had no comments to make that weren't scathing and so thought it best to keep his mouth shut. "What is your home like?" She dared to ask.

"It does not matter," Shadow told her. _Why ask such useless information?_

Her gaze fell on him and she seemed to understand what he was thinking, perhaps because of his responses to the other questions. "What can you do? You would not be here if you were not capable."

"If you are asking about powers, I have none of relevance," Shadow told her bluntly. At least, when speaking of _offensive_ capabilities, he had none that could be of use here. Darkfire was all he had, and it was _useless_ to him.

"You do not? How do you fight?"

"Weapons. How else?"

"What kind of weapons? Swords? Knives? No… you are no blademaster. What do you use?"

Shadow smothered a sigh. _More useless questions…_ "Guns."

"What is a gun?" Tyria asked. "We do not use anything by that name in my village."

"It exists outside of your lands. And if you do not intend to leave said lands, then it does not and will _never_ matter to you."

Tyria blinked once. "I intend to some day. I simply wished to undergo more training." Shadow closed his eyes again and didn't answer her. "Do you have a gun on you?"

"And if I do?" he muttered.

"I simply want to see it. New weapons intrigue me."

"You do not need to."

"Why?"

"Because you _don't_."

Tyria huffed at this. "I am a shapeshifter," she randomly decided to explain. If this couldn't gain _some_ level of a response she was looking for, the chameleon might just leave.

While that was interesting on _some_ level, Shadow didn't care enough to ask. Not right now. He just wanted to be left _alone_ for a goddamn while. Why was that _so_ much to ask? _Can no one ever leave me in peace?_

After a few moments of silence, she sighed. "I will leave you. If you wish to talk another time, I would not oppose." Her body transformed into some sort of small bird and she flew back into the house quietly.

 **~保護者~**

Astra landed on Mobius silently, hiding her presence from anyone that might come to interrupt her. Behind her was an obviously ancient home still standing only from the power of similarly ancient magic. She turned, walked up to the door, and forced it open to step inside. It was just as she remembered it, if only because her parents had been the type to never change. Briefly, the cat thought about this before walking down the hallway to the right. Her sister's room… it was _exactly_ the same. The telltale signs of Rose having woken up and deciding to leave home were obvious in the small mess of various items left behind. That had been so… _long_ ago.

Her own room was pristine. My parents never entered my room again. _Respect or downright shame, though I suppose neither is impossible._ The cat's hand raised slowly and the entire room suddenly collapsed in on itself, followed by the rest of the house. It then exploded all around her and the debris was sent flying in all directions. Some distance away, hidden underneath the home, was what she'd been looking for.

The cat swiftly removed the near-arcane bindings left by several magics and opened the ancient safe. She dropped inside and glanced around. Books, artifacts, and several other items were carefully stored and preserved within their own magic bubbles. Astra rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, shattering each of these and began collecting them with her magic. _They left many books regarding magic. Not to mention some artifacts that may prove useful in my research._

Astra's attention was successfully snagged by an unusual sight. She knew her parents to drink wine on occasion, but to have gone so far as to store a bottle within this magic safe? _The fuck were they thinking?_ She soon decided it didn't matter and finished collecting the minor items before walking up and snatching the wine bottle. The cork popped out and she set about drinking from it as she walked to her real goal. A book similar to the one she had taken when she was young. Using her free hand, the cat carefully removed the seals around it and picked it up.

 _Why is my vision swimming so much? I swear I haven't drunk much of this…_ Astra shook her head and left back outside, sitting down for a moment. It didn't take long for her to deduce that it was some sort of effect the safe had within itself, to disorient intruders. A spell later and she felt fine once more, standing up and resuming drinking the wine she had collected. _Not like they can use it._

The cat was there for some time, having finished off the wine already and laid on the grass when she sensed something coming. Astra managed to teleport out of the way as a sword came down where her head had been mere moments before, landing on her feet with a sway. _Trokkelar army…? Ah, fuck. She is coming after me, then._ She tossed the bottle in the air and shattered it with her magic, sending the shards at her advancing enemies with alarming speeds. There was some satisfaction on her face at the sounds of bodies hitting the floor, but she knew it was _only_ because she infused them with magic before doing anything. Her vision was blurred too much to see the oncoming attacks that she knew were approaching, and as such simply threw up a barrier to take the brunt of each blow.

"You'll have to fuckin'... try harder…" Astra slurred, stumbling into a side-step to avoid a hammer that shook the ground when it hit. She raised a hand and threads flew out all around her from her fingers, finding purchase on something and slicing it apart to swing it around her. The cat frowned when it obviously wasn't one of the enemies, but ultimately found that whatever she was battering these soldiers with was effectively slowing them down.

Her senses were too dulled to sense the enemy behind her, and she hardly noticed when metal shrieked against metal as she idly threw out needles and waves of magic to further wound or kill off whatever came at her. She certainly couldn't see the increasing number of enemies, and was quickly shocked out of her drunken state when an explosion of Light sent the enemies flying away with more severe wounds than anything she had done. The cat whirled around to see her sister standing there with her sword drawn and stance stoic. "What the _fuck_ are you doing?"

"You would have died, Eila. I could not let you," Rose murmured gently.

Astra grabbed her by the neck, to which Rose only responded by holding a hand over the corrupted cat's shoulder and firing a beam of Light that wiped the soldiers out. "I don't _want_ your help."

"But you _got_ it," Rose countered, gently removing the hand gripping her neck. "I couldn't let them harm you."

"You had _no_ trouble hurting me in that battle." Astra crossed her arms, glaring at Rose.

"Yes, but because I was forced. You would not stop, so I had to try and do something to prevent you from continuing further."

Astra huffed and turned away, growling. "Get out of here before I kill you."

"Eil-"

" _Don't_ call me that. Astra or _Petry_. And I would _much_ prefer you use the latter."

"...Petry… please keep my sister safe. I could not live knowing she died."

Astra only scoffed at this and began walking away while Rose did the same. Rose knew that even in her current state, as strong as she was, she couldn't beat her sister. Not alone. As such, she left to fight another day.

 **~保護者~**

"Okay, so I've _gotta_ know," Silver started, his attention on Cyril some time after Armaris and Espio had parted ways, "what in the world kind of magic _was_ that, dude?"

Cyril shrugged softly. "It has no real name. As far as I'm aware, I'm the only one to ever have it. So, I simply dubbed it 'Card Magic'. Very, _very_ original, and certainly quite unique!"

Unable to contain himself, Silver laughed. "That's officially the best name ever."

"It's what I do, my friend," Cyril said with a wink. "You seem to love the theatrics. Do you have a background in it?"

"Not at all," Silver grinned. "I just love to laugh and smile. It's even better when other people do it, too."

"Oh! We have a common goal! Lovely!" Cyril positively beamed at this. "You, Silver, are a gem in this wide world of lackluster people."

Another laugh. "I dunno about that. But I really did mean it when I said I liked you. You seem like a ton of fun."

The bird winked and smiled. "I try to be. That's what it takes to be a magician and in show business!"

"I totally get why Wave likes you," Silver smiled. "You're just the kind of friend she needs in her life."

"I'm always glad to bring some brightness into otherwise dark and stressful lives. I consider her a friend, so I'm making sure to do what I can where I can," Cyril explained softly, sighing. "I hope she is alright."

"I'm sure she is," Silver assured him happily. "She's always been hecka tough, and from what I hear she's only gotten stronger. She'll be back before we know it, I bet."

Cyril's smile settled into something less showy. "I'm sure as well. She's got an iron will and determination. Not to mention she's a bit stubborn, so she can get through this surely."

Silver gave him a bright grin. "Absolutely." _It's official. I've met one of the best friends I'll ever have on the whole gosh-dang world._

 **~保護者~**

"Crap."

The unexpected curse drew all attention to Tails, who had been engrossed in his communicator for the past twenty or so minutes. Confused and concerned, Sonic asked, "What?"

Tails sighed a little. "Espio stopped off at some random location _just_ beyond the border of the chameleon territories, and he was there for a couple of minutes, but I think he just teleported."

Admittedly, Sonic didn't… see the problem. "He still has his communicator on though, doesn't he? It should be able to track him."

"Normally, yeah, but… well, to put it bluntly, his communicator is outdated." Tails busied himself with tapping away at his screen. "He never really bothered to let me upgrade it after a certain point since he really _couldn't_ care less, meaning the tech is so old that it just _can't_ function at one hundred percent. Unfortunately, the tracking system seems to be one that's suffering."

If anything, Tails's hard work to relocate their friend only heightened the worry that those around the fox were feeling. "Will you be able to find him again?" Cream asked him.

" _Should_ be able to, but you've gotta give me a minute," Tails answered shortly, more focused on his work than talking. Taking the hint, everyone left him be. A tense few minutes passed by with Tails working his butt off all the while, but surprisingly… Tails soon relaxed. "Got it," he murmured, audibly relieved. "He didn't take it off or anything. I've got his location."

Steam walked over finally, a frown on his face. "Where is he now?"

"You know that continent way up north?" Tails responded. For Shei and Aniko's benefit, he quickly added, "Um, we call it Artika now. I don't know if it's always been called that, but yeah." He refocused on the question at hand. "Anyway, it looks like he's by a bunch of old ruins both near and surrounding this place called Shrine Gate. According to a bunch of old legends and rumors, it's the… gateway to heaven or something. No one _actually_ knows what it leads to anymore, if anything, but I do know that it was heavily guarded in ancient times." He executed a slight shrug. "Supposedly, it takes a substantial amount of Light, or some sort of a 'key' to gain access."

Aniko spoke up, a frown on her face. "Eras. That is the 'heaven' you speak of."

When others looked confused, Shei began to sign - prompting Sonic to act as translator for those who couldn't understand. _"It is a portal to the Garden of Light, known more properly as Eras."_

"How… do you know that?" Vector piped up from across the room.

 _"A similar door once existed that served the opposite purpose,"_ Shei answered. _"It led instead to our homeland, the Garden of Darkness. But once the genocide on our people began, our attackers destroyed the gate on both ends so as to further impede our escape. The Light-bearing door suffered no such fate."_

"Why would something like these even exist?" Silver asked, thoroughly perplexed.

Aniko sighed faintly. "The reason they exist is known to nobody, as far as I have ever been made aware." Shei nodded in silent agreement.

Ceasing his translations for now, as they were no longer needed, Sonic eyed Tails's screen and said, "Well, regardless… I think it's pretty clear what Espio's intending to do. That must mean he has the 'key' needed to access the door somehow. Must be why he stopped off on this continent for a minute before heading there."

"It's entirely possible he discovered the key, whatever it is, on his travels," Tails agreed. "It wouldn't be the first time he's come across priceless artifacts and come to guard them." Things grew quiet for a short time with no one really feeling too concerned anymore… until Tails frowned. "...He's stopped. As in, not at the gate. The tracker's not picking up any movement at all, but he's still a short ways away from the gate."

Steam crossed his arms and very calmly glanced to the doorway of the home. "Armaris, get over here," he said quickly, turning his attention back over to Tails. "Let me know if he makes any moves. I'm gonna prepare to go if something happens." Tails nodded distractedly, eyes glued to the screen.

Armaris appeared by him and frowned. "Espio didn't come here, did he?"

"Nope, and he definitely didn't tell you what he was doing. I need you to be ready to come with me if something happens, okay?" Steam asked, turning to her. "You've got a damn good chance at keeping Espio calm compared to me, on top of handling Ny-"

"If Nyokae harms _anyone_ , I will handle it," Aniko muttered, glancing to Shei. "Stay here. If any others come looking for Espio, make sure to convince them to leave." He answered with a curt nod.

"He's still not mov-" Tails cut himself off, biting his lip, then mumbled, "His communicator just went offline. It wasn't turned off, though. It detected a _huge_ spike of energy, so… I think it might have been damaged." He paused, thinking, then said, "Not that it was designed to even _detect_ this stuff, but I don't think that was Darkness. I really, really don't. And... even if it was..."

Steam gritted his teeth and turned to Armaris and Aniko. "We need to leave _now_." Without waiting for a response from either, he teleported them all where Espio's communicator had last been.

 **~保護者~**

 _Has it not been too long?_ Alana wondered as she wandered through the halls of the palace on New Babylon. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going, but she could sense her husband's energy and used it as a guide. _The hour grows late. They should have returned by now._ Concerned that there was something the matter with one or both of them, she hastened her walk and headed to the room her boys appeared to be occupying. She arrived before long and opened the door to find her son asleep curled up on a couch and her husband sitting on the floor by his side. Now also confused, Alana walked over and knelt beside her husband. "Sein?" she murmured.

Sein glanced to her worriedly, frowning. "Something happened, but… we don't know what."

"What can you tell me?" Alana asked him, moving to sit.

"He got a headache, it seemed worse than a migraine. It was sudden, as well, and with no perceivable cause," Sein said, giving her a moment to take this information in before adding, "And then… he had some issues with the Void. Energy sparked around him."

Alarmed, Alana looked over at their son. "It did _what_?" she whispered.

"I don't know…" Sein murmured. "It was there while he slept. When he woke up, it more or less seemed to recede."

"That is not _good_ , Sein," Alana murmured back. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Sein repeated, frowning deeply. "I just told him to rest in the hopes he'll feel better soon."

"And if it flares again?" Alana asked him. "We are not capable of containing it, and we do not know if he _is_."

"What else is there to _do_? If he _can_ control it, then it's likely that feeling weak and still having a strong headache would make it near impossible. I told him I'd wake him up if it flares again… but that's all I've got."

With no better plan to offer whatsoever, Alana resigned herself to this with a heavy sigh. "...I will stay with you, then."

"Thank you…" Sein murmured, wrapping an arm around her. "I would've gotten you sooner, but I didn't want to take my attention away from him."

"I understand," Alana murmured back. With nothing left to do, she settled in to help keep watch over her son.

 **~保護者~**

Perhaps a few minute's walk from the gate he sought, Espio found himself considering how to proceed. Still contained within the sphere of his Darkness, the gem he had earlier stolen hovered above his right palm. Held within thin cloth in his left hand (for he did not _dare_ touch the object directly, given how painful he was learning Light could be) was different but ultimately the same sort of gem. Only, this one opened a _very_ different door. It was his hope to be able cast the first gem through the second door, banishing it to Eras where it would have no hope of survival. With it disintegrated, Malevolence's door would never again be opened. Thus, his mission would be accomplished. ...Aside from the fact that not everyone had been killed within that building. But he would deal with that afterward. This was more important by miles.

Except… it seemed someone deigned to interfere. Because, of course… that was what she _always_ did. And yet, in spite of his initial annoyance, he couldn't quite retain his scowl in its full-force when arms wrapped around his middle from behind. Lips kissed at his throat, then a familiar voice murmured, "I must admit… I never did anticipate meeting you here, of all places."

He huffed and turned his head to look at her with a disapproving frown. "I do not believe you."

"That is your choice," she chuckled. She kissed his neck again.

Fighting off a shiver, he twisted free of her grasp and turned fully around to face her. "You orchestrated this," he quietly accused. "Why?"

Smiling as she always did, Nyokae tilted her head. "Whatever could have made you believe such a thing?"

"That was not the sort of scheme Kaden would have been involved in," Espio answered, his tone slowly growing cold. "His plan for gaining access to that realm is more efficient. If this demon worked for him, they would never have been permitted to do something like this."

"And," she drawled, "you believe this means that they must work for _me_?"

"The only demons who do not work for _him_ are those stolen and altered by _your_ army."

"Smart man. Although, I must correct you on one little detail. You see, _I_ was not responsible for this. I merely caught wind of it."

Espio scoffed. "Then state your business," he told her, "or leave. I have no intention of dealing with you again today."

His words pulled a thoughtful hum from Nyokae. She drew closer at an even pace, arms casually crossed. She stopped well within his personal space, but not quite close _enough_ for them to be touching. "I do not care one way or another if Malevolence is released from its slumber to prey upon this world once more," she told him after a pause. "It is perhaps too early for it to awaken on its own but, then… what have the people who call this little rock 'home' done to deserve anything less than the carnage it would bring upon them?" She grinned at the idea, revealing perfectly white teeth. What held his attention, however, was the mischief in her eyes… and how it shifted from that to something _vastly_ more dangerous. _Intent_. Her hand came to rest upon the floating orb of Darkness he was still carrying, pushing it down into his palm. "What I am _interested_ in… is the little jewel you seem to have acquired."

"You will not be leaving with it," he muttered.

She shook her head, still smiling. "I do not want to, actually." Using her free hand, she took hold of his left one. With deft fingers, she opened his hand and plucked the Light-based gem from his grasp. He wasn't sure why he let her, nor why he allowed her to then cast it aside somewhere into the snow. His lack of resistance, however, seemed to spur her on. She placed her hand on his cheek, cupping his face, and admitted, "Whether you cast it out after this or not, I do not care."

"Then why are you here?" Espio demanded, a flash of temper deciding to start to show itself right then.

Nyokae's smile grew. "There it is… I was beginning to wonder when I would see that spark within your eyes. After the way your emotions peaked and then crashed earlier, I had begun to worry that I might have pushed you too far."

At this, he openly scowled at her. "You were not _worried_."

"I was," she argued, gently rubbing her thumb on his skin. The touch was distracting, but mostly he tried to ignore it. "I had not intended for your past to be brought up the way it was. I was not even aware that you did not remember that little event."

The fact that she was talking about a conversation he had apparently participated in regarding an even earlier event, neither of which he had any recollection of, appeared to indicate that he might have blocked both incidents out. He seemed to recall being told once that he had done something similar as a child… but, ultimately, he decided it was irrelevant here. He really didn't care, not now and not at all. "If you did not _intend_ for it, then why do it?" he asked her rather than revealing that he really didn't know what she was even talking about.

"I had been attempting to gain insight into your parents, actually," she told him in a casual manner. "I knew that they had left you during some sort of minor war, but I wished to know more about them beyond that… given that they now are alive."

Understanding now her intentions, Espio glared. "You will not corrupt _them_."

"Yes, I am aware of that now. And I am fine with it. I do still have you, after all."

Before he could argue that point, she leaned in and kissed him. That was, of course, _far_ more distracting than her thumb had been, and he soon found himself unintentionally lost in what they were doing. The sensation of her energy beginning to crackle around the sphere of his Darkness pulled him back, a bit, and he separated himself from the kiss enough to murmur, "You are not freeing this, Nyokae."

"Perhaps not yet," she agreed just as quietly, "but _you_ could."

"I will not."

"And why might that be?" They kissed again. More energy crackled. Her Darkness teased more of his to the surface in strangely gentle and unobtrusive ways. And yet, though its arrival was not as violent and obvious as before, it didn't take a genius to realize that more of it was rising up than before. He was simply in better control of it, overall. But whether or not that meant he was less _affected_ by it… well, he wasn't exactly in the best position to contemplate that just now. They separated seconds later, panting a little, and she said, "It is enticing, is it not? To be in such close proximity to such vast malignant energies… Do you not wish to allow your Darkness to feed off of that?"

His mind beginning to work again, Espio started to take a step back. "Why would I?" he countered with a fresh hint of anger.

"It is exhilarating, for one thing," Nyokae smirked. "And with the depths of power already lying dormant within you… this could do _so_ much more than simply awaken that." Her head canted and then she asked, "Does the idea of gaining strength not excite you anymore? I was under the impression that growing your power and skill was something you thrived on."

"Not like _this_. You _know_ that." Her hand pushed harder. Due to her greater command over Darkness than what he currently possessed, the sphere in his hand weakened and shrunk. Their silent struggle grew more intense, their energies warring and opposing one another like lightning. The sensation of her Darkness crackling through his hand and up his arm sent chills down his spine for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

"No," she agreed thoughtfully. "However… you did not answer my question, love."

"Do not call me that."

"I shall call you _whatever_ I please."

"You are a nuisance."

"Only so much as is required." Leaning forward, Nyokae gave him another quick kiss. "Now cease your stalling. I would appreciate an answer."

"You do not deserve one," Espio told her bluntly. "You do not afford others the same courtesy."

"Actually… I believe I must disagree with that one." With another little smirk, Nyokae pressed harder upon the sphere, shrinking it further. He internally cursed. "It is true that I do not speak plainly to most… However you, love, have always managed to find yourself being the sole exception to this rule aside from my lady. I believe I have made my intentions with you clear right from the beginning."

Knowing already what she was talking about, he angrily reiterated for perhaps the hundredth time, "I will not join you."

"And that is alright," she answered in turn. "I had hoped once that you would, but I have since come to realize that a life of servitude, while ultimately beneficial in this case… is _very_ unbefitting of you. I _much_ prefer you as the rogue, self-serving individual you have always been."

Self-serving? That irked for some reason. Which might have been the point, come to think of it. So he made an effort to keep a lid on his temper. Still, he found himself thinking on her words. Maybe he was to some extent what she'd called him, he supposed, but certainly not to the extent she was implying. He certainly wouldn't become it for _her_. "I will also not _change_ for you."

"Perhaps not," she agreed. "I have come to realize this, too. Which is why I again implore you to think about what it is that _you_ want."

 _I do not want this._

"I have seen in you the temptation, love. You have wanted to give in. You have wanted it intensely… and more than once. What is it that holds you back?"

 _...I don't know._

"Even if you do not wish to aid myself and my lady in our plans, there are things you have found yourself desiring to do. And yet, you do not embrace it. Instead, you defy your own wishes, and indeed your very _nature_. Do you even have a _reason_ to continue being so obstinate?"

The sphere shrunk to an alarming degree. It did this so sharply and so suddenly that it startled Espio out of his thoughts. A quick glance down revealed to him that his barrier was likely one good push away from shattering completely. Already it buckled and bulged under the force she was exerting upon it. He should have moved away, should have pushed _her_ away, should have done _something_ other than simply remain standing where he was. And yet, he found himself not making an effort to accomplish either. Why the hell he remained rooted to the spot, he had no _fucking_ idea. All he knew was that he was _damned_ pissed at himself over it. And, of course, at her. "Nyokae-"

"Hush. I am not here to argue with you this time, Espio." Nyokae's head canted the opposite way than it had earlier. "I merely wished to make you think. It seems that I have accomplished that."

With no warning whatsoever, she crushed whatever remained of his barrier, slamming the gem into his hand and forcefully holding it there. The sensation of it making contact with his skin caused him to unintentionally freeze as searing agony raced through his body from the point of contact. She said something to him, he didn't know what, before a combination of his Darkness, hers, and the traces of Malevolence's own contained within the gem created an explosion that launched them apart. The gem fell in the snow, so hot that it sizzled and melted away a substantial amount of the stuff. Espio, meanwhile, managed to land in a pained crouch some distance away, clutching his pain-ridden right hand with his left. Strangely out of breath from said pain, he dared to take his attention away from Nyokae long enough to look at the fresh burn that had been left in his palm. To say that it was severe would have been… an understatement. _Damn it…_

Cursing himself as much as her, Espio took some snow into his hand to help ease the burning somewhat and struggled to his feet. As residual energy crackled with intensity (causing him _no_ end of pain), he observed Nyokae sitting in the snow and actually looking at the gem with a hint of surprise in her eyes. When she finally stood, he heard her murmur, "It would seem your newfound ties to the God of Demons is something Malevolence is very keen to _avoid_. I did not think such a being was capable of any semblance of _fear_."

Aniko suddenly landed in the snow not far from her son, the pure force behind her landing throwing the white powder flying away in a large wave before it all settled back on the ground. Keen eyes scanned the people present and she scowled. "Espio, are you okay?" she questioned, walking closer to him.

Forcing himself to stay steady through the pain, Espio bit out a simple, "Fine." He didn't even have it in him to be polite toward her right now. Nyokae watched them with a tilted head, smile gone and expression blank.

"Did _she_ cause this?" Aniko demanded to know, hand already gripping the handle of her sword. Something in her tone _commanded_ compliance and Espio dropped his gaze. Though he didn't answer her, his inability to lie to her and tell her _no_ was good enough. Her gaze fell on Nyokae with a newfound _hatred_ burning within. "I will give you _one_ chance to speak for yourself before you are _removed_."

"And what, pray tell, are you hoping to hear?" Nyokae drawled.

"The last words you wish to utter," Aniko said, drawing her sword and walking toward Nyokae, unimpeded by the snow.

"Hm… how about this, then." Nyokae drew her sword, locking eyes with Aniko as she boldly stated, "This ending was inevitable. You knew it. Your partner knew it. You sought to avoid it, to deny it, to pretend it was not _real_. I have no sympathy for you… or for your pain." Shifting her gaze, she looked briefly at Espio as he struggled to remain upright through another agonizing crackle of energy. Soon, he sank down onto his knees. "He is lost to you now… whether you wish to believe so or not. I wish you the very _best_ of luck in coping with that."

Aniko swung her blade with such force that the entire area simply no longer had snow in it, a simple move of her body carrying her all the way to Nyokae. Whether she killed this woman or not, she had to keep Nyokae away from her child. Breaking out into a wide grin, Nyokae snapped her sword free of its sheath and lunged forward to meet Aniko halfway. Their two blades clashed with enough ferocity to unleash shockwaves that uprooted what few trees had actually managed to grow in this harsh and frozen environment.

While the battle raged in the background, Armaris ran over to Espio and dropped beside him, concern written on her features. "Espio, what did she _do_ to you?" Unable to really answer at this point, Espio focused on trying to breathe, still clutching at his injured hand. It burnt like fucking _hell_ … Armaris bit her lip and looked around for the gem, not wanting to leave such an _awful_ thing lying about. Her gaze fell on Steam who was standing beside it and she quickly created a sphere around it with her own Darkness. "Go get rid of that thing, _now_!"

Steam nodded quickly and grabbed the sphere with his magic and darted about, trying to find the key to open the gate. When he was incapable of spotting it, he quickly called out to Espio, "Do you know where the key went?"

Shaking slightly from the effort it took to move, Espio managed to point in the direction of the gem Nyokae had earlier stolen from him. "Th-There," he muttered.

Steam quickly took off in that direction, snatching the key up as he ran and heading for the gate. While he did this, Armaris gently set her hands on Espio, trying to do _something_ for him. "I… I don't know what to do, Espio…"

Gritting his teeth, Espio shrugged off her hand as best as he could. "D-Don't," he bit out just before he was wracked with yet more pain. Once it finally subsided, he took a second to curse himself for his stupid fucking stutter. God, what was he, fucking _six_? Wasn't that when his stuttering had started, and only because he had begun learning to speak so late? Hadn't it _ended_ when he'd still been barely older than that?

"Espio…" Armaris murmured, slowly pulling her hands away despite not _wanting_ to. "I should've followed you…"

"N… No," he answered her shortly.

"Don't you _dare_ leave me," she muttered lowly. "I don't want to be on the wrong side of your sword ever again…" Whatever he had initially planned on saying was lost to him when more searing agony hit. Despite sitting, he swayed dangerously, on the verge of collapse. Armaris quickly used her wind to try and help keep him stable, not wanting to touch him due to his warning for her not to. Espio's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, but he soon forced them open again. There was no way in _hell_ that blacking out right now would be in _any_ way wise. "Espio, you can still hear me, right?" Armaris asked quickly.

It was _incredibly_ difficult, but eventually Espio managed to mutter a small stuttered reply. "Y… Yes…"

"Just focus on giving responses. Nod, speak, move your hands, _anything_. Don't pass out," Armaris quickly said, frowning. "Did she make you touch that gem?" No longer able to form words for the moment, Espio forced himself to just nod as much as he was able to. "The energy from the gem is what's hurting you, right?" Another nod was all the answer he could give. "Do I need to take you away from here?"

When he wasn't able to move enough to shrug without further hurting his hand, Espio managed to force some words out instead. "I d-don't… kn-know."

She frowned. "Let's get out of here. I'll take us somewhere secluded, okay?"

He didn't answer her, largely because he just _couldn't_ right then. A stray attack flew their way and slammed past, barely missing them and he couldn't even find it in him to _dodge_ it. _Weak,_ he chided himself faintly. _Weak…_

Armaris briefly grabbed Espio and teleported the both of them away to a secluded part of the ruins of the original Hyale. He braced himself against the remnants of some decrepit wood structure in the hopes it would help to keep him upright. Despite her every attempt to stay calm, the cat couldn't keep her nerves in place and she shook briefly as they overwhelmed her. Mostly unaware of her at the present moment, Espio slowly released his hold on his hand and gingerly opened it so as to examine the burn. As he watched, amazingly the outer edges of the wound gradually healed. Armaris noticed this and turned to watch, some brief relief entering her conscience. "God… are you okay…?"

Considering that he was still in _immense_ pain and that energy continued to crackle agonizingly around him at irregular intervals… Espio believed the answer to that was fairly obvious. "N… No."

The cat wanted to reach out and do _something_ , but watching the energy around him made her think twice about doing that. "What do… what the hell do we do?" He had no answer to that. More waves of pain briefly robbed him of his ability to consider it, which didn't help either. His eye squeezed shut briefly when the pain amped back up to a nearly unbearable level again. Energy crackled violently around him for almost _too_ long before finally receding. In spite of his efforts to remain upright, he nearly found himself falling over. As she had done earlier, Armaris made sure to use her wind to keep him upright. "Fuck…"

Around the same time, Steam teleported near to them and jogged over, dropping to a knee and inspecting the healing wound. "Armaris, you haven't touched him, right?" She quickly shook her head, never letting her eyes leave Espio.

No sooner than Steam had finished speaking, a bulky Hollow lumbered into view, no doubt drawn to the rampant energies the gem had unleashed throughout the ninja's body. Another one of slimmer built slunk out of the ruins of a felled home and inched its way closer. Soon, even more of the creatures began to appear in a wide but closed circle around this section of the former village, all eyeing Espio, Armaris, and Steam. None of them attacked, _yet_ , but the amount of danger they presented could _not_ be understated. Especially not when more creatures began occupying the skies overhead as well… and the vibrating underfoot proved there were more below ground as well.

Steam turned to face the Hollows, his hand reaching for his sword and gripping the handle tightly. He might've done more had Armaris not grabbed his sword as well to prevent him from drawing it momentarily. "Don't do anything _stupid_ ," she muttered. In response to her voice, one of the lankier Hollows drew in a sharp breath and unleashed it in a piercing scream of rage and ancient hunger. "Okay, maybe draw your sword," she whispered, already reaching for her own. Steam couldn't hear her, his hands having clasped over his head at the sudden and _certainly_ unexpected loud sound.

More screams soon followed, creating an ear splitting cacophony that slowly ebbed away before dying off entirely. The initial quiet was soon broken, however, by a variety of growls, howls, yips, and more as many of the demonic beasts began edging closer. They appeared curiously drawn to the energies of the gem as it again crackled around Espio, each of them no doubt wanting even the _slightest_ taste of the power it promised. However, when several moved too close, Espio's Darkness roared to life. It blasted outward with such violence that even the largest Hollows were tossed back like rag dolls. One in particular that had managed not to be flung far quickly righted itself… but didn't attack. It stood stock still, body tense as stone, claws digging deeply into the ground, and fur bristling in alarm.

One need only have _briefly_ taken stock of Espio's energies to understand why. Within it, his own natural power was blending and mixing with the hint of power Kaden had left within him and, now… a dash of Malevolence's as well. They were _there_ and easily sensed, and even _these_ creatures were left frightened. Many began to flee, albeit angrily. Steam was curled up within a small barrier of Light that he used to protect himself. He'd been lucky enough to sense the oncoming danger, whereas Armaris… had had no way of knowing. She had been hit by the attack when it first appeared, and only after was able to react and hide within her shadow to protect herself. The _only_ bit of good news was that the blast receded almost as suddenly as it had erupted forth and soon all the Hollows were retreating. Further bad news, however, came in the form of Espio finally completely collapsing, drained both from the pain, the extreme damage he was suffering, and the unintentional unleashing of energy.

Armaris emerged from her shadow when she realized it was safe and quickly looked over the two on the ground. She bit her lip and grabbed the both of them (Steam through his barrier, which stung like _hell_ , to say the least), then teleported back to Espio's home.

 **~保護者~**

 **9,126 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:05 p.m.) 04-26-20.**


	76. Lost But Found

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this dire situation… especially for the one who is saved just in the nick of time.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Lost But Found"**

 **~保護者~**

Aniko slammed her blade up against Nyokae's and shoved the other woman back, disappearing in a blur. _This damned woman has tainted my son for the last time._

Taking her lead, Nyokae also disappeared from view. They clashed repeatedly, each impact accentuated by fierce sparks. She laughed at the sight… and, seemingly, at Aniko herself. "I see… Angry now, are we?"

"What does it matter?" Aniko answered, glaring. "It is not as if it matters to yourself."

"It does," Nyokae grinned. "I happen to care quite _deeply_ about that which I find amusing. Take your precious son, for instance…"

"Attempting to gain a rise of me further is a futile task," Aniko said coldly, flicking her blade.

"Must everyone always assume I am attempting to earn a reaction?" Nyokae pouted, expression one of false innocence. "Is it truly so hard to believe that I am merely speaking? I do quite enjoy watching people's little emotions flare up, but you… you are one I would much prefer to see the _thoughts_ of." She shrugged slightly. "Perhaps some day." With that, she threw a small bomb at Aniko which exploded on impact, then slammed Aniko into the ground using her Darkness.

Whether either of these attacks hurt, the woman didn't show it. Aniko hit her elbow against the ground and shot to her feet once more with great momentum and a deep glare. Threads began appearing all over the battlefield and Aniko used them to launch herself into Nyokae with her thread-wrapped blade. The sight of this unusual tactic made Nyokae's grin grow. She nimbly leapt about, avoiding Aniko and her threads, then coated her blade in Darkness. Using this, she began cutting threads apart enough that she could land somewhere. "You know… if you are afraid of Darkness, Aniko, then you are afraid of your very _soul_. Does that mean you fear your partner's as well? And what of Espio's, hm?"

"My soul and Darkness are not one and the same, as yours is," Aniko muttered, more of the same threads beginning to cover the battlefield once again. _I fear them not, but for them I do._

"And still you avoid the larger issue at hand…" Nyokae sliced through the nearest threads in an almost casual manner. "The Darkness and evil that you fear so much… it is our kind's _greatest_ weapon. To deny that is perhaps the _sheerest_ of follies."

"To gain strength outside it is a far greater accomplishment."

"You may believe so if you wish… but _surely_ you must be aware that an individual's true strength cannot be discovered until they make use of _all_ of their powers." Nyokae gave her another grin. "I believe I have done your child a _favor_ in that regard."

Aniko merely glared for a moment before sighing. "You delude yourself to believe you achieve far greater power."

"Is it a delusion when it has already become reality?" Nyokae challenged almost gleefully. "I know that he _has_ done nothing but grow in strength since his Darkness has begun to awaken from its slumber. And you would _keep_ that from him? You would call that _good_?"

"Good is merely a term used to describe what one sees as _pleasant_ or _opportune_. What you wish to do is force something down another's throat and relentlessly _keep_ it there until they swallow," Aniko bit out, walking forward with her anger now far more controlled. "Yet… you say it grows your strength and you have not killed me? Would that not strike him with grief enough to force it to awaken? Should your _awoken_ strength not be enough to let you make this all happen according to your will, or is it merely not enough?"

Nyokae laughed openly at this. "You fail to see it, then? Just how much I will _enjoy_ watching him kill you himself? Do you not think that that would more _vastly_ affect him, and far more deeply?"

Aniko blinked once. "So you leave alive a source of aid for him? That seems counter-intuitive to your _grand_ plan."

"That you believe even can aid him anymore is charming," Nyokae told her, amused as ever. "With his own evil, taint from the God, and now taint from Malevolence itself… he is _far_ beyond your reach now. Or, at least… he will be very soon."

Aniko didn't seem to fully believe her, closing her eyes momentarily. While it was _suicide_ to do such a thing in a normal battle, she would be aware of any movements. This allowed her ample time to think, despite it being only a second or two. _She is ripping my child from me, yet I will not stop. He is a part of my life._ She reopened her eyes and sheathed her sword, sighing. "He could just as easily kill you as well."

"He may," Nyokae acknowledged. "However, I believe that the bond he and I have cultivated will stay his hand… for now. If he kills me later on, I do not personally care. I will have done what I wished."

"What is your purpose?" Aniko suddenly deigned to ask. "You do all of this, but that simply cannot be your _end_ goal. Surely there is more to your schemes than this."

"And perhaps there is. But I will not be divulging my plans to _you_."

Aniko blinked once, slowly. "Watch your back. A predator will kill at the slightest sign of weakness." With that, she began walking through the snow, ignoring the other woman's existence entirely.

Nyokae, however, had one last jab to throw. "You will have no more precious _family_ by the end of this. I suggest you prepare for that inevitability." She vanished without waiting for any sort of a reply.

Aniko's fist clenched and she tapped the ground with her foot (albeit with far more force than intended), clearing the snow around her within a several foot radius. _My family is mine, and I will let nothing tear it apart. Your blood will be spilt for this transgression, whether it is by my hands or another's._

She thought for a moment as to where Armaris and Espio may have gone, but ultimately decided that they _would_ return to Espio's home eventually. As such, she teleported there and almost found herself regretting it. Her eyes visibly widened at Espio and Steam's current state, but all of her focus was on her child. Aniko didn't remember moving, but she was at Espio's side in an instant and quickly examined every last inch of his body to determine what needed to be done. Shei was forced to keep back for the sake of Sako, whom he was still holding, but watched these proceedings with barely concealed worry.

Tails, who also didn't dare venture any closer, tossed Armaris an anxious glance. "What _happened_?"

Armaris teleported over to him, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. "Nyokae forced him to touch that gem we went after… It… had some sort of Darkness that wasn't _normal_."

"...Not normal?" Sonic questioned. "Not normal _how_?"

"I don't fucking _know_!" Armaris snapped, her Darkness flaring momentarily before she got control of herself again. Tails flinched. "I just don't know… it was like Kaden's but… _different_."

That clued the pair in _instantly_ , and Sonic's heart dropped. "Oh, hell…"

"What?" she demanded, turning to face him. "What do you know?"

Fighting down his rising panic, Sonic quickly asked her, "Ever... heard of Malevolence?"

It took a moment, but Armaris's eyes opened wide and she shrunk away slightly. "Oh, fuck…" she whispered.

Immediately Tails was questioning, "Does anyone have _any_ idea what sort of an effect this is going to have?"

"I don't think something like this has ever even _happened_ before," Sonic countered.

"It will be _terrible_ ," Aniko muttered. "Worse than I believe any of us can prepare for."

"What do we do?" Tails whispered. "I mean… what _can_ we do?"

"We will do what we must…" There was some disdain in her voice, not wanting any of these people to be so heavily involved in their family. Despite this, she managed to not sound as if she _refused_ their help. Aniko also did her best to hide the pain, knowing that her child could turn against her… that she might have to _fight_ him… that she might never _see_ him again. She couldn't let these thoughts continue and banished them, effectively stifling her emotional turmoil for now. With the arcs of energy seeming to have finally _fully_ subsided, Shei cautiously approached and laid a hand on her shoulder. He had no words to offer her, for he was just as afraid and desperate as she was. Aniko finally stood and glanced to Armaris and Tails. "Take Espio to his room. I will not have him lie in the grass." Her attention shifted to Sonic, frowning. "Get the other hedgehog and take him some distance away. He is not well, and him falling apart in the midst of others will draw attention as well as damage the emotional states of others."

Tails looked at Steam and hesitated. However, he soon moved with Armaris to help her do what they'd been told. Sonic, however, didn't immediately comply. "Where do I even go with him?"

"Somewhere. There should be a clearing somewhere behind the home. Take him there, and do not waste time. He is coming out of his shock." Huffing, Sonic took Steam and teleported away. Aniko walked past him, grabbing Shei's arm and lightly pulling him with her. "We need to talk."

Shei signed just one word. _"Speak."_

That alone was enough to make it so that she _couldn't_ speak. Her grip tightened momentarily before she pulled him close and hugged him, gritting her teeth. What was coming over her? She had not lost control like this in… _many_ years. It felt so long ago, but here it was once more. Uncertain himself what was wrong, Shei wrapped his arms around her in silence. Her mind raced as she felt herself sink into his arms, slowly finding herself unable to support her body. _I cannot lose either of you… The thought is… too much. Far too much..._

Shei held her up and, with one hand, awkwardly signed some semblance of the question, _"What is wrong?"_

"I cannot… explain… It is too much…" Aniko whispered, her body vanishing with her camouflage. She didn't want to be seen like this.

Continuing to hold her with one arm, Shei answered her the best he could. _"You must say it, for your own sake."_

"No," she bit out forcefully. The ferocity in her voice took her by surprise and she simply leaned in closer, repeating, "No… I… no." He responded by giving her an insistent nudge. She _needed_ to vocalize, for once, before everything totally overwhelmed her. He wouldn't let her simply avoid it this time. "I will not lose you or my child…" Aniko eventually muttered after some time. "I cannot live knowing I did not intervene early enough…"

 _"There must still be some way to help him,"_ Shei told her, though his own hope had diminished significantly. _"There must be something we can do."_

"I am beginning to believe otherwise…" Aniko's mind wandered and something dawned on her. She could have _effectively_ stopped this by stepping in sooner. She allowed Espio to go on this mission, and now he was in an awful state. Guilt overwhelmed her but she didn't cry, if only because she couldn't will her body to. "It… is largely my fault."

 _"It is not,"_ Shei signed to her forcefully. _"We both made mistakes. Large ones. That much is certain. But the fault for this lies solely on the shoulders of that woman."_

"I could have stopped this!" Aniko snapped, pulling herself from him and pacing some distance away. "I _let_ him go on that mission, knowing that it was dangerous. I knew he would be going near the energies of that _damned_ creature, and now it has _tainted_ his Darkness with its own!"

 _"Dangerous or not, he would have been fine had she not intervened,"_ Shei answered her. Their demeanors and Aniko's tone caused Sako to start to fuss.

Upon seeing Sako cry, her anger practically dissipated. It shocked her into realizing that she'd lost control of her anger so _deeply_. This was all wrong… everything about it. She walked closer to Shei and pressed her head against his shoulder. "It is too much…"

With a sigh, Shei allowed his own emotions to settle as he again wrapped an arm around her. _"What is? You need to fully voice your thoughts, Aniko."_

"I will lose control again. I cannot," she muttered lowly. "I… the baby should not cry because I cannot handle my own emotions."

With a gentle sigh, Shei laid his chin to rest atop of her head. He didn't reply for a time, allowing her a chance to further settle before he asked, _"What do we do, Aniko? We have to act soon."_

"I am not sure. I worry that we may be able to do little, however…"

 _"We must do something. We cannot stand idle."_

"I do not know, Shei… I do not wish to be idle, but I simply cannot think of anything that can _help_."

 _"...Nor can I."_

Aniko slowly wrapped her arms around Shei, pulling him close. "He is our son… I do not want to lose him…"

 _"We will not,"_ Shei replied… although he was no longer convinced that he was right. The idea that he _wasn't_ plagued him…

 **~保護者~**

Shei returned to Espio's room after making sure that those still in the house knew to stay out (with the _only_ exceptions being Cream, who currently held Sako, and Armaris). He found Aniko there still and joined her. _"Aniko,"_ he signed, hoping to gain her attention. When she didn't seem to see him do this, he sighed under his breath but left her be. He knew she was _beyond_ distraught. Now was not the time to be pushing her about anything.

Aniko's attention was firmly locked on something that certainly wasn't there, her eyes somewhat glazed over as she thought deeply on the current matters. Why couldn't she get a grip on herself? The chameleon wasn't even sure why she stood and began walking closer to Espio, then felt her hand grip something. When the very structure of this object seemed to fall apart under her grasp, she suddenly let go and focused her attention on it momentarily. A frown fell onto her face. _Hm._

Seeing that she had snapped out of it for the time being, Shei signed to her, _"I have instructed others not to come in here. The baby is with Cream."_

"Good," Aniko replied, keeping her attention on Espio now. "...Good."

Shei looked at their son for a time before signing again. _"The eruptions of energy appear to have settled."_ That was far from good news. It meant that things were blending, uniting, coming together. Whatever time they had to do _anything_ about this was rapidly diminishing.

"I know…" Her eyes watered briefly, but she blinked this away. Crying wouldn't save her son. It would _waste_ more time, more of the precious time that they were already losing.

 _"What do you propose we do?"_ Shei asked her.

Her silence was telling. She had no clue how to proceed from this point on. However, the rest of the house didn't stay silent for long. There was some sort of a ruckus in the front room, prompting Shei to frown and hurry out there. Aniko appeared in the front room, her sword drawn on instinct and some level of fear that _another_ attack may be under way on her son. However, once they were out there, it was clear that there wasn't anything overtly wrong. "Miss Armaris?" Cream was asking, eyes on a person walking inside. "Do you know this lady?"

Armaris glanced up from her shadow and gasped, her body launching out so she could tackle Cere in a hug. She murmured something under her breath to the Hexan, and Cere gave a small smile and carefully rubbed at her back. "It is good to see you again, Armaris."

An unusual frown found its way onto Aniko's face as she watched Cere. Her eyes narrowed and she lowered her stance lightly. "Who are you?" she questioned, a touch more harshly than intended. Shei watched in silence with narrowed eyes.

"My name is Cere," the Hexan said, introducing herself. "I am known as the Goddess of Judgement. Please, put your weapon away. I come bearing no ill will." She ever so gently pulled Armaris from her and set the younger woman where she could stand. When Aniko didn't put away her blade, Cere raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"

"How do you know Armaris?" Aniko asked, glaring. Silver and Vector traded nervous looks upon hearing her tone while Cyril simply stepped away, making sure there was distance between himself and Aniko. "I was not made aware of you, nor any ties with Armaris that you may have."

Cere opened her mouth to speak but Armaris cut in. "Aniko, she's not a threat. Put your sword away."

Upon hearing Armaris defend the woman, Aniko sheathed her sword (hesitantly, at that). "Hm. Why do you associate with her?" she asked Armaris.

"She's my teacher." Armaris commented easily, crossing her arms. Aniko's eye twitched and she felt something rise within her chest. Was that… _jealousy_? Was that even an emotion she was capable of? All of this made her dislike Cere far more than when she had entered, but she did nothing to actively show this as her stance returned to normal.

Finally, Shei joined the conversation, hoping that this woman would by some miracle understand sign language. _"Why are you here?"_

Cere almost found herself responding with sign language as well, but she managed to curb this. "I have someone in my company who wished to come here. I simply would not let her go on her own."

 _"Who?"_ Aniko demanded.

"Her name is Analia," Cere explained.

Silver perked _right_ up. "Gramma is coming?" he breathed, eyes wide.

Almost as if on cue, a shadow swept into the room. When it faded away, it revealed the God of Night standing there, carefully holding up a still _beyond_ exhausted and unfortunately filthy Analia. Silver was on his feet in an instant, surprise melting away into fear, confusion, and concern. Using thought-speech, he said to Cere, _"She nearly fainted again, but she is determined to do this regardless."_

Cere glanced at Analia. "You are stubborn and a touch reckless," the Hexan lamented.

"Not now, Cere," Analia all-but whispered. "I cannot argue with you right now."

Not waiting any longer, Silver rushed over and embraced her tightly. "You're _alive_!" he breathed. Though the impact made her sway dangerously, Analia wasted no time in returning his hug. She murmured reassurances to him quietly before gently tugging herself away. If she was to remain standing, she needed to not have extra weight on her.

"Why have you come here, being of Light?" Aniko demanded, standing upright and at the ready. She… didn't like this. It brought awful feelings as she vividly remembered the stories told about the slaughter of her kind by this _hedgehog's_ kind, the beings of Light.

Eyes dulled with fatigue and pain, Analia looked to her and murmured, "Malevolence has touched _another_ life and is working to destroy it. This may be the _only_ chance we are afforded to repair the damage. There is still time, but very little of it."

Aniko's eyes widened and she looked ready to kill for a moment until it dawned on her that this _really_ might be their last hope. Her fists clenched and she looked to Shei, unwilling to make the decision to let someone like her near their child. Taking the hint, Shei signed rapidly to her. _"We must, Aniko. There is no other choice. Even in her condition, this woman possesses the strength to do what we cannot."_

There was hesitation in the chameleon woman's eyes but she ultimately moved aside, gesturing to Espio's door. "He's in there. Please be quick." Despite her tone, there was an almost obvious plea in her voice for Analia to save Espio. She didn't want to trust Analia, but… if it meant having her son back, then she would have to.

With a soft nod, Analia pulled away from Finis and carefully limped toward and then into Espio's room. Tossing Aniko a look, Shei hurried after the stranger. Aniko followed immediately behind him, more so anxious and fearful. Would this really work…? Analia responded to the other woman's silent questioning by saying, "I cannot undo what has already been done. However… much of the energy has not yet found its home within him. It can be removed." Too weak to remain standing, she sat on the very edge of the bed. "Such purification would be painful, were he awake, but while he is like this he will feel none of it."

"Do… what you can, _please_ ," Aniko found herself saying, watching from a few feet away. " _Please_." The fact that she simply _never_ behaved like this normally prompted Shei to walk over and wrap his arms tightly around her.

Analia responded by holding her palm above Espio and allowing Light to flow over him. She was quiet for a time, focused on what she was doing, but eventually spoke again. "The corruption from Malevolence is not deep. It only very slightly took hold, though it had begun to work on digging deeper roots. Removing it will not be too terrible." Aniko couldn't do much more in response besides give a quick nod, as if asking her to begin rather than speak. "I already have," Analia softly assured in response to the unspoken plea. "Some of the taint is already gone." Aniko briefly closed her eyes, pulling Shei closer with a bit more strength than necessary and simply standing there like this.

At around this time, Rose poked her head into the room curiously. She saw the purification occurring and her heart stopped momentarily at the sight of who was on the bed. Silent as ever, Rose stepped into the room and regarded Analia with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth. _This… this is her… Analia…_ Sensing the sudden increased attention on her, Analia brushed badly tangled hair out of her face with her free hand and turned her head to look. "A-Analia?" Rose grew embarrassed with her stutter, shaking her head lightly and standing up straighter. "Is… that actually… you?"

Although she didn't know who this person was and she was just so tired, Analia maintained her manners. "Yes, child," she murmured politely. Though doing so was a bit _less_ polite, she looked away to resume mostly focusing on what she was doing. "Who might you be?"

"Rosalline Moonpetal, daughter of Arkiri and Tarin," Rose answered formally before a sheepish smile broke out onto her face. "I-I'm interrupting something, right?"

"You are alright," Analia answered. "I can continue my work while you speak, if you wish." Off to the side, Shei watched them both with building (but mostly hidden) apprehension.

Rose's hand fell over her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. To meet someone who had so much influence on her life meant so much to her, and she could hardly contain herself. She did so, however, out of extreme respect for the situation at hand. "Thank you." She couldn't bring herself to say much more, her mind racing and attempting to piece together one of the millions of questions she'd always wished to ask this woman.

After a short time had passed, Analia quietly informed Shei and Aniko, "I am working on the last of it now. Most of the energy that was there has been purified."

Aniko gave a brief nod, her eyes falling on the newcomer. Her aura was… _everywhere_ , to say the least. Though, she seemed to be extremely similar in her intentions to Analia. This alone was enough to let the woman stay in the room (not to mention she was _very_ preoccupied with her own emotions). "Thank you for your help, Analia."

"Of course," was the tired reply. Analia's light flickered and weakly died away as she slowly removed her hand. She brushed more hair out of her face and moved to push herself to her feet. "It is done… He should wake before too long."

Aniko walked up to Analia and gave a slow, appreciative nod of thanks before her attention went directly to her son, her hands gently gripping one of his. Shei walked over after a long moment and joined Aniko by the bedside as Analia (still moving slowly) made her way out of the room. Rose was quick to follow behind the hedgehog, a small frown on her face. "Are… you alright?"

Having never been one to lie, Analia answered with the truth. "...No," she whispered. "I am… tired."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Rose asked softly, her excitement fading in the face of immense concern. With a slight shake of her head, Analia found herself leaning heavily against a wall. She felt incredibly faint again… more so now than she had earlier. Rose hesitated, but quickly set a hand on Analia's shoulder to offer what silent support she could.

Cere walked over and frowned. "Analia, you _really_ should rest more. You're not ready for all of this at once." This time, Analia had no argument to give. She merely offered a vague nod in response.

Hearing their voices in this small hall, Silver hurried to them. Upon seeing Analia's condition, he was quick to ask Cere, "Is- Is Gramma okay?"

Though Cere wanted to lie, she knew this would be the wrong course of action and sighed. "She was trapped within Kaden's Darkness for… _eons_. She is exhausted."

Silver stared in mute horror. _ Gramps did this…?_

Right about then, Analia started to collapse. Only Finis suddenly appearing by her side kept her from hitting the ground, for he managed to take hold of her arms and hold her mostly upright. "It is time to return her," he remarked gravely. "She is safest where she was before."

Cere nodded, crossing her arms. "That is precisely what we must do. She cannot continue like this…"

Rose reached out, then retracted her arm and looked at the ground for a moment. "Is this something that only rest can mend…?" Finis merely shrugged.

"Will… will she be alright?" Silver mumbled, eyes pleading.

"I believe so," Cere murmured. " _If_ she rests like she is supposed to." A sigh escaped the Hexan. "Though, it is unfair to not acknowledge the great help she has done for Espio. I am glad she did so."

 _"Nevertheless,"_ Finis interrupted, _"we must go. Now."_

Cere gave a nod and glanced to Rose, gently setting a hand on the cat's shoulder. "If you wish to help, stay here and help where you are needed. We will care for her," she murmured, glancing between both Silver and Rose. Not wanting to waste any more time, she gave a farewell nod to the two and turned to leave, casting a glance at Kial. "Come with us. There is much we need to discuss regarding your status. Kial was a bit shocked at the suddenness, but nonetheless gave a nod and waved lightly to Rose as he left with Cere, Finis, and Analia.

Back in Espio's room, Aniko waited with baited breath for her son to awaken, watching him intently for any sign of movement. She was rewarded after a few minutes when Espio cringed and shifted a bit, his body likely left sore from all that it had endured earlier in the day. Her breath hitched and she found herself forcing her breathing to return to normal as all of her focus went into watching Espio. Another minute or so passed, then the sound of someone speaking a bit loudly in the front room startled Espio awake. He jolted upright (largely due to the fact that he wasn't used to hearing voices of any kind while sleeping), only to pause momentarily when he realized where he was. Then the memory of what had gone on earlier came back to him and he _immediately_ became alarmed again for a couple of seconds. Only Shei's hand on his shoulder startled him out of this enough to fully realize that everything was strangely, bizarrely... _fine_.

"Y-you're… alright…" Aniko whispered, blinking away tears that threatened to form and fall. "She… that woman actually helped…"

In spite of his earlier stuttering, Espio managed to respond without issue this time. "...What?"

"Analia," Aniko answered in a lower whisper, holding his hand to her forehead momentarily. So much relief washed over her that she couldn't handle it. "I am so happy…"

 _Happy?_ Espio pondered over that, unable to reconcile this admission with what he would have _expected_. Why wasn't she angry, or even worse? It didn't make _sense_ to him, but he didn't like thinking about it and so tried to put it out of mind. Shei, meanwhile, slipped out of the room to fetch Armaris, knowing she would want to be made aware of the good news.

"Espio… I am _so_ relieved to know much of that taint has been removed…" Aniko took a second to collect herself before raising her head finally. "I was worried that they would turn you against us."

Unable to look her in the eye right now, not in light of the extreme failure of what he had set out to do, Espio turned his head away. Apologizing was difficult and _not_ something he normally did, but... he felt it was necessary here. Eventually, he murmured, "I'm… sorry, Mother."

Despite the attempt to collect herself, she suddenly moved and pulled him into a hug. "You did _nothing_ wrong." Without the knowledge of how to really react to this, Espio just sort of sat there. He knew what a hug _was_ and everything, but to suddenly receive one from his mother… How many times had this ever actually happened? Finally able to _properly_ collect herself, she carefully and quietly pulled herself away. "Forgive me for that… I got… carried away with myself."

What she'd done didn't require forgiveness. Espio searched for the words to tell her that. "...It is alright," he eventually said when no other response was forthcoming.

Before Aniko had a chance to respond, Armaris burst into the room and practically threw herself at Espio, pulling him into a tight hug. "Holy _fuck_ , you're okay!" Shei walked in behind her, that quiet sparkle of amusement back in his eyes full-force.

Espio squirmed a little in her grip before finally relenting and just letting her remain where she was. He did, however, grumble, "Not so tight, Armaris…"

She grimaced and loosened her hug, but nonetheless continued the embrace. "I… I'm so happy that you're okay. The Darkness was hurting you _so_ much, and…"

Able to breathe again now that she wasn't squeezing him so hard, Espio responded, "...I know." About a second later, something occurred to him and he immediately found himself tense and asking, "Where is Sako?"

"Cream has him," Armaris said, rolling off him the instant he said this in case he wanted to go retrieve the child. Suspecting this as well, Shei motioned for him to stay _put_ and headed back out again. Espio relaxed a little in spite of himself. Aniko glanced between Armaris and Espio curiously, catching onto the emotions currently going through Armaris's aura. She found herself smiling briefly at this, but she didn't deign to comment. There were more important matters at hand.

Shei returned and placed Sako in Espio's lap without hesitation. Sako, hand in mouth, mumbled a small, "Mmma," up at Armaris, who he was currently looking at.

Armaris's eyes widened immensely at this and she looked to Shei and Aniko, absolutely unsure of what to say or do in response to _this_. Aniko shrugged faintly. The cat would have to take her own stance on this, which Armaris began to do. A small smile slowly broke onto her face and she faintly chuckled. "Alright, then, I guess. Thank you, Sako." The baby just blinked at her.

With a small huff, Espio scooped the child up and moved to stand. _Why thank him for that?_ he found himself idly wondering, even though it wasn't an important matter at all.

Shei, meanwhile, signed to them, _"Word has travelled from the elder of this village. Young Cream gave me the message that was left while we were back here with Analia."_

Espio frowned. "What did she say?"

 _"The elder has instructed the able-bodied members of this community to aid us in whatever ways they can,"_ Shei answered. _"The war you and your allies have become so entangled in is one the elder is no longer prepared to ignore, and she expects that other elders from other villages will soon come to the same conclusion."_

This was an unusual step, but not an unheard of one. Hyale and various other villages had become somewhat involved in the Nocturnian War, also. Still, though, Espio hadn't been expecting this. _I had thought she would seek to keep our people out of this… after the carnage Kaden brought upon these lands._

His father continued signing. _"It is possible that some shinobi may come seeking instructions. Given your position in this village, you will have to be the one to speak with them."_

Espio knew that and accepted it, as he had done long ago. He nodded faintly. "I understand."

 _"For now, however,"_ Shei said, _"go and reassure your allies that you are alright. They have worried for you."_

Though Espio huffed, he inclined his head respectfully and, after looking back over to his mother once more, he made a decision. Walking over to her he quickly returned her earlier embrace with a short hug using his free arm, then left the room. A smile broke out onto Aniko's face as she watched Armaris do the same. _He does care…_ Armaris thought to herself as she followed. _I'm glad._

 **~保護者~**

 **5,818 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. I should have posted this several days ago, sorry that I didn't! Hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 2:45 p.m.) 04-29-20.**


	77. Growing Bonds

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of limited peace… especially for the one who experiences a special moment.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Growing Bonds"**

 **~保護者~**

Shadow was still seated in the tree with his eyes closed, not exactly resting but allowing his thoughts to slowly wander around without any particular direction. It was a nice change from their earlier frantic pace. He might have almost managed to attain a measure of calm… had he not noticed something vaguely irksome. _She is back. Why is she back?_ Already, he was pre-irritated. Perhaps that was unfair, but he wasn't particularly inclined to care about it.

Tyria climbed back up and regarded him curiously. "I have different questions."

 _Of course she does._ Stifling a soft growl of annoyance, Shadow muttered, "What?"

"The other hedgehog in the home, the silver one, is he related to you?"

"And if he is?"

"I am merely curious. He is a stark contrast to you in aura."

 _Of fucking course he is. His personality is colored with Light._ Making an effort to keep his exhaustion-fueled temper under wraps, Shadow answered with a simple, "He is my nephew."

"Then you have a brother or sister?" she asked, blinking once.

Technically it was both. He chose not to tell her that, for the sake of keeping this conversation brief. "Brother."

"Was he the blue hedgehog?"

"Yes." Shadow couldn't quite hide his frown now. He hoped she would leave soon.

She managed a small smile. "They both seem very pleasant, if nothing else." Shadow huffed and didn't comment. Maybe if he just stopped freaking answering her, she'd go away…

Whatever she might have said in response was cut short by near-silent footfalls below. Cracking an eye open, Shadow glanced downward. He watched as several shinobi jumped up onto the porch and disappeared inside. A couple of others soon followed, but one… one lingered. That wasn't what caught Shadow's attention though. No, it was the chameleon's unusual skin color. Instead of the standard purple or even somewhat pinkish-purple, this ninja has skin the color of pure onyx. The man's eyes were just as unique, seeming from this distance to be an almost white-ish grey. But, while these apparent genetically special traits were nothing more than surface-level curiosities, Shadow was momentarily curious about the stranger's demeanor. Unhurried, calm, sure of himself… then Shadow reminded himself that that was normal for a chameleon and that he didn't care, so he looked away.

Except… it seemed his staring had been noticed.

The unusual chameleon cast a glance over at the two within the tree and walked over calmly, raising an eyebrow and letting his gaze fall fully on the one who was looking at him. "Is there something you need?"

Being caught staring like some child was irritating in its own right, but Shadow opted not to voice that little thought. "...No," he responded sullenly.

"Is there a reason you were looking at me?" they asked curiously, blinking.

As if he could actually answer that and not sound like a damned weirdo. _Fucking hell._ "No," he said again, this time with a bit of a sigh.

The chameleon frowned faintly, crossing his arms. "Surely there is something. Perhaps my color? It is surely something that you would not be used to seeing even if you were accustomed with our society."

Inwardly, Shadow almost cringed. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of stares for looking… abnormal. He hadn't intended to do just that to someone else. But, at the same time, it wasn't as though apologizing was something he could easily do in any situation. Instead, he settled on a simple explanation of, "It was not intentional."

Whether the chameleon was bothered by this, it didn't show on his face. Instead, he gave a long and slow blink before nodding. "Soul. You are?"

Having fully expected a more Japanese-like name, as was custom with these people, Shadow was momentarily caught off-guard. Then the fact that this was likely some form of code name clicked. "...Shadow," he eventually responded.

Soul seemed temporarily caught off guard as well, having not expected the outsider's name to be something he would likely hear as a code name. He soon decided that this was likely not the case, and that it may _actually_ be his name. "Why are you all here?"

That garnered a more immediate response, since this question was related to nothing more than just business. "The war that came crashing upon your doorstep is one an ally of yours has already been heavily involved in. We are also his allies. We are here with his permission while we work out our next move."

"Akira?" Soul asked, teleporting into the tree immediately as he said this. "That is his house. You are allies with him?"

Given that Espio (who also went by codenames at times, Shadow recalled) didn't normally take allies, this response could be considered reasonable. Shadow didn't fault Soul for it. "Yes," he answered briefly.

This seemed to leave him thinking for a moment before he settled into the tree properly. "How do you know him?"

"I met him when he still lived outside of the Highlands," Shadow responded, still keeping his words brief. He didn't figure great detail was needed or wanted, so he didn't give any.

"As well as the others?"

"Yes."

Soul nodded slowly. "How were you all involved in this war?"

"It is a long story," Shadow murmured. "Many threads tie us all into this. It would take too much time to get into everything."

"What is the largest of these threads, then?"

"There is not one, but multiple."

It took a second, but Soul relented on asking another time if only because there were other matters at hand. "Where did the other chameleon go?"

At this, Shadow glanced around. He hadn't even noticed she'd left, a fact which he blamed on being so tired. A quick scan, however, was sufficient to locate her. "She went inside."

"Hm. I see." Soul closed his eyes and sighed. "It was pleasant meeting you, but I am needed in other matters." Shadow let out a vague hum of acknowledgement. At this, Soul leapt out of the tree and onto the porch, stepping inside the home without another word.

 **~保護者~**

"You get your way. We here, now let me _go_ ," Calypso demanded once Espio's home came into view. "I walk rest of way."

Novei huffed and set Calypso down, crossing her arms afterward. "What? You tired of being carried around?"

" _Yes_!" Calypso snapped at her.

The younger woman didn't get a chance to respond before Li hurried up, smiling. "Okay, that's _really_ good. You're both okay." The relief in his voice was obvious, and it made Novei turn to face him curiously.

Still furious, Calypso responded, "She _not_ be if she _ever_ do t'at again!"

Li blinked, backing up slightly. "Uh… what the heck happened?" he asked cautiously.

"She carry me like a _child_!"

"I carried her like the _dumbass_ she is, going and knocking herself out," Novei grumbled, glaring at Calypso. "Honestly, what did you _think_ was going to happen?" Calypso whacked her hard on the back of the head and began walking toward the house.

Novei made some growl-like noise, attempting to go exact revenge on her aunt before Li gently grabbed her by the arm. "What?" she asked.

"I'm just glad you're back. A lot… has been happening. Just…" Li smiled brightly. "It's great that you're safe."

"Of course I am safe," Novei remarked easily, tilting her head.

Li sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Er… it's just nice to see that you're alright."

"I suppose that makes sense." After Novei said this, it grew quiet for a moment before she grabbed Li by the arm and began walking back to Espio's home. Li yelped and tried to free himself, only to resign himself to his fate and let her carry him around. Novei walked over to Calypso and set Li down, pointing at the wolf. "You speak to him," she said to her aunt.

"Why I need do t'at?" Calypso asked, crossing her arms.

"I _said_ so," Novei answered, crossing her arms as well.

"You no explain _why_ , girl," Calypso frowned.

Li piped in, chuckling nervously. "S-she doesn't have to if she doesn't wan-"

Novei turned on him, setting her hand on his head and forcing him to be quiet. "She needs to speak to you." Without another word, she lightly thrust Li toward Calypso.

"I no need speak him," Calypso muttered. "He speak 'nough on his own. He smart enough to read when ot'er people no want talk back to him."

Seemingly satisfied and not giving Li a chance to respond, she grabbed the wolf and drug him away. He tried to protest but she only shook him around to make him be quiet. _So she does think somewhat well of him. Good._

 **~保護者~**

Roughly a quarter-mile behind Espio's house was a small carefully-maintained clearing used for very basic archery practice. No one was here now, so Sonic decided this was as good a place as any to sit with Steam. He wasn't _entirely_ sure what was wrong, but something about Steam's demeanor was throwing up all sorts of red flags. _It makes me think of Jet… or Dad._

Steam tried to push himself up to his feet and gain some semblance of composure over himself, but the pain in his head felt murderous and left him able to go no farther than his hands and knees. "F-fuck… not now…"

Sonic didn't dare touch Steam or come closer, so all he had to offer right now were words. He hoped it would be enough. "Take it easy, Steam. You're in a safe place now."

"No!" Steam cried out, attempting to push himself up again to no avail. "I… I _can't_ stop like this…"

"Steam, you _have_ to stop for a minute," Sonic insisted calmly, unperturbed by the outburst. Given the correlation his mind had made between this situation and past meltdowns his dad and Jet had had in the past, he had fully expected there to be such outbursts. "Give yourself a chance to rest."

"I _came_ to help fight this _fucking_ war, and I can't even do that right!" Steam's arms buckled underneath him, no longer responding to any attempts to push himself up. "I keep fucking it all up!"

"That's not true at all," Sonic countered evenly. "You've done a lot of good since you've been here. And as far as the things that _have_ gone wrong… it's not like you're the only one who's messed up. Most of us have by this point. And a lot of us have been way more useless than you have been, honestly."

The green hedgehog was nearly sobbing at this point, curling in on himself and muttering something akin to, "I'm not as good as he is," and various similar lines.

Sonic bit his lower lip briefly as he tried to wrap his mind around what was going on, but eventually conceded defeat. "What… are you talking about, Steam?"

"I… I'm not as good at this as Jet," he choked out between painful sobs, forcing himself to gasp for air every few seconds.

Now Sonic was even more confused, and not to mention concerned. "What are you talking about?" he asked again.

Steam broke down more, barely able to speak as his arms instinctively clutched at his head. "He's… _better_ …"

"You're not making sense," Sonic mumbled, frowning. _What is he talking about?_ Steam's fingers dug into his head at this, curling up tighter and muttering several things under his breath. Opting to wait it out and let the other hedgehog calm down further before asking further questions, Sonic stayed quiet for now.

Eventually, Steam's sobs died down and his muscles relaxed, coming out of his balled up position and lying on the ground on his side. He shivered for a moment and glanced at Sonic, then frowned. " _Fuck_ …"

Emerald eyes blinked several times. "You… alright?"

Steam's gaze drifted away and he slowly began pushing himself into a seated position. "I'm fine."

"You _weren't_ ," Sonic was quick to point out. "That stuff you were talking about… where did all of that come from?"

" _What_ stuff?" Steam asked, fear growing somewhat evident on his face. _The hell did I say…?_ Taking a breath to steady himself against any incoming backlash, Sonic swiftly (albeit also carefully) recapped everything for Steam. The green hedgehog practically threw himself to his feet and walked to Sonic, muttering, "Do _not_ tell anyone about what I said. I don't need people talking about that."

"I won't," Sonic assured, still staying calm for Steam's sake. "But… I do still want to know where all of that came from, like I said."

Steam leaned himself up against a nearby tree, crossing his arms loosely. "I-… Jet's better than me, at a lot of things. I want to prove that I'm good for… _something_ …"

"You are," Sonic assured without hesitation. "Comparing yourself to other people isn't necessary, Steam. You've got plenty that you're already good at. You're a smart guy, for one thing, and you've got a lot of power. Those two things alone can take people far in life."

"I've _reached_ the limits of what I can do. I can't go any further, but it seems like the people I surround myself with can go so much _farther_. Wave, Jet, Rose, hell, even _Kial_. He started as a mortal and is now a _God_."

"And you're a freaking _Balancer,"_ Sonic reminded him. "That's no small feat, Steam. That you were appointed such a role means you were _worthy_. You're not some piece of shit who doesn't amount to anything."

"That's the entire goddamn _problem_!" Steam shouted suddenly, anger overtaking him. "I never _asked_ to be the Balancer. I didn't _want_ this, and now that's pretty much defined who I am. I am the Balancer, and that's all I can _amount_ to!"

"That's not true at all. You can and are more than any title, no matter how important it is, defines you to be." Sonic stood and dusted his legs off. "As for _what_ more you are beyond that… I'm in no position to say. It's up to you to make your own way, Steam. It's up to you to _decide_ to be more."

Steam sighed. "I still don't even _want_ to be this…"

"I don't have any advice for that part," Sonic answered with a sigh of his own. "Maybe it's something we can look into dealing with, once this is all over. Helping you with that is the very least we could do to aid you in return."

"I'd need to wait, regardless… Losing a person that has _knowledge_ of a role is dangerous. Much less having someone with that same role who _doesn't_ have the knowledge." Steam put his face in his hands and groaned. "I can't fucking believe I said any of that in the first place."

"Regardless, we'll deal with it when we can," Sonic assured him. "And as far as what you said… I'm glad you said it. Getting stuff like that off your chest will help you in the long run."

"Locke turned you into a pain in the ass," Steam muttered, shaking his head. "Logical and helpful, but a pain in the _ass_."

"How am I a _pain_?" Sonic huffed.

Though he tried, Steam couldn't muster the energy to smile. "You are and always will be. Always have been, too."

"Yeah, screw you, too," Sonic responded, a note of tired humor in his voice as he looked away with crossed arms.

"Same to you," Steam chuckled before groaning. "I can't fucking move from this tree. Unless you're carrying me, we're not going anywhere. Well… _you_ can teleport at least."

"Somehow I get the feeling you'd object to that," Sonic answered lightly.

Steam glanced up at Sonic. "I don't want everyone seeing me in such a… vulnerable state. I really would hate to drag spirits down with my shit."

"It's fine. We can wait out here for a while," Sonic replied. "Things are calm right now. It'll be alright."

"Good. It might _be_ a while…" Nodding, Sonic leaned back against a tree to wait. Resting would be helpful to both of them.

 **~保護者~**

"He looks his age when he is asleep," Alana found herself murmuring, leaning against Sein's torso. Her eyes never strayed from their son. "Young, that is. Younger than life has forced him to mostly behave and think." _At seventeen in our years… he is still so very young. Had he been twenty-one, he at least would have been an adult._

"He's a good kid… everything I hoped he could be and more," Sein commented, wrapping an arm lightly around Alana. "But… you're right. He looks a lot less drug down by the years he's been alive."

"I do not enjoy the thought of how hard all of those years have been on him," she admitted. "And we do not even have an idea of just how _many_ years have passed since the time I brought him to this timeline. It could have been… _very_ many."

"I wish we could've been there for him," Sein murmured, pulling her just a bit closer. "I hate how much things have obviously hurt him."

"I do as well," Alana nearly whispered. "I wish he could have been safe."

Sein managed a smile. "We did the right thing, though. Look how _far_ he's come."

"He has," she acknowledged quietly. "He is everything we could have hoped for… and more."

"Very true on the 'and more'." Sein's smile brightened. "He's amazing."

Alana gave Sein a light and gentle nudge with her shoulder. "And what, pray tell, has led to you being so taken with him?" she teased, her spirits already lifting.

"I was, from the moment I learned that you were pregnant with him," Sein answered easily, smiling yet still. "It's the entire reason I was so willing to give up my life all those years ago." His smile never faltered, fatherly pride shining in his eyes.

She looked up at him softly. "I know." Turning her head, she used gentle fingers to carefully brush some residual dirt or ash off of their son's shoulder. There was an obvious note of fondness in her eyes when she spoke. "In all seriousness, however… What do you think of him, Sein? His abilities, his achievements… anything."

"I've said all I can say. He's _amazing_. Everything about him." Sein looked down to her with a bright smile. "I love him. That's all I've really got."

"That is enough," Alana answered, pleased with his response. "It is _more_ than enough." She returned her focus to Jet. "I must ask, what happened while I was away earlier? He has been filthy all day long."

"We talked after he landed on the ground from a portal," Sein answered easily. "It seemed to help him a lot, which is what I was hoping for."

"That is good," she murmured. She gently brushed more dirt from Jet's shoulder, causing him to shift a little in his sleep. He curled up a bit tighter and she wisely pulled her hand back for now. It wasn't her intention to wake him up, after all. "Sleeping like that… he reminds me very much of Mother," she observed quietly. "It was common for her to sleep in such a position as well."

"He's really like us all. I see so much of you, dad, and even Laralei in him all the time. It makes me happy."

Alana managed a small smile. "He is already beginning to look up to you, you know. Have you noticed? Your opinions and thoughts have begun to matter to him."

"I look up to him just as much as he looks up to me, maybe more. I want the both of us to keep _caring_ like that and always try to be the best we can be." Sein answered, his free hand going over his chest. "I want _him_ to succeed at what he wants to do."

"Once we have time," Alana answered slowly, "we should learn _what_ it is that he wants to do. I would be happy to know what all of his passions are… to know what things in life make him the happiest."

"I'd prefer to know them now, but whenever we do get to find out, I _better_ be there," he teased, smirking faintly.

"Of course," Alana chuckled. "You must be." The sound of their voices caused Jet to shift again, a bit more this time, and she grew quiet for a moment to make sure they hadn't woken him up. He settled back down before long.

Sein sighed gently, leaning his head against hers. "I'm glad we were brought back. I was so worried I'd never get to see him."

"I know you were," Alana murmured. "I had feared the same."

"Though… do you think that's why it was _us_?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think we were brought back to be there for him? Obviously we're strong Immortals, but he's benefited a lot from being around us. It doesn't seem like a coincidence."

"I do not know. It is possible, but it does not seem that any of the people we have been around would be in a position to know about this."

Sein shrugged softly. "Not important, honestly. I'm happy either way."

"I am as well," Alana admitted. Once again, Jet shifted. This time, he seemed to start to stir and actually wake up. Anala tossed Sein a glance, unsure if they should quiet down again and hope he drifted back off or do something else. Being that her gender was not the caretakers in their species, she lacked as much instinct as he had related to the entire matter of _care_ (it was more in her instinct to fight and protect) and so looked to him to gauge his reaction.

Sein simply stayed where he was and watched Jet. If he was going to fall back asleep, then that was fine. If he woke up, then that was what would happen. However, noise from further down the hall interrupted that basic plan, and Jet sort of halfway sat up, blinking blearily at the door as he tried to wake up enough to figure out what was going on - even as the small ruckus died down and things grew quiet again. Sein smiled to Jet, watching him carefully. "You feeling okay?"

Jet rubbed at his eyes and mumbled something in reply that was only barely intelligible, prompting Alana to move over and gently push him back down. "You are still tired," she told him quietly. "You should rest more."

Though he was still mostly asleep, Jet mumbled a vague, "M'fine," even as he curled back up. Sein chuckled a little at this, glancing to Alana.

Alana returned Sein's glance. "He is very much _your_ son," she told him in undertone while simultaneously making sure Jet was comfortable. "He is just as stubborn as you, even when asleep."

Sein snorted at this. "Says the daughter of stubbornness incarnate."

"Hush," she retorted. Then, returning her attention to Jet when he again shifted and mumbled something, she murmured, "You hush as well, my son. It is important for you to sleep."

This time, Jet's words were a bit more clear. "M'not tired."

"You're _clearly_ tired. Sleep," Sein answered softly, smiling.

"You are," Alana gently countered when Jet started to say something in reply. "Rest now. We can talk later."

Jet seemed to lose whatever fight he had had in him prior to this moment and he shifted a bit more to get comfortable. What he said in reply was mostly lost to the sleepy way he was still mumbling, but Alana was fairly certain of one word in particular he had said. Turning to Sein with wide eyes, she whispered, "Did he just…?"

Sein's eyes were wide as well, much like his mouth before a downright _goofy_ grin appeared on his face and he hugged her tightly. "Big steps, eh?"

"So I did not imagine that?" Alana asked him, just needing the confirmation. "He truly… called me mama?" _Surely there is no way he meant that…_

"Well… I'm sure as hell not his mom, and he calls me dad, so…" He chuckled softly, pulling her close. "He did." Unable to formulate a reply, Alana just nodded a little and hugged him with one arm. Her free hand was occupied by gently stroking their son's hair, something which seemed to gradually relax him over time. "I'm happy for you," Sein murmured to her gently. She responded by offering a small smile to him and nuzzling his cheek a little in an affectionate manner. He returned this affection with no hesitation, closing his eyes. _The family is coming together… I'm… so happy._

 **~保護者~**

 **4,296 words this time. I once again should have posted days ago and yet failed to do so. Sorry about that! Hope you all enjoy this one. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 7:20 p.m.) 05-05-20.**


	78. Outsider

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during the execution of this age-old tradition… especially for the one who who makes a choice.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Outsider"**

 **~保護者~**

The amount of people in Espio's house now was bordering on insane, he decided, when the group of shinobi they had been expecting entered the front room. He exchanged some basic polite greetings in undertone with them before one cleared her throat (albeit not rudely) and stated at a more normal volume, "Elder Anao has requested that we seek guidance from you regarding the conflict that has recently entered our territories."

"I am aware." Espio idly shifted his hold on Sako, who was busy climbing his marked shoulder. He allowed the child to remain there, if only because it hid the mark in question. Anyone seeing it now could reasonably question his judgement, motivations, alliances, and more. It was best not to get into that sort of situation now, not to mention _here_. "There is little to do unless we can convince the other villages to take up arms as well."

Another of the visitors spoke up. "Some villages have already sent messengers expressing their desire to lend their aid."

Espio nodded slowly. "It is necessary to send our own messengers to the remaining villages."

With his current instructions made clear, the visitors bowed and swiftly disappeared. Espio let out a small breath, relieved that there was immediately less of a crowd inside. With a quick glance around, he took note of how many were left. Li, Calypso, Novei, Cream, Vector, Tails, Armaris, his parents, Sako, and himself were all still inside. That was _eleven_ people crammed into a three-room home… and all were in the front room. _This is ridiculous._

Another chameleon dropped down onto the porch from somewhere above it and walked in. Shei started to sign, _"Who-"_

Espio, as respectfully as he could, dismissed the incoming question with a motion of his hand. He knew who this was. This was someone he had ties to both professionally and casually. They had done their fair share of missions together both within the Highlands and outside of them. They sparred together. They even just talked occasionally. It was fine for him to be here. He wasn't a stranger. "Toru," he greeted quietly, knowing that the man preferred the codename _"Soul"_ but didn't _always_ use it. Sako happened to look over and stared at the newcomer for a moment before resuming his busy climbing.

Toru gave a nod and walked forward, seamlessly appearing in front of Espio. "I was informed you have been directly involved in this war."

"I have," Espio confirmed simply.

The onyx chameleon glanced around the room, arms crossing lightly. "Your allies, I presume?" His gaze was currently locked on the outsiders, but there was no contempt or disdain in his eyes. Merely curiosity.

"They are," Espio answered. Tails and Cream looked over briefly but respectfully stayed out of the conversation.

Toru's gaze very quickly locked onto Armaris and his curiosity grew. "Like us? She has Darkness as well."

"Not entirely like us," Espio murmured. He chose to ignore the fact that Toru had obviously not been kept ignorant about the matter of their kind's Darkness… unlike Espio himself. "Her Darkness does not… burden her quite as much as ours does. Half of it bears no evil."

"Hm." There were more questions he had regarding this, but it could wait. He turned back to Espio and raised an eyebrow. "What do you plan to do from here? We are obviously mobilizing."

"Gathering allies is all we can do for the moment," Espio responded, arms loosely crossing. "There are others involved in this war - Immortals and others - who have taken charge. I intend to defer to them and their decisions for now."

Amusement glittered in Toru's eyes. "You, defer to others?"

Espio tossed him a mild glare. "Save the jokes, Toru."

"I simply find it interesting that you are willing to do so," Toru placated, though the amusement never left him.

"It is only because of the nature of the threats we are facing." After a small pause, Espio huffed and decided it would be pertinent to fill at least this shinobi in completely, so he quickly and briefly summarized everything that was going on. Everything _excluding_ his own issues, of course. He finished it up by saying, "That our largest enemies have power rivaling the current Immortals is why we are gathering allies - and why I am content to let those Immortals lead. They may be outmatched, but they understand better than we precisely what must be done and how."

Toru's hand found its way to his chin and he stayed in deep thought temporarily. "I see. You trust them, so I have no reason to do otherwise." Espio nodded vaguely, preoccupied again with Sako's climbing and squirming. Deciding it best to simply hold back further questions (those more personal) until later, he simply nodded.

Aniko, seeing that this conversation was over, suddenly walked forward and demanded forcefully to Tails and the others, " _Out_. Cream and Armaris, stay."

Tails, understandably, started with a little, _"Eep!"_ of fright. Cream and Vector traded surprised and confused looks, but Vector slowly moved to stand. He was _not_ gonna mess with that woman. Not a _chance_.

Blinking, Espio turned to face Aniko. "Mother…"

"I said for them to get out," Aniko answered, a hardened expression on her face. "We have other matters to discuss. They can wait outside."

Though Espio looked ready to say something else, Tails quickly got to his feet. "No, no, it's fine. We'll head out for a bit. No big deal." Gesturing to Vector, he hurried out the door. The croc shrugged and followed suit. Seeing them leave, Calypso gladly stood and made her way outside as well. She was _quite_ happy to be outside again. Li made haste to head outside, which seemed to be the only reason Novei bothered to follow.

"That wasn't ne-" Armaris started, cut off by Aniko.

"We have matters to discuss involving the other villages, our _kind_. They need not be involved," Aniko stated, glancing to Armaris.

Shei decided to end the argument before it could truly begin. _"Say what you wish to say, then."_

"How many villages are left, Espio?" Aniko asked, turning to her son. "We should find a way to reach them all as quickly as we can."

"There are many," Espio answered. "The Highlands have managed to grow larger over all of these years. More villages than we could once sustain populate the newers regions, as well as the old. The shinobi of this village are headed to our closest neighbors. If those villages cooperate, they will soon send their own scouts out. If that process is repeated, we will have made contact with everyone within the next few hours."

"I presume you believe the vast majority will cooperate?"

"It is little more than a _hope_ , currently."

Shei frowned and signed, _"How have relations been between the settlements in recent years?"_

Knowing what he meant, Espio answered, "The villages have not warred with one another in any capacity for five hundred years. We are in a period of peace. If they refuse to aid us, it will not be because of internal conflicts."

Armaris frowned. "But we still don't know what their position would be, either?"

He shook his head. "There is no way to."

"Tch." Armaris closed her eyes. "That's annoying."

"Do you know of any other skilled shinobi besides this one?" Aniko asked Espio, followed with a glance at Toru.

That earned a small huff, but Espio answered, "Yes. There are some of nearly the same caliber."

"Do you know them well enough to convince them to join us?"

"Perhaps," he shrugged, noncommittal.

"Hm."

Armaris leaned up against a wall and glanced to Cream. "You got any thoughts on this?"

"No, I do not," Cream answered softly. "I am afraid I cannot be of much help as of now."

Toru glanced to Armaris and Cream, then back to Aniko, raising an eyebrow. "You allowed them to stay. Why?"

"They're family," Aniko muttered, as if he were questioning her choice. "They stay."

The other chameleon gave a gentle nod. "Understood."

Espio dragged a chair out from his table with a foot and sat down. Sako decided to climb down to the floor, and he let the baby do as he pleased for now. Said baby was soon entertaining himself by playing with his father's boot as Espio asked, "Did you need to discuss anything else, Mother?"

Aniko closed her eyes in thought. "Who is he?"

"Toru," the onyx chameleon answered with a bow. "Though, I more often go by 'Soul'."

"He is an ally," Espio supplied. "I have known him for a number of years."

"Aniko, Shei, Armaris, and Cream," Aniko introduced, not bothering to waste more time than necessary. "If you are an ally of my son, I will presume you are alright."

"Thank you," Toru answered, standing up straight.

Taking the hint that his mother wanted Toru out for the time being regardless, Espio decided to tactfully intervene. "There is nothing for you to do right now," he said simply. "If you wish to return to your earlier activities, now would be the time."

Toru nodded gently, giving a respectful farewell to them all and disappearing entirely. He reappeared once more in the tree near Shadow, glancing over. "His mother kicked us all out."

His sudden reappearance _almost_ made Shadow jump, but he managed to smother the reaction somehow. "I am somehow not surprised," he answered after a small pause. Looking down below, he took note of where Tails and Vector had gone so as to just generally keep an eye on them if need be. But they were fine now, so he didn't focus too much on what they were doing.

"It seemed as though she disliked that many people inside," Toru shrugged lightly, sighing.

"I was under the impression that that was a common sentiment among your people," Shadow admitted with a slight shrug.

"It is, though it was mostly pointed at those you're allies with. Likely because of them not 'belonging'. I do enjoy seeing how people react to such things."

After a lengthy pause, Shadow decided to take a small risk and cautiously noted, "You do not seem to react as adversely as others would." Honestly, he wasn't sure if saying so would get him stabbed, but… fuck it, he really didn't give much of a damn. He probably wouldn't feel it, anyway, given his lack of many functioning pain receptors.

Toru smirked faintly. "I am glad you noticed. It is likely due to the fact that I have learned to not bother with things that are not adversely affecting me."

"More people could stand to learn that," Shadow grumbled, settling back against the trunk of the tree they were seated in.

"It simply makes life easy," Toru answered.

"Hn." With this vague hum, Shadow fell silent. That silence persisted for a time before he realized he actually had another question. This one was unlikely to garner a violent response and exhaustion was probably stripping him of his usual reservations about questioning people, so he just went with it. "Why did you approach me?"

"I thought it was interesting that an outsider noticed that something about me was unusual. I wanted to see how you knew," Toru answered slowly. "Not to mention that you were different than the others as well."

"How did you know that _I_ was different?" Shadow found himself asking.

Toru raised an eyebrow at this, blinking once. "You act different, your overall aura is unusual, you possess Darkness… need I continue? Or would you like me to elaborate?"

Eventually, Shadow shook his head. "No."

"Long story short, you were different enough to warrant interest. You and one other, but you are a touch more peculiar."

"'Peculiar'?" Shadow echoed with a vaguely indignant huff.

"All of the things I mentioned. The other is simply more neutral, which I find curious for an outsider," Toru answered easily.

"Hn," Shadow answered vaguely again, closing his eyes. He had decided that there was no need to be on edge around this particular chameleon right now. Especially not if this person truly was an ally of Espio's, and he clearly _was_.

Toru glanced over deciding it was his turn to ask a question. "If it is not too much to ask… are you partially inorganic?"

Shadow's first reaction was to just say, "You don't need to be so polite all the time." There was another brief pause before he spoke again. "And... no. I am not entirely biological."

"How so?" Toru pressed, crossing his arms lightly. "I saw your eyes glow unnaturally after I asked you where that woman was, and I know that something must have caused that."

"That was in response to me performing a special function my eyes were built to perform," Shadow answered slowly. Eventually he continued, "I was created as a cyborg. That is a person who is comprised of metal and technology as well as biological parts. We are not robots, but the minds of some are modified to the point where they behave like one."

Toru's demeanor grew far more serious in that instant, and his gaze fell back on Shadow. "Was that attempted on you?"

"To some extent," Shadow muttered.

"For what little it may mean, I'm sorry it happened that way. You seem to have done well to not let that define your whole life, however." Shadow accepted the words with little more than a shrug. "On a lighter note, how did you come to know the others you are with? It must've been a different sort of circumstance, to say the least."

"I met them all at roughly the same time," Shadow answered after some thought. "They remember more about our early encounters than I do. I recall that I opposed them, at the time, but little beyond that. My memory does not clear until after I had been travelling with them for a short time."

The chameleon seemed to think on this before nodding. "Understood. Do you have any questions for me? I've been asking a few already."

Being that he was always interested in weapons and he knew chameleons were the same, Shadow soon asked, "In combat, what weapon do you prefer?"

Toru answered with a vaguely cheeky grin. "Yes." He waited a moment before answering, not letting that be perceived as his final answer. Shadow inwardly rolled his eyes at the random bit of humor. "I am a fan of longer blades. I often rely on a tachi, but that is merely preference for blades. Melee, I prefer some of my own creation, and for longer range, if _necessary_ , I prefer the crossbow."

Those answers were fairly within the boundaries of normal for Toru's people, so Shadow wasn't surprised by the answers. Though, the specific use of a tachi in place of a katana was a _bit_ rarer. _Yet more unusual traits, it would seem._

"What of yours? Surely you have your own preferences."

"I _prefer_ guns, but… my father taught me to handle knives and a katana as well. I am comfortable enough with those, but guns are more my forte."

Toru raised an eyebrow. "Would you consider yourself a gunslinger of sorts? Or are you one who can fight with several types of guns?"

"I handle a variety of guns," Shadow answered with another shrug. "As for the title of 'gunslinger'... others have referred to me as such. I have never bothered to do the same."

"Well, if the time comes that you would like to train your sword skills, I would not complain to aid in that. 'The art of the sword is a noble pursuit', or so my father said." Toru gave a brief smile. "And I wouldn't mind learning more about guns."

Only a bit of thought was required for Shadow to come to a decision. "I would not be opposed to that."

"Good to hear." Toru laid back, a feat of incredible skill and balance considering there was nothing directly behind him to support his body. "I suppose there is a reason you're not nearer to your allies, yes?"

"If there is?" Shadow sighed, not wanting to admit straight away to the cause.

"Not my concern, unless you _want_ to talk about it," Toru murmured. "Seems serious, though."

"I have been… ill," Shadow eventually relented, saying nothing more on the matter in the hopes it would be dropped. He wouldn't have said anything at all, if not for the fact that Toru would likely fucking see for himself at _some_ point or another… particularly when Shadow was in-between doses of medicine.

Toru didn't say anything for a moment, giving a nod. "Take care of yourself then. I'm looking forward to lessons on guns."

This earned another huff from Shadow and he murmured, "First lesson… do not be _too_ eager. You will hurt yourself."

"I'm not a stranger to injuring myself while learning. I believe I could manage, regardless." Toru tossed a somewhat small smile to Shadow. "Thanks for mentioning it, though."

Shadow opened his eyes to look at the other man. "This is not like training with a sword, or any other blade," he informed. "Think of the damage a crossbow can do when equipped with exploding arrows, but compact it into a much smaller and faster projectile. That image is akin to what a bullet can do, assuming they aren't imbued with energy from any powers."

"I do happen to be aware of what bullets are capable of," Toru commented idly, "but I've _never_ seen one imbued with energy. _That_ would be dangerous."

"You would do well to keep that in mind, as all of my guns are capable of being imbued with energies," Shadow told him. "You would be training with one of those."

"Hm," Toru hummed, blinking once. "I see. In that case, I'll make sure to be careful." Shadow let out another vague hum. After that, the pair lapsed into silence. That it managed to be somehow comfortable was… a matter Shadow decided to contemplate another time. For now, he decided it was time to capitalize on the peace and try to sneak in a nap. God only knew he needed one.

 **~保護者~**

Shortly after Toru's retreat outside, Espio let out a soft sigh and quietly said, "Mother?"

Aniko cast a glance to him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, my child?"

He took some time to organize his thoughts before replying. "The villages have not attempted to unify since before you and Father perished. There is no appointed leader anymore for situations such as this." Feeling that there was another point that he might make (on top of not wanting to directly accept the implication yet), Aniko motioned for him to continue. After another small pause, he relented and spoke again. "It would be most beneficial for you to take up that position. It is _not_ wise for me to do so." _If I am affected by my Darkness again... I cannot be in a position of authority over others. The results could be... disastrous._

"Why specifically myself?" Aniko questioned. She had her suspicions regarding this, but she wanted to hear it from him.

Though the idea of more talking was… tiring (not to mention actually _doing_ so), Espio continued. "As you have noticed, people still know who you are, Mother. You have already led our people during times of hardship. No one has forgotten that. They will accept you with ease."

Though she huffed at him, Aniko eventually nodded. "I see your reasoning."

Armaris leaned against a wall, arms crossed. "So, what will it take to make sure they're all unified? Surely they all won't be entirely happy with working with all of the _other_ villages and whatnot."

"They firstly need a strong and firm leader, one who refuses to let them bicker amongst themselves. Infighting breeds death far more quickly than many outside sources can, as it brings allies against one another," Aniko explained, sighing. "They would also need this figure to be someone recognizable, which, as Espio stated, I _am_. That would be enough to suffice long enough to mobilize and begin forming plans."

"It helps," Espio murmured, "that they all _directly_ suffered the same assault we did. This is a common threat, one which affects every village in every part of the land. It will not appear to them as something that they can afford to ignore. Therefore, they will not."

Aniko nodded softly, then turned back to Armaris. "You still have doubt."

"Always. Trusting people to simply do what you'd expect them to do isn't my strong suit," Armaris murmured, frowning. "I'm going to trust that the both of you know what the hell you're doing, but I personally don't believe that alone would be enough to keep enemies from fighting each other."

"Our people are not enemies to one another," Espio answered quietly. "Not entirely. Our rivalries may grow bitter and bloody at times, but that does not mean we hate one another… nor that we will abandon our own in such a conflict."

Armaris sighed. "Then here's something else. Are they going to be willing to fight alongside outsiders… alongside _me_?" The pain in her voice was obvious, and it told Aniko exactly what she was referring to.

"If they are not willing to fight on the same side as an ally, or one of their own, then they can be gone for their own demeanor would dictate that they are untrustworthy and unreliable in such a large-scale war," Aniko muttered, glaring at nothing in particular. "They will treat allies with respect."

The cat snorted. "M'kay. But if they decide to pick a fight with me, it's not my problem if they die."

"That means you as _well_ , Armaris," Aniko stated. "You will show respect, just like your kin." Armaris _wanted_ to argue against this but had no point to make. By this point in her life, she felt much more at home around the chameleons than _most_ people.

Cream waited to see if the other two women were truly finished speaking before saying anything herself. Once it was clear that they were done, she said, "If I may… I have some questions about this matter."

With a quick glance at her, Espio permitted, "Speak."

She nodded politely. "For one thing… I know each individual will have weapons. There can be no doubt about that. But are the weapons most will have be war-ready?"

Espio gave that some thought. "All weapons our people craft are suitable for _any_ conflict, but… against enemies such as Kaden, more will be required than simple blades. Most will not have any sort of weaponry particularly suitable for destroying demons and their ilk. Our traditional weapons _can_ be used, but they will not be the most _effective_ tools."

"There's a man around capable of making weapons for that purpose," Armaris answered, shrugging. "Though… last I heard, he's got no forge. He'd have a hard time actually getting to make anything."

In a surprisingly casual manner, Espio waved her off with a hand. "That can be handled. Jet has one within his home. It is how he maintains Alkarus."

Armaris blinked once. "Didn't think he'd take kindly to something like that."

"He will not care," Espio answered her.

"How do you know that for certain?" Cream inquired. Choosing to display his normal character, Espio didn't feel the need to explain himself. Instead, he busied himself with carefully pulling Sako off of his foot. The baby had begun tugging incessantly on his boot, so Espio dislodged said baby and set him aside.

"So we need him mass producing weapons, then?" Armaris asked, frowning. "That's probably gonna be a bit hefty of a job, but he can probably manage."

"We can ask him about it once we are done talking," Cream suggested. "He may be alright with it."

Armaris shrugged. "Li will take on the job regardless. He's been wanting to get back to a forge for a long while now, and it's finally somewhat safe for him to do so."

Cream nodded in understanding, then returning her attention to Espio. "Do you still own that book?"

Though he let out a little huff, as though he believed the question to be silly, Espio answered, "Yes. Of course I do."

"What book?" Armaris asked, raising an eyebrow at them both.

"A summoning book," Espio told her. "It is used to store a high volume of weapons when you wish to have swift access to more than can be reasonably teleported."

Armaris nodded slowly. "Intending to let him use that to transport them all?"

"That is what it is intended for," he confirmed simply.

Cream spoke up again, getting at the point of her question bit by bit. "Most of the weapons within those pages - you crafted them, yes?"

With another glance at her, he said, "You know this. Why ask?"

"Confirmation," she shrugged. Then she murmured, "If I may be so bold… I was thinking that perhaps Lady Aniko and Lord Shei may wish to use some of what you have. Their former weapons, or at least most of them, will not have survived until now."

Aniko's questioning gaze fell on her son at this, inquiring of his thoughts regarding the situation. "I would prefer _not_ to take weapons that you crafted for your own use."

At this, Espio let out another huff like the one before. "You would benefit from having more than a single sword at your disposal, Mother."

She huffed in return to him. "They are your blades, child. I can survive with a sword until other weapons are made. Shei is in more dire need of weapons, regardless."

Shei frowned and signed, _"Do not be stubborn, Aniko. You need more weapons as well. Shinobi are at their best when not limited to one form of combat."_

Aniko looked ready to protest, but was cut short by an interjection from Armaris. "She's stubborn and will _not_ back down on this. You know this as well as I do."

Having apparently had enough of this, Espio teleported the book in question to him. It was the very same one he had worn on his back via a strap shortly after Sonic's revival and their activities on A'latria, but he had since used an old shinobi trick to shrink it down to the size of an average novel. He tossed it at Aniko without even so much as a glance. "With all due respect, Mother… stop arguing."

"Mules," Aniko muttered under her breath, already beginning to flip through the book quietly. "You have a collection. I am proud." Hearing those words caused him to duck his head a little and look away, quietly pleased but doing what he could not to show it. Praise had always meant a lot to him, coming from her. The sight made Shei smile behind his mask. Aniko barely hid a small smile at this, quickly looking through all of the weapons with a level of pride evident in her eyes.

While Aniko busied herself with the book, Cream shifted her focus to Armaris. "Miss Armaris, is there anything _you_ will require?"

"I have most of what I need. Some of my weapons are elsewhere, but I'll collect them in due time," Armaris answered, sighing. "Though, I don't want to go alone. I'll definitely be dragging someone along with me."

The bunny tilted her head. "Where?"

"My house, but that also happens to be a bit close to, er…" Armaris shivered. "Some recent memories."

"I see." Cream was quiet for a time, then stood. "I will go speak to Mister Li outside, unless I am needed for anything else." When no one spoke up, she smiled and headed out.

In the silence that followed, Shei eyed his son's demeanor. Espio remained seated at the table, gaze distant as he lost himself to his thoughts. He paid no further attention to his infant son, despite Sako again messing with his father's boots. Shei's head canted ever-so-slightly to the side. _Progress has been made… but still there is a gap that must be bridged. He keeps his son at arm's length, if only emotionally, and that will not do. The Darkness of our family is a thing to rightfully be wary of. To be wary of it within his own son… is also reasonable._ In that moment, the older chameleon made a decision. _He must be reminded that there is more to all of us than what our Darkness would have us be._ With this in mind, he lifted his hand and waved it slightly in Aniko's direction so as to get her attention. Once he had it, he signed, _"I believe it is time we introduce our son to a tradition every parent must learn."_ Aniko responded with a simple nod, walking closer to Espio to gain his attention. As she did so, Shei quickly signed to her, _"I will fetch the items from our old home, if they still remain."_ He dashed outside and away faster than most would have been able to follow.

Shei's sudden departure pulled Espio free of his thoughts, prompting him to notice Aniko's proximity immediately afterward. Subtly confused, he soon asked, "...Yes?"

"There is something that we must introduce you to, a long-held tradition with our children," Aniko murmured softly. "I will explain more when Shei returns."

Shortly thereafter, Shei came back inside with a few small items in his hand. He set all three down on the table one at a time before explaining. _"This pearl,"_ he held up a small pearl as black as the night itself, _"traditionally represents Darkness, its power, and everything else related to it… essentially, it represents our 'truest' selves."_ Setting the pearl down again, he picked up the second object. _"This knife, obviously, represents combat, the thrill of the hunt, and a desire to grow stronger. It is what you were most drawn to, when we did this test."_ He set the knife down and picked up the last object. _"This is a pick to an ancient, traditional instrument we have not produced many of since arriving here on Mobius. It represents our culture, our music, and the simple pleasures even our kind can gain out of life."_ Espio looked on, confused but nevertheless paying attention. _"The items and their meanings can vary from family to family, but the pearl… it always remains."_

Armaris walked closer to Espio, standing beside him and raising an eyebrow. "How long has this tradition been held?"

 _"Longer than any of us can remember,"_ Shei answered patiently. _"Given that Aniko was born so shortly after the massacre at Zyr and yet even her parents and grandparents could not recall a time without this tradition, it clearly began there."_

Aniko nodded softly. "This is something we wish for you to partake in, Espio. With your child, Sako."

Espio gained a slight frown, but not one of upset. "What is the point of this?"

Although Shei offered a slight shrug, he was quick to follow it up with an answer. _"It does not hold the same weight that it once did, in older times, but according to tradition… whichever item the baby picks is said to offer insight into their personality and what they will grow to desire out of life."_ He tilted his head thoughtfully, then remarked, "The meanings behind your choice, for one thing, has remained incredibly accurate to this day." When Espio didn't answer, Shei gestured to the items on the table. _"Take these and set them on the floor side by side, just as I did, and then place Sako in front of them. You must sit on the opposite side and simply watch. Do nothing other than this, for any movement can be viewed as influencing the child's decision. When this happens, the test must be restarted on another day. That is time we do not have right now. We are fortunate to have a moment to try this even once."_

With a small sigh, Espio obeyed, grabbing the items in question and moving to an empty space on the floor. He laid them out and placed Sako in front of them, then sat down like he'd been told. Armaris was quick to be beside Espio when he sat down as well, staying absolutely still and silent. Aniko watched this movement from them both and simply watched for the moment, choosing not to comment. This situation was… serious to her. She wanted to preserve that.

For a time, Sako simply sat where he was placed, looking around and paying no real attention to the things in front of him. Only the faint glint of light glimmering off the blade of the knife seemed to eventually draw his attention toward it and the other two objects. He eyed it for a few seconds, then put his hand in his mouth to suck on it a bit as he looked at the pick. That he never once even so much as _glanced_ at the pearl was a detail not lost on Espio, but he did as he'd been told and simply sat still, watching what Sako might do next.

Finally, after close to two minutes of nothing really happening, Sako began to crawl forward. Only… instead of going to one of the items on the floor, he crawled through them, pushing them aside as he moved. Espio watched with strangely baited breath as the child made his way over, then crawled into Espio's lap. Sako curled up a little, putting his hand back into his mouth and looking up into Espio's face. He then looked over at Armaris for a few short seconds before shifting a bit and using his free hand to firmly grasp at Espio's. This made Espio blink. _...I did not realize I was one of the options._

Aniko's mouth briefly fell open at this and she grew visibly confused. Surely, this wasn't something that was supposed to happen. Sako should have actually chosen one of the objects, not his own father. Though… to some degree, she supposed that might be better than having picked anything else. Shei, meanwhile, smiled a bit behind his mask. _"Well this is a rare turn of events. It would seem your boy has chosen the unspoken fourth option… family."_

Briefly, Aniko broke out of her confused state and took a moment to think back over what had just transpired. _Sako chose his father… and then acknowledged Armaris. That bodes well, but… it is so unusual…_

As Espio thought over all of this, Shei signed to Aniko, _"What say you about this?"_

 _"I… I don't know,"_ Aniko admitted slowly, her gaze falling to the floor as she thought in a similar manner to Espio. _"I did not expect such a thing."_

Meanwhile, there was a level of shock in Armaris' system at Sako having looked at her during this. If this tradition was really so accurate… then what did the baby's gaze falling on her _mean_? She eventually managed a smile and set a hand on Espio's shoulder, deciding it wasn't worth worrying about. "So, what do you think…?" He took his time responding to her, eventually settling on a vague shrug to do so. However… he slowly moved to hold Sako properly with one arm, earning a soft and contented smile from the baby. To Shei, this small action said more than enough.

Aniko briefly smiled at this sight and stood, walking over to her child and Armaris. "I see Sako has made a choice." Espio offered a small nod. For a moment, she hovered there before seeming to just appear beside Shei, turning her attention to him with a questioning expression. "How do you feel about this turn of events?"

 _"It is good,"_ Shei signed without hesitation. _"This is very good."_

Deciding to sign, since Espio was busy, Aniko responded, _"This bodes well for their relationship, but what do you make of his attention on Armaris?"_

 _"Is there truly anything wrong with it?"_ Shei asked her in turn. _"As I have discussed with her, they are not genuinely siblings in any sense of the word. We may have aided in raising her for a short time in her life, but they barely knew one another. She never referred to us as her parents. It took a long time for you and her to even begin to get along. And while she may be an outsider, she was a part of society long enough to learn many of our ways. If they choose to be together in the end… what would be so terrible about it?"_

Aniko briefly considered this. _"I suppose there truly is nothing wrong with it… in that case. Though, I still somewhat dislike the idea of him having relations with an outsider, if it is his choice, I will respect it nonetheless."_

This was a common viewpoint amongst their people, of course, but still Shei asked her, _"Why do you hold such a belief, Aniko? Why does this feel wrong to you?"_

 _"I suppose it is not wholly the matter of it being an outsider, so much as it is her. They both bear dangerous Darkness. If their Darkness mingles… in any way, it could prove disastrous."_

 _"Aniko… would that truly be any different if he wound up favoring another chameleon instead?"_ Shei questioned her. _"Though they would lack any demonic darkness, specifically, the Darkness our people possess is arguably just as dangerous… if not more so, when compared to many demons."_

 _" She is a demon,"_ Aniko managed to respond harshly, despite only using her hands. _"You know what Armaris herself is capable of. It would be a spawn of our Darkness, as well as a demon's."_

 _"She is not a full demon, Aniko. She is no more a threat to us and our family than we are to her. You forget that she cares more than enough to not simply allow herself to bring harm to us or our son, no matter what state she is in."_ Aniko decided not to grace this with more than a huff, crossing her arms. Her gaze fell on Espio and Armaris, attempting to ensure that they hadn't been paying attention. Espio, for his part, _wasn't_ for once. He was actually giving the vast majority of his focus to Sako, _truly_ paying the child attention for the first time. Shei noted this with a glance and a warm feeling inside that chameleons generally never displayed for others to see. In that regard, he was no different to them right now.

Armaris wasn't looking at Aniko and Shei at the moment, but she had been paying attention. Being at the center of someone's hate due to her demonic heritage once more made her angry, but another feeling rose up. She wanted to prove, specifically to Aniko, that she was more than a demon. Maybe it was her feelings for Espio and the need to have approval from his parents for her own fears to be quelled, but whatever it was drove her to make a silent promise. _I'll prove to you that I'm worthy of him._

 **~保護者~**

 **6,639 words this time around. Hope y'all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 8:55 p.m.) 05-06-20.**


	79. Ripple in Time

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this sudden upset… especially for the one who has so much curiosity.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Ripple in Time"**

 **~保護者~**

Even with the great walls of Hellfire gone for the first time in the living memory of virtually all demons, smoke still simultaneously billowed high into the sky and hung low to the ground. A large and intimidating-looking but ultimately low-ranking general in the God's legions walked into the area without any trepidation, barely taking notice of the occasional bolt of Darkness that crackled through the air around him. He stopped a safe distance behind the spot where his God knelt, back to the general with something small in hand that glinted in the faint reddish light. When the general wasn't acknowledged, he straightened his posture and dared to interrupt… if only because he was confident that his life would indeed be spared at the moment, considering the intel he was carrying. "My lord."

"Back off," Kaden snarled, his mood understandably _far_ from ideal given the current situation. He closed his hand around whatever he was holding and stood. Then, voice lowering to a more dangerously quiet tone, he muttered, "I'm busy."

Perhaps Kaden was not prepared to be as lenient as the general had first believed. But, no matter. It was more than likely he would stay walk away from this in one piece… if he was careful in how he proceeded. "I come bearing news, sir. _Good_ news, and on multiple fronts."

At this, Kaden finally turned to look at the other man, a scowl firmly in place on his face. "Explain," he demanded. "Now. I do not have time for you to stall."

Emboldened by the permission he had been granted, the general cast his gaze about their surroundings and frankly stated, "The woman you had trapped here… we can confirm her current whereabouts, and who is guarding her." Kaden's eyes narrowed. "The small world the God of Runes has claimed as his home near the edges of this reality is a place where all the Gods and Goddesses, as well as Jet, have been known to gather. Another general sent troops there while you were away, merely to see if any trace of the woman could be gathered. Predictably, they were all killed… but not by the hands of those I mentioned previously. They were purified into nonexistence by _Light_."

This was it. The moment the general had been waiting for. A faint spark of interest lit up in Kaden's eyes, evaporating at least _some_ of his dour mood. "How long ago was this?"

"Mere hours," the general answered. Then, seeking to capitalize on the fact that he had his God's attention now, he added, "From what we have gathered, her retaliation cost her dearly and she collapsed immediately afterward. She is still _very_ weak."

The general's words went briefly unanswered as Kaden slowly turned his head away to look around the area where he had for so long held Analia captive. He had dismantled the trap upon his return from his short-lived conflict with Nareish, only to find that there had been nothing wrong with it. It had been precisely as he had left it… in all but one way. The one prisoner it had held had inexplicably gone missing. How this was possible, the general had no idea. Whether or not his God did, he also didn't know. But Kaden seemed thoughtful now as he contemplated the matter and everything he had just been told. After a long pause, he lifted his right hand a bit and opened it to again look at whatever small item he'd been holding before. From this angle, the general could make out that it was definitely metal. "Not weak _enough_ , it would seem," Kaden murmured, lowering his hand again.

Though puzzled, the general forged ahead. "It seems that the Cere, Finis, and the distinctly more minor 'God of Thieves' have been left in charge of her care. We have not detected any others on the planet, and we believe they intend to keep her where she is for the foreseeable future"

"Those two… are more than enough on their own, against the likes of you," Kaden remarked blandly. "You cannot even keep proper surveillance… despite it being such a _simple_ task."

Now equal parts confused and concerned by the change in tone, the general took a slight step back. "I assure you, we-"

"Silence," Kaden ordered quietly. The general immediately shut his mouth. His God was not the sort to yell, to shout. When he got quieter… _that_ was when all those around him knew it was wise to start fearing for their lives. "They _have_ moved her," he revealed, "though only once. She was taken directly to Mobius and into the chameleon village of Hyale, where they remained for less than twenty minutes. _You_ , general, failed to notice that."

Gone was the demon's prior confidence. He bowed his head in shame and genuine fear. Failure was met with severe punishment… and sometimes even death. "My… My apologies, my lord."

Kaden was silent for another long, distinctly more horrible moment before ordering, "Speak your other news."

The general quickly nodded. "Of course. We… have received reports of a different nature, unrelated to this matter. A spawn of Malevolence has made its presence known on Mobius a mere ten minutes ago. That it is active now can only mean that Malevolence itself has awakened as well. Being that it is far too early for Malevolence to have finished its so-called 'long sleep', it will by no means be at full strength at this time."

Slowly, Kaden's eyes narrowed again. "...I will look into this myself. Keep your nose out of it. I will _not_ have you blundering about in this matter." He turned away again. "Leave before I decide your earlier mistake is worthy of death." The general took the threat to heart and immediately left. Once alone again, Kaden bared his teeth and growled softly at himself. It was _pathetic_ , that he was so fucking preoccupied with _her_ that he could even behave _normally_ … like some sort of goddamn moron.

For a second time, he lifted his hand to regard the small metal object he had picked up from the ash-laden dirt earlier. It was a fairly simple silver-colored ring… one he remembered vividly. It was _hers_ , after all, and _he_ had been the one to give it to her. An act of _love_. That he had ever wanted to marry that woman, to be bonded with her in _any_ way, was absolutely pathetic. _He_ was fucking pathetic for even standing here _thinking_ about it. All the more reason to follow through with the little idea he'd had earlier.

Glaring darkly at the ring and all the sentimentality and emotions it contained, he called Hellfire into the palm of his hand and watched the wretched thing melt away into nothing… taking yet another layer of his weakness with it.

 **~保護者~**

Sonic cracked an eye open after his light nap to check on Steam. After a second, he sat up in the grass and quietly asked, "Hey… it's been a while, you up to heading back yet?"

Steam seemed to shake out of some sort of doze, turning his attention more fully over to Sonic after a moment when he realized that nothing dangerous had woken him. "Uh… what?"

"You ready to leave?" Sonic asked him, stifling a slight yawn.

"I guess," Steam murmured, pushing himself off the tree and slowly blinking to fully wake himself once more.

With a nod, Sonic sat up and then moved to stand. "We'd better get going, then. We've been gone a while."

Steam nodded and slowly began walking, slowly trying to stretch his muscles out. "Thanks a lot, for everything."

"Yeah… of course." Sonic started following after him. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Mostly… " Steam answered slowly. "Mind's still clearing up."

"Yeah. That's pretty common, from what I've gathered," Sonic answered him.

The green hedgehog nodded. "Yeah. It definitely is."

Sonic opened his mouth to say something, decided there was no point, and shut it again. They walked on in silence for a short bit before his right ear gave a small flick. He stopped walking, looking around warily. "...Did you feel that? Like, this weird crackle in the air or something?"

"Oh, _hell_ no," Steam answered, unsheathing his blade and very quickly moving closer to Sonic.

"What?" Sonic demanded, already reaching for his sword. His words were nearly drowned out by a low and yet deafening thrum of energy that caused their immediate surroundings to rumble dangerously. "What the hell…" he muttered, turning in a slow circle while he scanned the trees. Then there was another crackle, this one visible. Energy arced through the air, black and crimson in color and gut-wrenchingly _unmistakeable_ in how it felt to his senses. His eyes widened and his arm dropped limply to his side and abject horror. " _Malevolence_ …?" he heard himself whisper.

"Get behind me," Steam demanded, gripping his sword tight and glancing around. "Fucking bastard, _now_ of all times?"

Though it might have been wiser to do as he'd been told, Sonic instead held his ground and drew his sword. "What are you talking about?" he muttered, keeping his voice low in case they were being watched. He couldn't sense anyone or anything yet, but that was no reason to be careless.

Steam, despite how tired he still was from his ordeal, quickly allowed Light to flow through and out of his body. "A spawn of Malevolence. I don't know what it's here for, but I'm _damn_ sure I know who it is."

" _Who_?" Sonic echoed in shock. "That thing is sentient enough to be a _person_?"

"Infinite," the green hedgehog growled, fur bristling. "Don't do _anything_ rash."

 _Infinite? The hell does that even mean?_ Sonic started to open his mouth to ask, but shut it again with a snap of teeth when there was another pulse of energy. Another soon followed, this one so strong it launched them both into the air. They started to fall back down, of course, but yet another pulse somehow… interrupted their fall, leaving them suspended in the air as they were while the world around them turned grey and froze. They were left frozen, unable to do anything except move their eyes and, if they wished, speak. Slowly, Sonic's eyes widened and realization hit. "Time control…? That shouldn't even be _possible_!" Short time-freezes were certainly possible through use of the Chaos Emeralds, and _ridiculously_ strong Immortals could probably do it whenever they wanted, but otherwise… otherwise this just wasn't a thing people could _do_.

"You, fucker! Stop hiding and face us, dammit!" Steam yelled, already attempting to move himself despite it not being possible at the moment.

Almost as if on cue, the spawn itself (himself? Sonic wasn't sure) appeared hovering in the air just beyond where Steam could have reached… had the hedgehog not been frozen. Their body was comprised of the unmistakable energy of Malevolence and its spawn, and the person's one visible eye was fixed on Steam. "And who says I was hiding…?" the person drawled, arms loosely crossed.

" _Stop_ this," Steam muttered angrily, fixing his gaze on the spawn. "And tell us what the hell you're doing here."

"Who the fuck are you?" Sonic demanded.

The spawn's gaze shifted slowly to Sonic. "You may call me 'Infinite'… for the short moment in time it will matter to you."

"What, are you gonna try and kill us?" Steam growled. "Good _fucking_ luck with that."

"I have my orders, but… I do not feel particularly inclined to follow them," was the casual reply.

Confused beyond nearly all words, Sonic blurted out (without actually intending to) the first thing that came to his mind. "Since when do your kind have the free will to fucking _choose_?"

At this, Infinite tilted his head very slightly to one side. "Since the Trokklar Army's queen stole many of us… and was forced to grant us such abilities in order for us to even be _capable_ of obeying her." After a moment, he looked back over Steam, as though contemplating what to do. Eventually he spoke again. "We have enough free will to do what we please within a certain margin, but are largely still bound to our orders."

"Why are you telling us this?" Sonic found himself asking, strangely alarmed by how forthcoming this stranger was being.

Once more, that frightening gaze was fixated on him. "Frankly, I do not care what her _orders_ are. I do not care about _her_ or her goals. I exist for one purpose, and it does _not_ involve her. I am bound to the command I was given, and I will carry it out… but if you return and act upon knowledge that works against her it will _not_ be my problem." Energy began to gather around Sonic and Steam, pulsing rhythmically but never harming them _enough_ to cause any actual injury. "I was ordered to _get rid_ of two strong members of your little group, in order to sow fear and distress… but given no orders on _how_ to do so. So I will be rid of you… and if you return, then so be it."

" _Fuck_ you," Steam bit out, muscles tensing as he once more tried to move.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sonic demanded, growing ever more concerned as the energy continued to gradually engulf them.

"Making use of a little one-time gift I was given for… _emergencies_." Infinite casually waved a hand, sending them hurtling away through nothingness, but still his voice could be heard for just one second longer. "Enjoy your little trip through time."

 _Why do portals and crap always make me fall through the sky?_ Sonic groused, twisting around in the air so that his feet were underneath him in preparation for the inevitable landing. A quick glance around showed that he was well above the clouds at the moment… and that he wasn't alone up here. That gave him a vague feeling of satisfaction. _At least I'm not the only one dropping like a rock._ He tried to save himself from a painful impact, but found that he couldn't. ...Too bad we can't teleport. _Guess whatever that guy did to block our powers is still in effect. That, or this is a no-power zone, which is unlikely. Those are rare as shit._ Letting out a sigh that was lost to the wind, Sonic called out, "Where do you think we are? And _when_?"

"No telling yet… can't see shit," Steam called back, growling under his breath. This was all less than ideal, for sure, and the fact that he knew what was now on the loose irritated him to no end.

"Helpful," Sonic grumbled. They were starting to fall through the white, fluffy monstrosities that were today's clouds, and he grumbled even more in response to this. After all, it left his fur pretty damp… even if the wind rushing past _did_ dry him off quickly once they broke free. He looked down again, squinting, and soon called out again, "Those are definitely mountains down there, and it looks like some have snow. We must be up north. Pretty much no mountain anywhere else is tall enough to have snow." _And I think that was true on South Island… maybe._ The fact that this clearly _was_ South Island - a fact he knew only because he could spy a certain distinctive mountain peak (one he'd climbed twice as a child) that had been lost with the island - was something to be contemplated later, when he was actually ready to confront his last memories of the place. So, maybe never.

"Well, I propose we try and focus on a way to _not_ die upon impact," Steam answered, looking around quickly for anything that _might_ be of use to them. "It's not pleasant to die from falls."

"That's my point," Sonic replied. "This high up, and with our durability, I really don't think we're _gonna_ die. It'll hurt like a bitch, though, depending on what we land on."

Steam shrugged. "Suppose I'm just used to situations being worse, then."

After a short time, Sonic's eyes widened and he pointed, "No way- Look! Is that a city? It's gotta be huge, look at the size of it!" It was definitely ancient (with this whole area being part of South Island, there was no way it was _modern_ ), and that made its sheer size a sight to behold, even from this distance. It was so far off in the distance though that he had no idea what city it might have been. _Civilization had been reduced to villages and a few teeny towns here and there by the time I started terrorizing Gerald, so… this is definitely way before my time._

A faint frown appeared on Steam's face at this, trying to remember the various things he'd learned about what existed on South Island. _Could this be during the lifetime of my mom and the others…?_

Seconds later, Sonic groaned aloud. "Oh, great… there's a lake below us."

"Ah, fuck," Steam muttered. "This is gonna sting like hell."

"You're the one who didn't want to land on the ground."

"I said I didn't wanna die. In case you forgot, I have fire. I'm not gonna like it either," Steam huffed. "Don't make me find a way to throw your ass somewhere."

There was no time to reply. They hit the water full-force (and yes, it did hurt like a motherfucker), prompting Sonic to beat as hasty a retreat as possible from his liquid foe. He was on dry land and shaking himself off almost faster than he could even comprehend. "Must it always be fucking _water_?" he complained.

Steam emerged moments later, shivering and shaking as harshly as he could to dry off somewhat. "Fucking hell…" he muttered, brushing off what water he could.

With a quick glance around, Sonic took in their surroundings. They were clearly alone out here, without even any clear sign of nearby animals. The trees and other foliage were thickly packed, and from what Sonic had seen above, this forest stretched for freaking miles upon miles. And the number of mountains he had managed to see before they'd crashed into the lake seemed to imply… _I need more proof._ Thinking fast, he dashed up the nearest tall tree, shading his eyes with his hand while he scanned the surrounding area. Before long, he was absolutely _grinning_. Steam leapt up after him, glancing around before raising a curious eyebrow to the other hedgehog. Unsure if Steam would understand as quickly as Sonic had, he explained, "There's bamboo growing all around here. Know what that means?"

Steam seemed more than confused, motioning for Sonic to explain more. "I don't get what that means in the slightest."

"Aside from within the chameleon territories, which thank god we aren't in right now, there's only one region on Mobius that grows bamboo," Sonic explained, still happy as could be in spite of their current circumstances. "And that _one region_ would be the massive fucking mountain range with countless peaks where none other than the city of _Chun-nan_ was built."

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Steam murmured, focusing more on the area around them. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Sonic cheerily confirmed. He jumped out of the tree, heading uncannily in the direction of the city he had earlier spied. "C'mon, it's this way."

Steam vaulted off the branch, following after Sonic as quickly as he could. "Alright, I'll trust you for that much."

"You act like I'm gonna _deliberately_ lead you astray," Sonic huffed at him.

The green hedgehog shrugged. "You _could_ ," Steam murmured. "I doubt you actually would, though."

Instead of replying specifically to that, Sonic instead said, "I don't know about you, but I'm feeling better again, finally. Up for a run, or is that not your thing?"

"May as well get moving," Steam answered, motioning for Sonic to take off. "I'll keep up."

With a nod, Sonic tore off ahead, feeling undeniably great to finally be out of the house and finally _moving_ somewhere. It was easy not to worry about any of this, about any of the others, so long as he could keep himself occupied like this. All the more reason to savor the wind, he supposed. _It's been way too long._

A small burst of flames accentuated Steam's takeoff, and he quickly ran up beside Sonic with a questioning glance. "I've got a question, and it's more hypothetical than anything."

"Shoot," Sonic invited, deftly dodging around one of the smallest groves of bamboo he'd ever seen. It looked like much of the area had been chopped down not too long ago. Signs of life… So the city's not been abandoned yet. That's great news.

"Do you think we're in the time where our parents would've been alive?" Steam asked, turning his attention forward. "Because… that might be the key to us getting out of this mess, at least potentially."

"I was actually thinking about that," Sonic admitted. "Chun-nan obviously isn't abandoned yet, so depending on what year it is… Dad might actually be there. He mentioned once that he, Locke, and Mom had some experiences falling through time like we just did, so if we're able to find at least one of them we might be safe." _Plus… I just want to see Dad be himself._

Steam nodded slowly. "In that case… we need to look for them, or someone they were associated with like Saran. Someone who might be able to help." _I hope to god my mom isn't here. That'll be an entire mess._

By now, they were nearing the city, and Sonic wasn't at all surprised to see guards lining the city's massive outer defensive walls. "On another note… while this has been fun, we're gonna have to teleport in the rest of the way. I doubt we'll be able to convince them to let us in that gate." He gestured to a very heavy and very solid looking gate way off to the right.

"Definitely not looking to get into any fights, either," Steam muttered in annoyance. "I'd rather not grab more attention than we have to, honestly."

 _Either way, though… us even being here is already going to cause this whole thing to diverge into a brand new timeline, if it hasn't already. ...Hope that can't come back to bite us in the ass later. If it even can. Maybe I'm just paranoid._ Shaking his thoughts aside, Sonic went ahead and followed his own advice, teleporting into the highly crowded streets beyond the wall and waiting for Steam to join him. Steam soon appeared beside Sonic, skidding to a complete stop.

Once together, Sonic looked around a bit to try to gather his bearings. "...Man, this place looks so _different_ when it's not abandoned," he murmured under his breath. "Even when Mom restored it, it just… I don't know." He trailed off, shaking his head in awe. The streets around them were bustling with activity. Homes had their windows open as people cooked and cleaned and did laundry inside. Small shopping stalls lined the streets as the merchants sold their wares. Citizens moved about, going about their daily lives, none the wiser to their city's eventual fate. And while that was deeply _sad_ … everything about this was also incredibly beautiful.

"I know what you mean," Steam murmured, crossing his arms. "There's a lot to it all." There was some quiet recognition of everything around him behind some slowly building anxiety at the sheer _amount_ of people in the area. He hated crowds…

Though he shouldn't have, Sonic spent a small amount of time simply soaking it all in before finally forcing himself to move on. "We… should find a calendar. _Any_ calendar. I need to see what date it is."

"Fine," Steam huffed. "Let's go, then." He hated the idea of venturing into this… _whatever_ it was.

"I'd love to," Sonic answered him, "but I've got no idea where to look." He crossed his arms, foot tapping rapidly in thought. "...Maybe there's a shop or something selling them?"

Steam sighed, walking forward. "Follow me, and don't get lost," he answered.

"As if I would," Sonic huffed, following along. "Even if it wasn't the same, I _have_ been here before. I know my way around a fair portion of this place."

"Good, you can guide us after we find a calendar," Steam answered, weaving his way into the part of the crowd heading in the direction he had been. _Fuck, I definitely stand out here._

Sonic took note of Steam's plummeting mood and said, "Try to relax. Once we know the date, we can get to a quieter area with less people. There are gardens and things we'll need to check, anyway, since Dad always loved them. _Specifically_ for the peace and quiet." He paused, smiled, then added, "Plus, you know, flowers."

Steam huffed. "I don't want any attention on me right now," the hedgehog muttered, keeping his gaze low for the time being. "There's too many people around, as well…"

"Maybe…" Sonic turned around in a slow circle, eyes searching, then pointed, "That's a pretty high rooftop. Want to wait for me there?"

Though some part of Steam _certainly_ wanted to get out of this, he felt obligated to stay and find what they were looking for. "No…"

"You sure?" Sonic pressed.

"Yeah. Let's find a calendar and move on," Steam answered, speeding up his pace and sliding through the crowd carefully.

It took some time and a _lot_ of grumbling, but eventually Sonic managed to spy a calendar hanging on the wall of some random building they were passing by. He signaled for Steam to come over as he studied the pad of paper (such as it essentially was) and translated it. "So based on the type of calendar they're currently using and the year it's listed here…" He trailed off, but soon regained his earlier smile. "We're _definitely_ in the era when Dad, Mom, and Locke were around. I'm not sure how old they'll be during this time period, but they won't be kids. I can say that much, at least."

 _Better not be close to when Dark Gaia appeared…_ Steam thought to himself before shaking his head to clear it. "We'll have to look. Hopefully we showed up before they started adventuring around."

"Or at least afterward," Sonic agreed. He quickly leapt onto the rooftops (mostly for Steam's sake) and began using their proximity to easily walk and jump through the city. He headed straight for the nearest area that he seemed to recall exploring once before. He was reasonably sure there was a large garden, complete with bamboo and a koi pond, that his father had mentioned spending a lot of time in once upon a time. _Maybe we'll end up with some good luck for once._

Steam followed by Sonic, frowning. _Sonic seems to have a destination in mind, but what are the chances we'll actually find any of them?_

As they neared the garden and the buildings began to thin out along with the marketplace's crowds, Sonic decided it was time to drop back down to street-level. "Should be fine for you to come down," he called up to Steam. The green hedgehog dropped down after Sonic, landing gently and moving to follow. They resumed walking while Sonic said, "Keep an ear out for anything. Dad's always been the quiet, stay-in-the-background sort when not fighting, so we might never notice him if we don't look and listen."

"Got it," Steam answered as he began walking, glancing around carefully.

Ears perked and listening hard, Sonic made his way toward the garden. Just as they were finally truly leaving the noise of the market behind and the garden was coming into view, he started to hear a soft noise that made him stop and focus all his attention on his sense of hearing. Seconds later, he made a realization based on the sheer uniqueness of the sound. _That flute… I know that flute._ More listening, and he came to a second conclusion, one that made him start to smile. _And I know that tune…!_

Steam turned to Sonic and immediately moved over to the other hedgehog upon hearing this sound before motioning for Sonic to take the lead. "If it's him, you'll have a better time talking to him than me."

"It's _absolutely_ him," Sonic reported with a smile, already walking forward. "That's _his_ song." Sonic knew the tune well. It was light. Peaceful. Almost _happy_ , even. He had heard songs like it in his lifetime that every time his Dad had performed one he'd committed it to memory.

"Then _go_ ," Steam answered, lightly pushing him to move along a bit faster.

"I'm walking," Sonic retorted easily. "Best not to run up on him. He hates being started more than Jet does, and Jet _really_ hates being startled."

Steam briefly remembered the times he himself had accidentally startled the both of them, sighing. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

"And, for the record, you're still gonna have to talk to him," Sonic said. "He'll be more suspicious if you don't."

"I know, but it'll likely be better if you start first. In case you didn't realize, I have a bad track record of talking to people about anything."

Sonic shrugged, having no comment to make on that, and finally made his way into the garden. It was about as huge as he remembered, full of trees and clusters of bamboo and rather pretty lilies that all surrounded the koi pond in the middle. Unsurprisingly, the slow and steady music was coming from up above them in one of the tree's branches. Turning his face upward, Sonic laid eyes on exactly the person he had been hoping to see. By some incredible stroke of luck, they'd found him. _Dad…_

 **~保護者~**

Tails was still busy working on Shadow's communicator while the hedgehog in question dozed in a tree above the house. That he was doing so right beside some random chameleon was equal parts surprising and confusing, but Tails had long since decided not to question it. Sometimes it was better to just let Shadow be about things and not pester him. He'd never liked feeling interrogated, and Tails knew that. So, for his friend's sake, the fox stifled his curiosity and remained where he was, nestled securely between some roots of the tree where Espio's house was built.

Nearby, Cream was busy conversing with Li. Their voices carried over easily, due in no small part to the natural quiet of the village. "If we provide you with example weapons, or at least pictures, do you believe you would be able to craft chameleon weapons?" Cream was asking the blacksmith. "As I said before, Mister Jet has a forge, and knowing him you will find no shortage of tools to work with."

Li scratched the back of his head softly. "Well… I don't know if they'll approve of another person _making_ the blades, because I don't know their society, but I can _certainly_ replicate the style and make of most weapons. It shouldn't be overly arduous."

"As it stands now, you have permission," Cream reported with a small smile. "If that makes you feel any better."

The wolf then rubbed at his chin. "If I'm working with Jet's forge of all things, I should be able to mass produce these weapons without too much difficulty. Though…" Li began rambling under his breath until Novei lightly smacked the back of his head, dragging his thoughts back to reality. "Right. I'll need help, and I can get that from Novei. As it stands, as long as I have the materials, I can definitely produce the weapons necessary _and_ make some specialized weapons should anyone here need them."

Cream nodded once. "I will speak to Lady Aniko about acquiring example weapons for you and any detailed information on them that she can give. I will also request a full list of all materials required." She bowed her head politely but, before she turned to leave, she offered a genuine smile. "And also… thank you, Mister Li."

Li blinked several times at this, tilting his head. "Why? It's my job, so I may as well do it." He appreciated the thanks, but it always felt somewhat unnecessary since he _always_ made weapons.

"Everyone deserves to be appreciated, nevertheless," Cream answered, still smiling as she nearly always was. Then, with a wave of farewell, she headed back up to the house.

At that point, Tails decided to stop listening and focused back on his work. _Right… time to test some apps and see what's working. Camera seems good… map is on the fritz still… link to other communicators is wonky at best, but it's still picking up on the oth-... Wait._ Sitting up, Tails leaned out from his little hidey-hole and called out to no one in particular, "Uh… have Sonic and Steam come back yet, guys?"

Li glanced around with a frown. "I… haven't seen them. Last I remember, they weren't too far away…"

Tails pursed his lips together and got on his own communicator. _Maybe it's just another glitch, since Shadow banged this thing up so bad._ Except… when he pulled up the same screen on his own device, it showed the same thing. Sonic's communicator had inexplicably blipped away into nonexistence. But that didn't make sense. It wouldn't still showed up as _existing_ , even if he'd teleported or been taken too far away to be accurately tracked. And there was no way he had been _taken_ , surely. _Someone_ would have noticed… right? "Something's weird," he mumbled, standing up. "It's like they just… disappeared." Or at least Sonic did.

The wolf quickly walked over and glanced at the communicator. "They weren't even that far from here. We should've noticed if something happened…"

"That's just it, though. None of us _did_." Tails quickly typed out a message to Silver. _"Listen, I know you're out exploring with Cyril right now, but you really need to come back. Something's up."_ He got no reply, but assumed Silver would see it and return soon enough. So, with that matter taken care of, Tails rather reluctantly raised his voice and called up, "Hey, Shadow!"

Predictably, Shadow was there in a flash… and not too pleased about having been woken up. "What?"

"Look, don't… kill the messenger or anything, but there's a problem…" Tails started to say.

Already, Shadow's eyes were glowing as he scanned the surrounding area. Before Tails even fully finished speaking, the hedgehog demanded, "Where is Sonic?"

Tails's ears sank low on his head. "That's… just it," he mumbled. By now, Vector was walking over, concern plainly written all over his face. "We don't know. None of us can figure it out."

Toru dropped from the tree and landed lightly in a crouch. "What is the issue?" he asked curiously, moving a bit closer to the group.

Shadow actually spoke before Tails could, ceasing his scans for now and crossing his arms. "My brother," he muttered. "He has managed to vanish from under our noses… _somehow_."

"What does he look like?" Toru immediately asked, standing up straight.

"A lot like Shadow," Tails helpfully supplied, "but his hair is a more windswept style as opposed to spiky. He's got emerald eyes and blue fur. Oh, and he's carrying a big sword on his back."

"Understood," Toru murmured, vanishing from sight immediately, presumably to try and find the missing hedgehog. Shadow wasted no time in also taking off, no doubt heading for the area where his brother had last been.

Left behind as he often was, Tails sighed. "This… is a problem," he found himself saying. "I _don't_ think they're here anymore. And with the way they vanished… I get the feeling we won't find much in the way of evidence, either."

Li tapped at his leg lightly before glancing to Calypso and Novei. "Look, I know you two probably don't give two shits, but is there any way you might be able to help us track where Steam and Sonic are?"

"T'ey not here," Calypso asserted firmly. "Fox boy right. T'ey gone." She settled back against the tree she had been sitting by and closed her eyes before adding, "They fall t'rough time, near as I tell. We no can help t'em. T'ey on their own."

Tails straightened sharply, eyes wide. "Are you _sure_?"

"Time stop leave distinct trace if you know how sense it," Calypso informed him. "Someone do t'at, t'ose two suffer consequence of it. T'ey beyond our reach now."

Novei glanced over. "So _they_ have to find a way out of it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Unless one o' you Immortal friend find time to look for t'em," Calypso retorted simply.

This news caused Tails to just deflate. "...Oh. I see."

Shadow was by his side again suddenly, looking more than a little peeved about this whole situation. "Leave it to my brother," he muttered, crossing his arms unhappily again. It seemed he'd heard their little conversation. Or, at least, he'd heard enough of it.

Toru appeared as well, having sensed that Shadow returned all of a sudden. Li spoke up, frowning. "We kind of need them around… Sonic was brought back for a reason, and Steam is the Neutral Balancer of this timeline now."

"No kidding," Tails sighed.

"What do we do?" Vector asked, looking around at them all. "I mean… we've gotta do _somethin_ ' about this."

"None of _us_ are Immortals," Novei muttered. "We can't do shit without them."

Li cut in before she could leave it on such an abrupt and potentially upsetting note. "We would also have to find time for an Immortal _capable_ of time travel for them to even try and look. The chances are that enemies would strike, or _something_ else would happen since there would be a lack of that power."

"Even ignoring that, I don't think Jet can time travel _too_ much without exhausting himself," Tails sighed. "His parents seem to be roughly where he is in terms of ability, too, so they'd be in the same boat. And, without any of them or Wave around… I just don't know what to do. Or even what we _should_ be doing."

"Wish we knew what the hell's takin' them so long," Vector grumbled. "They've been no-shows for a while now, and we've not heard anything, either."

"Jet's not likely to be gone for this long without reason," Li answered, frowning. "Sein as well, all things considered. And Alana left, presumably to go check on them, because she otherwise would've stayed to wait for Kath."

"Since she hasn't come back, we might have to assume something's wrong…" Tails said quietly.

Li bit his lip. "Can you message Jet's communicator to try and get their attention…?"

With a nod, Tails typed out a quick message. _"Hey, where are you? We really need you here."_

After about twenty or thirty seconds, a reply message came. _"Hey, this is Sein. What's going on?"_

Confused, Tails quickly responded, _"Sein? Why do you have Jet's communicator?"_

 _"It's a really long story, somehow involving something that we don't know much about. He got a splitting migraine, to say the least, and we've been watching over him since then. We think he's recovering from it, though."_

 _"Is he resting, at least?"_ Tails quickly typed back. _"He's got an awful habit of not doing that. At all."_

 _"We made sure of that. No way would we let him avoid it."_

 _"Good. Do you have any idea when you guys might be back? Something happened and now Steam and Sonic are both missing. We're not really sure what to do and everyone's getting really worried."_

 _"Damn. I'll figure something out as quickly as possible. What do you know, so we can go ahead and devise a plan?"_

Tails glanced at the others and motioned for them to hang on before typing some more. _"Calypso says they somehow fell through time. Unless one of you guys has the ability and time to go and find them, they're… on their own, she says. Other stuff is going on, too, like the chameleons starting to gather their forces and stuff, but it's all been peaceful otherwise. And that worries me a lot."_

 _" Time? And Calypso said that?"_

 _"Yeah… and I'm guessing that that's not supposed to be possible normally."_

 _"Who the hell could send them through time? That should only be possible for highly skilled Immortals."_

 _"I have no idea, Sein. We only even realized something had happened after they vanished. Calypso said something about a 'time stop', though. Guessing she meant that someone froze time, which is my best guess as to why none of us noticed anything as it happened."_

 _"I'll figure out what to do, Tails. For now, stay put and trust that they'll be resourceful and keep themselves safe. Can you all do that for me?"_

 _"Yeah. I mean… we'll at least try. And I'll do my best to keep you updated if anything else happens."_

 _"Thank you. All of you stay safe and just do your best to keep your spirits up. We'll get them both back safely."_

Tails let out a tiny sigh. _Easier said than done…_ Lowering his wrist, he quickly relayed the conversation to the others.

Li lowered his gaze. _He's unsure… That's why he tried so hard to keep us positive._

With nothing better to do, Tails set about formulating a plan to help soothe everyone's rattled nerves. They all needed to stay calm and focused... for their own sakes.

 **~保護者~**

Cere turned to Kial, slowly looking over the current God of Mystical Creatures. "I knew that someone had taken his place, but I did not know who. Saethrim never spoke to many people, even when asked to do so."

"He was a man of few words, and those words he deigned to speak were often wise," Kial answered easily. "As little as it may have mattered the moment they were uttered, they came to be very useful for me."

The Hexan managed a smile. "You talk a lot like him, too. I presume he taught you a lot about your role before you took the position?"

Kial nodded. "He taught me much, especially in the ways of learning to understand what these creatures were without my sight."

Cere nodded as well, frowning gently. "So… onto more serious topics. He was killed, right?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been roaming?"

"Since his death."

A brief pang of pain made itself known within the Goddess of Judgement's heart. "You have been alone for a long time."

"I have," Kial admitted slowly. "I am glad to have returned, however."

"Good, we need more people in this war." The two fell silent before Cere's attention ultimately fell on Finis. "She's asleep, right?"

He responded mentally from the room where Analia was, as he was the one currently keeping direct watch over her. _"Yes,"_ was all he said.

"Saethrim spoke of you," Kial suddenly said. "Swift judgement with a righteous temper and undying authority. You live up to this very well."

Cere blinked a few times. "He spoke of me?"

"Of many of you, actually. Althea, like an immovable obstacle and the practically silent wielder of the sun. Sona, the furious fire-wielder who calls upon the stars. Finis, the mute but powerful shadow in the night. There was more, but I don't think it's necessary to state it _all_ ," Kial explained.

"I see," Cere answered. "You know that Althea is now dead, correct?"

Kial nodded. "I was made aware of her successor on Mobius before the attack from the sorceress and Kaden."

"I suppose that you'd be more or less aware of everyone else, except for Armaris. She is currently my student, training to be _my_ successor."

This seemed to catch the bobcat off guard briefly, his full attention on Cere now. "Saethrim spoke as if you would never leave your position. Why now?"

Cere sighed, closing her eyes and leaning against a wall. "While it is true that I am hesitant to step down, I feel that, to some degree, I am not meant to hold my place forever. Part of me wishes to see a new generation, if you will, ushered into these ranks that may be able to guide existence in a better direction than I was ever capable of."

There was no immediate reaction from Kial, his choice to stay quiet remaining for some time before he smiled. "You wish to teach her to be better than yourself?"

"I try to teach all under my tutelage to be better than I am," Cere admitted slowly. "It is my job to make sure that those who rise to power are guided in the right way."

"Spoken like a respectable leader," Kial answered. "Thank you for your dedication.

Cere managed a small smile at this, shaking her head. "You truly are Saethrim's successor. Speech pattern and all." This seemed to please Kial plenty, and they both turned to resume watching for any threats to come.

They had both satisfied each other's curiosity.

 **~保護者~**

"So," the voice came from behind Shadow, it's source being Toru. "I've got a new question for you."

Shadow resisted the urge to spin around in favor of turning more slowly to face the now familiar voice. Only his crossed arms and hardened expression gave away his agitation. "What?"

"The fact that you're so upset says a lot about your feelings toward your family," Toru examined, slowly raising an eyebrow. "You care a lot for your brother, I assume?"

"And what of it?" Shadow huffed, turning his head away to gaze out into the trees.

Toru managed the faintest of smirks, turning to face the trees as well. "One more question, and I'll explain. What of the rest of your family? Would you feel this way if any others related to you were to go missing?"

"Those who abandon their friends and allies are scum," Shadow muttered. "Those who would do so to their family are _worse_ than scum."

"Doing so without reason only adds to such," Toru murmured briefly, a small smile on his face. "I am glad to hear you care for your family in such a way, even if you will not openly admit it." Shadow answered with a vague grumble, but otherwise didn't truly comment. Toru decided to continue from this point, simply sighing. "I appreciate that. Friends are important, but family is irreplaceable."

"...I suppose," Shadow eventually said. It was the only admission he'd make.

Toru glanced over the others quietly, a small frown on his face. "They're upset, a few a bit panicked," he pointed out.

"It is not my place to guide them," Shadow answered. "It is unlikely my words would make anything better."

"Who do you believe should, then?" Toru decided to question, crossing his arms. "The wolf and Therian are not leaders, and I somewhat doubt that many among them are much better."

"Our leader is _meant_ to be Jet, currently," Shadow told him. "He is an Immortal. However, he's been away for a time and we are unsure why."

Toru frowned lightly, not commenting for a moment. "Is there anyone among us who could temporarily lead them before more problems are sewn?"

"Perhaps Espio or his parents," Shadow shrugged. He paused, considering, then sighed. "...Perhaps only his parents."

"I see." Toru instinctively tensed as Rose approached them both, an unintentional reaction to her abounding Light. "What do you want?" he asked, an edge to his voice that he didn't exactly want present. Shadow turned again to look at her, expression now carefully guarded.

Rose glanced between them temporarily before offering a nod of greetings. "I simply wished to speak to you both for a moment."

Toru motioned for her to proceed, cautious confusion on his face. "Then speak."

She nodded once more. "Firstly, I wished to ask what Espio and the others are planning. I was investigating something, and was not present for the discussions."

Toru glanced to Shadow for a moment as if to check if she was trustworthy, then decided that Espio or Aniko likely would have killed her had she not been trustworthy enough. "They are gaining the aid of other villages to continue fighting the war. Many appear ready to become involved after the demons' attack."

Supposing that what Toru said was all that she needed to hear, her gaze flicked to Shadow primarily out of concern. "I have overheard that Steam and Sonic are missing. Do we have any information regarding such?"

"Calypso said they were transported through time. There is nothing we can do." Shadow resisted the urge to grit his teeth in irritation.

 _Depending on when they are sent, there were powerful beings of Light present that may be able to help, but even then such a thing is not guaranteed._ "I see. I am very sorry to hear that. If I can be of any help, I would ask that you let me know."

Toru cut in, a faint frown on his face. "For now, I think it would be best if you speak to others. They could use your support more than we can. Shadow and I can handle ourselves." Shadow glanced at him and, naturally, made no move to disagree.

Rose took the hint and gently smiled. "It was a pleasure speaking to you both. I hope you find peace in each other's company." Toru was caught off guard by how purely gentle she was, only blinking as she turned to walk away.

Shadow blinked once. Then twice. Then he muttered under his breath, "The hell?"

"Who fuckin' knows?" Toru huffed, an even less formal tone than he usually would have making itself known. "She's weird. Beings of Light have that tendency, as far as I've ever been made aware."

"Hn," Shadow responded sullenly.

Toru turned slightly to him. "Something wrong?"

"No." Despite initially seeing no need to, Shadow soon elaborated, "You were correct, and I had no comment. That is all."

A small pause answered him, then Toru changed the subject. "What experience do you have with beings of Light?"

Shadow took time to consider that before answering. "My brother… he is my half brother. His mother is a being of Light. It is why his son possesses so much of it."

Toru seemed to understand that this might be a sensitive subject and approached it carefully. "You do not share a mother?"

Shadow shook his head. "No. We share a father, nothing more."

"I won't press. It already sounds complicated, and potentially upsetting. If you want to speak of any of it, however, I will listen," Toru murmured softly, closing his eyes. "It's perfectly fine either way, however."

Shadow looked at him briefly. "Why bother with it?" he found himself asking. "It is not your burden."

Toru place a hand on his chin for a moment, thinking of how exactly to word this. "Burden isn't the cause. Outsiders… no, _you_ are interesting. I see you as an ally, at least a potential one, and in viewing you as such, want to understand _you_. I did the same with Espio, as well as many others. It helps me to know how to approach different situations." Whether there was more to this matter, it wasn't plainly obvious. The chameleon kept his eyes closed for now, almost as if in continuous deep thought.

In all honesty, Shadow wasn't sure what to make of the idea that someone would be so interested in him. It was… _odd_ , to say the very least. _Why even care so much about a stranger?_

"Well…" Toru uncrossed his arms and opened his eyes. "Like I said. I won't press it. If you find yourself wanting to talk, find me. It should never be hard for you, since I stand out." Toru turned to climb the tree calmly, glancing back. "And for what it's worth, I hope those two come back. Especially your brother." He vanished up the tree, sitting in the spot he was in earlier when speaking to Shadow for the first time. Shadow simply nodded a little and walked away.

 **~保護者~**

 **8,989 words this time. Sorry this was posted so late, everyone. I've been on a sort of vacation, so to speak. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 1:50 p.m.) 05-17-20.**


	80. Heirloom

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this short-lived reunion… especially for the one who so dearly longs for the past.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Heirloom"**

 **~保護者~**

As Sonic and Steam approached closer, the flute music inevitably stopped. Sonic heard the sound of very slight movement and looked up in time to see a painfully familiar figure move into a crouch on a slender branch overhead. Emerald eyes peered down, equal parts confused and suspicious and _vastly_ more open than Sonic believed he had ever seen them. Another thing was readily clear as well. _He's younger… but not too much younger. He's gotta be at least my age. ...Well, my current physical age. Isn't that… isn't that how old he was before, during, and after all his adventures with Mom and Locke?_ Whether Steam had any thoughts or words to speak, he didn't voice them and instead gave a very soft nod of greetings.

Never one to waste time, much less with pleasantries and other polite gestures, Kaden dropped out of the tree and looked over them both quickly. However, his gaze soon focused specifically on Sonic. "Your name," he demanded.

Unless Sonic was mistaken, it almost seemed like Kaden… _recognized_ him? _That shouldn't be possible._ "Uh… It's- It's Sonic."

"Akalei," Steam answered, not wanting to leave himself unintroduced.

Sonic turned his head to him in surprise. "Wait, what?"

"We can talk about it later. We really need to talk to him, first," Steam murmured softly, lightly gesturing to Kaden.

Tucking his instrument carefully under his arm, Kaden interrupted them. "Your _name_ ," he said, tone slightly less abrasive than before. He seemed to have no interest in speaking any further words than those two so far.

Steam sighed softly, tossing a mild glare at Sonic before answering. "I go by Steam, primarily."

Honestly, Sonic wasn't surprised that his dad had figured out that whatever Steam had said wasn't what he tended to have people call him. He was, however, surprised that Kaden had bothered to ask about it. But he supposed focusing on the matter at hand was better than wondering about this. "We, uh… Well, we're lost, in a manner of speaking. We were hoping you could help us."

Kaden gave him a long look before turning his head away to contemplate the sky. Just when Sonic became certain his father wouldn't say a thing, Kaden murmured, "I cannot aid in transporting lost souls through time."

Steam picked up the conversation from there, crossing his arms lightly. "Do you know anyone who _might_ be able to do so?"

"Whether or not such a thing is possible where you come from, it is not possible _here_ ," Kaden told him frankly. "Our Immortals cannot help you, even the ones who would at least _try_. No one else can do it if they cannot."

A small flash of annoyance at this grew visible in his eyes, but Steam only sighed. "There _are_ people other than Immortals who are capable, technically," he countered lightly, frowning. "I'm assuming you haven't met anyone like that, then. Others that are powerful like them."

Sonic decided to speak up before these two could further grate on one another's nerves. Although, Kaden seemed surprisingly unruffled so far. "Maybe they aren't active around here in this time period, Steam," he suggested. "I mean… surely _someone_ on this world would have noticed if people like Cere were around, right?"

"If anyone had, it _would_ be Kaden or someone he's associated with," Steam murmured, tapping his foot lightly. "At least, that's what I would think."

The suspicion in Kaden's eyes grew. Finally, he decided to more directly question these two strangers. "Explain why you came looking for _me_."

After a small moment of hesitation, Sonic relented and said, "That's because we know you. I know you very, very well, actually. And I can prove it if you need me to."

"Do it, then. I do not intend to stay here all morning."

That little snippet of attitude made Sonic smile. _It's so good to see you being you… and you have no idea._ "Okay, so… to really prove to you that this is real, I'm gonna ask something weird of you." Frowning, Kaden crossed his arms. Sonic hurried to continue. "So, you have a sword named Caliburn in this era, right?"

A flicker of surprise showed in Kaden's expression for a fleeting moment, but he quickly quelled it. "...Yes."

"And I assume you know exactly where it is." Kaden merely stared, so Sonic nodded. "Right. Thought so. Okay, so, a friend of mine taught me a long time ago their weird little magic trick where you can keep weapons and other things on your person and just teleport them into your hand whenever you want or need them. I know you know that trick, too, and I'm gonna do it know. So, fair warning, I'm gonna arm myself but I'm _not_ attacking."

Kaden soon accepted this with a tiny nod. "Fine."

Without further ado, Sonic teleported _his_ Caliburn into his hand. It was visibly older and more well-used, but very clearly still the _same_ sword. That same flicker of surprise colored Kaden's expression and he hurried over, relieving Sonic of the blade and moving away again in one fluid motion so he could look it over and be _sure_. Knowing he would need to be allowed to do so for the sake of establishing trust, Sonic let him do his thing. Eventually, however, he decided to speak up again. "You gave that to me," he revealed quietly. "...In a manner of speaking, anyway. I found it and, with your permission, I kept it. You helped teach me to use it."

After a long moment, Kaden handed the sword back. He remained quiet for a time before letting out a tiny sigh. "...I have seen you before," he admitted, "with that sword. But only once."

"When?" Steam dared to ask, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"As a child," Kaden admitted. It took him a moment to continue, but he did. "A teacher of mine… possessed a magic whose effects could trigger visions. During training, we both saw you." He glanced specifically to Sonic. "You were with others, but… not him." This time, he glanced to Steam.

Steam nodded. "The main reason is that I'm not of the same timeline. I arrived to help with the threats that he and his allies were facing."

Kaden closed his eyes. "The nature of this threat. Explain that."

 _Which one?_ Steam almost asked, but ultimately refrained. "There is a woman who was granted privilege by an Immortal, effectively became like them, and has gone on to slaughter their kind. She now wishes to cause the collapse of known existence, across timelines and realms alike."

Much to Sonic's shock, Kaden's expression shifted into one of _deep_ distaste and he muttered, "Nareish, then."

"How do you know her?" Steam questioned, a deep frown on his face.

"Her and I share a… _history_ ," Kaden answered, now supremely unhappy. "However unwillingly on my part. She created a beast we came to know as the 'Time Eater' and forced myself and others to stop her half-assed attempts at breaking multiple timelines. We had a bit of a… _confrontation_ over it."

Steam took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "It's her. That's why we're in such a dire situation about returning to the time we came from."

Another moment of silence came and went before Kaden spoke again. "The vision I saw… in it, she was there. As was him," he gestured vaguely to Sonic, "and various symbols representing other players in a grand war. Is this the time you both come from?"

"Assuming at least one of those other players is Malevolence and the other is the leader of all demons… yeah," Sonic sighed. "That would be it." Kaden muttered something under his breath involving the words _vile_ and _obnoxious_ but didn't care to elaborate. Then, without any explanation on his part, he simply started walking away. Sonic knew enough to follow after him, motioning for Steam to do the same. Something in Steam hesitated momentarily, but he quickly overcame this and moved along after Sonic. Once he was sure Steam was coming, Sonic asked, "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere with fewer prying eyes and ears," Kaden answered him. "I would not have you create a panic in my city."

Steam nodded. "We tried to avoid that when we entered," he admitted. "That's the last thing we need right now."

"Hn," Kaden murmured, idly teleporting his flute away. Looking around, he seemingly made sure the coast was clear before telling them softly, "It may not seem like it, but we are under strict lockdown at the moment. Leaving, even via teleportation, is not an option unless you are looking to pick a fight. I recommend not trying it at the moment."

"How did we get _in_ that way, then?" Steam questioned. "Surely they'd track both ways."

"Someone aided you," Kaden responded. "Otherwise you _would_ have been noticed. The only one who would have even _considered_ helping you lives there." He pointed to a high floor of a massive temple. "She more than likely had a reason for doing what she did. Seeing her would be prudent."

"...Who?" Steam further questioned, glancing to the temple quietly.

Sonic squinted up at the indicated floor. "...Surely it's no stuffy old religious person, right? I mean… I heard they hold to traditions and rules very tightly."

Kaden huffed at him, but actually agreed. "They generally do. Few are willing to accept change, no matter how loudly it beats upon their doors."

"So… who is it, then?" Sonic asked, getting back on track.

"A newcomer, as you suggested," Kaden admitted. Something in his eyes was unexpectedly softer all of a sudden. "Her name is Analia. She has not lived here long."

"Makes too much sense, then," Steam sighed, shaking his head. "She is definitely not like many others."

Doing his best to contain his joy, Sonic tried to focus on the matter at hand. "I didn't know M- I mean, Analia was religious."

At this, Kaden shrugged. "I do not believe she is. But she agrees with their moral stance and the acts of good they strive to commit. She joined them for that reason."

"Leave it to her to do that," Steam commented, smiling faintly. "Anyway… should we just go in?"

The question was reasonable, as they were approaching the steps to the temple, but Kaden motioned for them to stay put. "No. Few outsiders are ever permitted to enter when there is not a service, and no _men_ generally."

Sonic blinked a few times. "You can, though?"

This earned another huff. "Only because one of the Ladies knew me when I was small." He started climbing the steps. "I will fetch Analia. Wait here."

Steam nodded, but only contained the mild disdain he felt until Kaden was gone. "Fuckin' religions…"

"What about 'em?" Sonic asked, putting his arms up behind his head.

"While they can do good, they have a bad tendency to breed problematic people and often have unnecessary and arbitrary rules that illogically interrupt the natural flow of things." It was obvious he was speaking from some experience, but he soon amended what he said. "Though, there are good people that genuinely want to do _good_ , like Analia or Rose."

"Steam… you can't just generalize like that," Sonic sighed. "I mean… this religion here, whatever it is, can't be _all_ bad. You heard Dad. One of the women here knew him when he was little, and I bet that means she's the one who used to feed him and tell him stories and stuff when his sensei wasn't around. And Mom even joined them. So, you know, I figure it's got to be good _overall_ , right?"

Steam sighed softly. "Sorry," he muttered faintly. "Long, _long_ history."

"No need to be sorry for saying how you feel," Sonic shrugged. "We're just having a discussion, is all. No need to get upset, okay?"

"My opinions tend to breed problems," Steam answered softly, crossing his arms. "I've lost people over them too often."

"Eh, you won't run into that problem with us," Sonic answered him. He was quiet before sighing and saying, "Look, I don't know what your thoughts are, but I figure you're a friend by now. I care about what my friends think and feel, even when we disagree about shit. You don't have to feel like you can't share that stuff around me or any of the rest of the group."

Steam murmured something softly under his breath about a child, but ultimately resigned. "I know. Or, rather, I've _known_ , I should probably say."

"Great." Sonic tossed him a quick smile. "So stop being such a knucklehead. That's Knuckles's job, and he's not here at the moment. We don't need anyone to pick up his slack right now."

The green hedgehog snorted. "Don't act like I can't blast you to kingdom come for your dumb little jokes you like to crack." There was no hostility in his voice, only amusement at this point.

"Nah, you wouldn't."

"I'll show you when we're not prone to grabbing unwanted attention. You still need to practice fighting more, anyway," Steam answered lightly, a faint smile on his face.

Sonic made a face, then grumbled, "We… don't talk about that."

"I suppose I'll have to do that as well, maybe see if I can get this Kaden to kick your ass around too. Could be funny."

After sticking his tongue out like the petulant child he apparently still was, Sonic admitted, "I actually really would love the chance to spar with Dad even just once more. I just… don't think it's ever going to happen, you know? Even now, we don't have _time_."

Steam shrugged softly. "I know, it was just an attempt at a joke. Poor taste, in hindsight."

Sonic answered the shrug with one of his own. "Maybe. Guess that's partly my fault for always being… well, like this. Sorry about that."

A light flick to Sonic's head served as the initial answer. "Hush. You're fine as you are."

Another shrug, then Sonic decided to try and switch gears a bit. "On… On another note, I had a thought. But it's banking on us maybe not being able to leave here right away… and someone having drawn up a _damn_ good map."

"Gonna need more of an explanation than that, Sonic," Steam answered lightly.

"I was getting there, sheesh." Sonic glanced toward the steps to see if Kaden was coming yet, saw he wasn't, and continued. "One of the _biggest_ struggles we're facing in the present right now is Espio. I came to realize earlier today that he would _absolutely_ have been around even before this time period, though I don't know how old he would've been. But that _also_ means Shei and Aniko are around. And considering that the Highlands, just like Chun-nan, were once part of South Island, we might be able to _find_ them."

Steam frowned. "You… realize that if we run across Aniko, there's a chance she'll outright murder me for having the potential to handle Light, right?"

Sonic had a quick counter to that. "Her son is one of the most _important_ things in her life, isn't he?"

"Absolutely. She puts him before most things, as far as I can tell."

"Given that information… I think I can sway her opinion of us pretty quickly, if we can create the opportunity," Sonic answered. "All I know is that we may have to try, because talking to them may give us insight that we _desperately_ need if we're going to save Espio from all of this. ...Not to mention the rest of us."

Steam sighed and nodded. "That… just might be a risk we have to take, then," he admitted.

"It really does have the potential to be a suicude mission, though," Sonic replied. "As you pointed out, Aniko won't take too kindly to us showing up. And, of course, the rest of the chameleons won't, either."

"There's a chance that we can appeal to Shei if he shows up. He, like Aniko, is greatly respected. If we can grab her attention, or his, we should be able to get through to them and not die."

"...Our first step would be finding a mapmaker who even knows that the Highlands, whatever they might be called in this era, exist," Sonic answered. "We-"

Before he could continue, a glimmer of white caught his eye. Turning his head, he found himself immediately overwhelmed by emotion as his mother walked down the steps in one of her pure white ancient outfits. She wore a sort of half-shirt with no sleeves that didn't cover her stomach and a long skirt with a slit down the side for ease of movement in combat. Her sandals made the quietest of sounds as she approached with a smile on her face and Kaden at her heels. "I see… you did make it in safely. I am glad."

Steam nodded softly, giving a greeting much like he did with Kaden. "Is it right to assume you were the one who helped us in?"

"It is," she acknowledged, coming to a stop at the bottom step. Then, before they even had a chance to ask, she explained, "I sensed the disruption in time as you arrived… as did Kaden. We both assumed something was amiss, so when you began approaching the city I decided it would be best to lend you a hand."

Sonic nodded slowly, cleared his throat a little, and asked, "He mentioned the city is in some sort of lockdown? Why is that?"

"A time of great peril has just ended," Analia told him, "but the waves of conflict have not fully ebbed. New people now populate our world, and many hold great fear over it. Everyone has decided to be as cautious as possible here."

Vague though she was, Sonic thought he understood. _We arrived at the tail end of the Mobi-Babylonian War, then._

Steam frowned softly, tapping his foot on the ground. "I see. Though…" The idea of this bothered him greatly for some reason.

Analia took a breath and let it out slowly. "I will not burden you both with this issue. As of now… I imagine you have enough to contend with. Please, if there is anything I can do to aid you, I would like to be told so. I wish to help however I can."

"We need to find someone who might be capable of getting us back to our time," Steam answered softly. Kaden suddenly started biting his lower lip a bit in a way he sometimes subconsciously did when thinking hard about something that had captured his interest heavily.

Sonic noted that detail with a bit of a smile and decided to give him time to contemplate. "Is there anything you know of that can help?" he asked Analia specifically.

"I do not," she admitted. "I apologize for that. However…" She turned to Kaden and gently patted his cheek. "You are biting yourself again, Kaden," she gently pointed out. He initially frowned at the reminder _not_ to do that, but nevertheless he stopped. Once he did, she asked him, "You have the beginnings of an idea… yes?"

Although he hesitated, he didn't make any effort to deny her words. "...Perhaps," he said instead. "But I need time to determine if it is even _remotely_ feasible."

"What is it?" Steam questioned, frowning once more.

Kaden shook his head, refusing to say just now. "I will not offer false hopes. Let me deal with this on my own for a time." He met Steam's gaze for a half-second, then Sonic's. "...You have some other business here. State it."

"We need a map," Sonic volunteered. "The best that can be offered… if that's possible."

Analia's whole face brightened with a delighted smile. "It most certainly is," she was pleased to report. Turning to Kaden again, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be a dear and fetch Locke, won't you?" Appearing just the _slightest_ bit flustered and embarrassed by the contact and the term 'dear', Kaden mumbled a response and hastily fled to do as he'd been asked.

Steam decided to ask a question in Kaden's absence, idly noting the embarrassment of Kaden. "There's someone that I want to know if you ever came across. Well, a few people."

"Yes?" Analia gently prodded.

"Did you ever meet two of the 'new people' by the names of Sein and Alana?"

This earned a small smile. "Please, you need not use some terms. We know they are Babylonians now, I can assure you. We are no longer as ignorant as we were. And as for your question…" Her head canted, a look of sadness crossing her face. "Yes. We do know them. Alana… lost her mother only very recently. She and her companion are both grief-stricken. I wish we could aid them more."

"Laralei…" Steam murmured softly. "The Queen of Babylon. That was her mother."

"Yes… we know this."

Steam coughed softly and closed his eyes, quelling the emotion this drug up within him. "Anyway… One more person. Have you ever come across someone by the name of Semari?"

That look of sadness was replaced with one of gentler confusion. "I have not," Analia answered with a shake of her head. "Is she someone of importance to you?"

Oddly, Steam seemed _extremely_ relieved by that. "She's just my mother… and a complete nutcase."

This actually provoked a soft laugh from Analia. "Perhaps you should not say such things about your mother, dear."

Sonic tossed Steam a sort of look. "...Nut case?" he dared to ask.

"You're both better off _never_ meeting her. Let's just say that to contain her inane tendencies and energy, there is something existential in my timeline _meant_ to keep her held. _That's_ the kind of crazy she is," Steam answered, glancing between them both with an entirely serious look.

Eyes widening, Sonic could only mutter, "The hell…?"

A small rush of wind was the only initial indication that Kaden had returned. That Locke was unceremoniously dumped at their feet was further proof. The echidna laid there for all of two seconds before scrambling to his feet and rounding on Kaden. "What the _hell_ , you bastard?! I was _asleep_!"

Kaden tossed him a fanged grin. "And now you are not," he commented smoothly. "Fancy that."

Steam snickered faintly at this, shaking his head. "We don't need his temper sparked, Kaden, no matter how funny it is."

"I am reasonably sure you will survive it, if it happens," Kaden retorted easily. Only his speed allowed him to duck fast enough to avoid being smacked in the face with an angry fist. Locke, having missed, muttered crossly to himself and bent to retrieve his prized hat from the ground… the very same one Sonic had always seen him in as a child. The sight left him a little choked up, so he thought it best not to try talking just yet.

"I'd be more worried about _Sonic_ surviving, since I've made it through far worse," Steam commented easily.

This snapped Sonic out of it and he glared. "Fuck off, alright? Honestly."

Locke interrupted, perhaps unintentionally, with a heavy sigh. "Alright, let's get this over with… why am I here, Kaden?"

Kaden nodded to Sonic and Steam. "They require a map." When Locke frowned, Kaden huffed and assured, " _Not_ one of your treasure maps. A standard map, but one that takes into account all known portions of the world. I believe you keep all such documents safe now, yes?"

At this, Locke turned to face the pair. "...Yeah, I do. Mind tellin' me why you need to get your hands on something so rare and precious?"

Steam frowned. "We… we need to see the chameleons," he admitted. "A friend of ours is having issues that only they would know about, so we _need_ to learn what we can do to actually help him."

When Kaden and Analia traded vaguely blank looks, Sonic honestly wasn't surprised. _By their own telling, they'd never heard of the chameleons before their first deaths. Locke, however… he really knows our world's history. If any outsider would be aware of their existence, it would be someone like him._ With that in mind, he allowed himself a measure of hope and asked, "Do you think you can help us find them?"

In a motion Sonic knew too well from his childhood, Locke out one hand on his hip and used the other to scratch at his head a little under his hat. "...Never thought I'd come across folks who actually know about those guys," he admitted. "Reclusive bunch of people, them. And _very_ dangerous, I'll have you know. ...But I imagine you know that, or you wouldn't be asking." He sighed. "Getting to the point… I don't have a clue where they live. But if you have some idea, then yeah. I can get you a map. It stays with me, though. You're welcome to look as long as you want, but you can't take it with you anywhere. It's too fragile for that."

Steam nodded softly. "Understood."

Locke turned back to Kaden. "Do me a favor and teleport me back to Angel Island, you asshole. I am _not_ flying all the way there today. Do you have any idea how long that takes?"

Kaden actually rolled his eyes. "Cease your whining already." He teleported Locke away before the echidna could retort.

"I… think he meant for us to go with him," Sonic said to Steam. "After that spiel about the map not going anywhere and all that."

Steam nodded softly, then turned to Analia and gave a gentle and thankful nod in her direction. "Thank you for being who you are, Analia. You helped myself and a lot of people in my timeline, and you're certainly on the way to doing the same here."

Though she tilted her head, a little puzzled, she nevertheless replied, "Thanks are not required, young one. But I appreciate it regardless." She offered her own smile to him and Sonic. "Get going, both of you. Locke will not like to be kept waiting. Whenever you are finished, return here. I will ensure safe passage into the city again, as I did for these two." She tossed Kaden a look and a smile that seemed to make him a little flustered all over again. His urge to flee once more showed itself in how antsy he got, clearly ready to just run.

Steam nodded and waved before turning and walking to Sonic. "Sorry about that. Let's go, then." Answering with only a nod and somewhat saddened look at his parents, Sonic teleported after Locke, heart heavy with the knowledge that seeing these two together and happy like this might never happen again once they truly left this place. Steam teleported after him hastily, not wanting to waste anyone's time further.

 **~保護者~**

Cere descended the stairs ever so quietly, glancing to either side as she would usually simply out of caution. This all felt unfamiliar, and the area around her had just enough light to allow her to see. Her eyes examined the darkness around her and she felt her heart sink when she realized that this was distinctly fog-like.

Her descent quickened, bounding down the stairs to find the source. The walls around her fell apart, making way for a wide, open room that was already pitch black. Cere could sense the origins of this darkness and ventured further, only to be tackled to the floor by her pupil. The floor cracked and broke under her, and the two went into a free fall with Cere forced to wrestle against Armaris until she could throw the younger woman off. Cere slammed against the ground and held her hand out to summon her halberd in just enough time to clash with Armaris's sword.

This battle raged on before Cere fully realized that this was futile, and that she had no way to stop or save her student. Judgement flowed around her and she, with all of the reluctance of a caring mother, struck the one she dared call her daughter to the ground and drive the blade in to save the child from herself.

A few seconds later, a gentle but insistent nudge on Cere's shoulder interrupted the events at hand, seeming to put everything on pause. The Hexan woke with a start, breaking out in a cold sweat and throwing herself into a sitting position. The intense fear immediately shone within her eyes, and she looked around rapidly. Finis was seated on the edge of the bed she had (at his insistence) borrowed in Nier's home, watching her quietly as she gradually came to her senses. The woman flopped back on the bed, closing her eyes and placing her hands on her face. "What… was I doing?"

Finis seamlessly re-established their usual mental link and replied blandly, _"Dreaming."_ After a small pause, he added, _"Perhaps you should cease to do that, for your own sake, hm?"_

"Shut up," she murmured, managing a small smile before it faded once more. "It was about Armaris… again."

 _"What did you see this time?"_ he asked her, frowning a little.

"She had lost control of herself. I couldn't tell if she was demonic or not… but, we fought. I ended up having to kill her, then you woke me up."

There was another moment of silence. _"You let your fears take root far too deeply, Cere,"_ he eventually told her, _"in spite of all your preaching about handling emotions properly. You need to begin heeding your own words."_

Cere was quiet before she rolled over enough to look at him, a sigh escaping her. "It happens with every child I care for, Finis…"

 _"No. It does not."_

"How can I know that something will not happen to them, Finis? Nareish is still on the loose, and so is _Kaden_. Either of them could fall at any moment," she murmured.

 _"You cannot know for certain that they won't,"_ he agreed, _"but you also cannot be certain that they will. You cannot treat your fears as an inevitability."_

Cere pushed herself back up into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around him softly. Given that he was semi-physical, this gentle contact worked well enough. "I cannot help but fear for them. We have seen so many fall…"

Shaking his head, Finis returned her hug with both arms and then rested his chin atop her head. _"These two… they are not like the others. They have the means to survive, Cere. It is why you took to them so readily, is it not?"_

She was quiet at this, glancing down before laying her head on his shoulder. "If they do not survive, I do not believe this war can be won," she admitted. "I suppose that is… _part_ of the fear."

 _"They will survive,"_ he assured her. _"They will not die so easily. You must make an effort to remember this. Each of them has far too much to fight for… and far too much to lose should they fail. That is not an outcome either is willing to face."_

As much as Cere wished she could tighten the hug, she knew that it would end up simply passing through him, so she refrained and slowly pulled back. "Therin and Kial did not notice… correct?"

Albeit with a touch of reluctance, Finis let her go. _"Your nightmare? No. Therin is busy keeping watch over Analia, and Kial has seemingly wandered off. I believe your secret is safe for now."_

"The last thing our allies need is a worry or lack of faith in their leadership," Cere murmured softly. "I cannot fail them."

 _"And you will not,"_ Finis answered her simply. _"You will be fine, and so will those who follow you."_

"What do you think will come of Li? He has been scarred by this war, far worse than I could have ever imagined. He watched his whole world, his whole life fall apart around him."

 _"I do not know. It is likely he will recover, but it will take time. He is not as weak as his meek exterior would have many believe. He will make do."_

Cere nodded slowly, and her mind began wandering over the rest of their remaining group. "Sona… she has spoken with me on the matter of finding someone to replace her. She believes herself incapable of fulfilling the role like she's supposed to… despite doing very well."

 _"If she wishes to find a successor, then let her do so,"_ he answered her simply. _"It is better for all if someone who wants the role fill it. Obligation alone cannot serve as proper motivation to do a God or Goddess's job."_

That much was true, and Cere knew it. The rest of their kind were likely to stay in their positions, but varying other matters came to mind. "Finis, what do you think happened with the situation where Analia was saved? Those three could not have entered that trap, much less _left_ alive."

Finis shook his head again, just as bewildered as she was. _"Jet was far from forthcoming about what occurred, and Analia was not conscious for any of it. I cannot draw a conclusion from such a tiny fragment of information."_

"It seems unreal," Cere murmured softly. "I feel like… Jet truly didn't know, either."

 _"Perhaps not, but it does not explain his refusal to speak of it," Finis answered, frowning a little._

Cere sighed, shaking her head. "I simply do not know what to make of much of this… So many unprecedented matters occurring, but I suppose that a war of this kind would warrant such."

 _"We have been through similar events before,"_ Finis told her softly. _"We knew this would be so."_

"Hm…" Cere tapped her finger against the bed lightly, making a small face as she thought.

Finis tilted his head, watching her, then reached out and gently tapped her nose. _"You are making faces again."_

The Hexan broke from her thoughts with a start, blinking a few times before frowning. "You're a pain, Finis."

For once, he managed a fleeting smile - a truly rare thing coming from a neutral being of Darkness. _"I try."_

She snorted at him, shaking her head. "Armaris would've called you an asshole by now."

 _"And I would survive her wrath, as I always do,"_ he retorted mildly.

"She's not the one you'd need to be scared of," Cere answered in kind, smiling faintly.

At that point, Finis gave her another slight nudge. _"That child of yours has surprised me recently, Cere,"_ he admitted. _"Did you know that she has begun to open herself to romance somewhat?"_

"I noticed, slightly. She's always been the romantic sort, though. Suppose it plays into how emotional she is," Cere answered softly. "Who are you referring to?"

There was a bit of silence before he answered. _"That chameleon she somewhat knew as a child… it would seem she has taken to him quite a lot these days."_

"Espio?" Cere asked, tilting her head. "Are you certain?"

 _"Yes,"_ he nodded. _"Very."_

Cere frowned thoughtfully. "That's… interesting."

 _"Indeed."_ He tilted his head a little. _"What are your thoughts?"_ While it was true they understood one another on a level no one else could ever grasp, he still felt the need to ask as opposed to simply use his own mind to find the answer himself. She usually appreciated such a courtesy, and he did as well.

"If that is who she chooses, then I cannot particularly speak otherwise," Cere answered softly. "Though, he is… _dangerous_ , is he not?"

 _"More so than most anyone we have ever dared to call an 'ally',"_ Finis remarked carefully. _"...More so than most enemies we have ever faced, as well. And he shows no sign of having reached the limits of his strength and ability yet."_

"Armaris has not reached her _full_ peak yet, either," Cere murmured. "She has many skills that she can advance or improve on, but likely would not measure up to Espio in the fields he has expertise in. Not to mention his Darkness is… _immense_."

Finis's earlier frown returned and grew deeper. _"Cere… it is fueled by the endless reserves of the Realm of Darkness itself, as Kaden's is. Have you noticed?"_

She nodded. "Yes, I have."

 _"Her being with him is vastly more dangerous than she may realize,"_ he responded grimly.

"She will not back down," Cere explained softly. "She is not one to fully abandon feelings for someone, be they positive or negative."

 _"That is not the point, Cere,"_ Finis returned with another frown. _"He could kill her. In the wrong state of mind, he will have no qualms about doing so."_

Cere nodded. "I understand this, but…" She leaned back once more, sighing. "The same goes for all around him. All of his allies are in danger as well."

He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. _"Something must be done. His kind… we bore witness to their exploits in days of old. They were a scourge upon existence and everything in it. They upset the balance for too many times for my liking. We cannot allow those old evils to take hold in any member of that race again."_

"Then what do you propose we do?"

 _"You are in charge. You tell me."_

"Do you think we can trust his family and Armaris to keep him from succumbing _fully_ to his Darkness?"

 _"I do not know. His family, for one thing, is where his Darkness came from."_

"Yet, they do not use it."

 _"I am aware. But the same forces that are at work within their child could take hold in them, should someone choose to introduce any degree of corruption to the pair."_

"The same goes for Armaris," Cere admitted slowly. "Though, I do not know what else we can do. Attempting to control any member of that family will be met with harsh retaliation, and from _more_ than just the chameleons. Such a thing is out of the question."

Finis silently sighed. _"Something must be done. If this situation spirals any further out of control, particularly considering the two distinct taints his Darkness now carries, we will have no choice but to intervene. It cannot be avoided forever."_

"If it does, _then_ we will step in. For now, any action will be met with hostility and cause tensions that we cannot risk."

 _"I do not like the idea of simply letting this be. Our enemies are far too interested in him and his potential."_

"What is there for us _to_ do in regards to this?"

"I do not know." The pair of them fell silent for a time before Finis decided to speak again. "You should attempt to rest more. You have not done that often enough since the start of this conflict."

Cere laid down, but beckoned to him with a quiet, "Lay with me."

He raised an eyebrow almost teasingly. _"I was under the impression I was to keep watch."_

"You can still keep watch from in here," she huffed.

Shrugging, he did as asked and laid down beside her. Once comfortable, he put his arm over her middle, the action equal parts protective, comforting, and possessive. _"Sleep,"_ he quietly commanded.

In spite of herself, she let out a yawn before closing her eyes. "Thank you, Finis."

Softly shushing her, he too closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim her once more.

 **~保護者~**

 **6,743 words this time. So, uh, I was supposed to have posted this earlier but forgot... and I also managed to lose the _entire_ ending of the bottom scene after the line, "[...]far too interested in him and his potential." I did my best to re-write it from memory, but... yeah. My apologies. Anyway, many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you enjoyed. Posted (at about 7:15 p.m.) 05-18-20.**


	81. Something to Protect

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time where there is both hope and a lack thereof… especially for the one who cries those happy tears.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Something to Protect"**

 **~保護者~**

"Right, well… here it is." Locke spread a map across the flat top of a wood table. The scroll appeared antiquated even for this era, but even so the sheer amount of detail the old drawings contained was superb. "Do me a favor and don't touch, alright?"

"We won't," Sonic was quick to promise.

Locke nodded. "Tell me anything you can about the place you're looking for," he instructed. "I'd wager you guys don't know the language this was written in, so I'll handle finding your destination on the map."

"It's a mountain range," Sonic said, "and a big one at that. It doesn't have near as many mountains as the range Chun-nan was built within, but there are still a _bunch_ of peaks. And they're substantially higher."

Already, Locke's eyes were roving over the large expanse of the map. "I'm not seeing anything like that on here, kid."

 _That_ nickname shot a metaphorical arrow through Sonic, but he choked back his emotions as much as he possibly could. "How…" He swallowed hard. "How about this, then. Do you know of any regions to the far north that are hidden away by barriers? They'd be _immensely_ powerful, not even letting people like you through."

Now that caught Locke's attention. "...You know what, there is a place like that." He pointed to a part of that map that, upon closer inspection, was filled with inked-in clouds. Perhaps that indicated that whatever was there was unknown? "Actually, this is the _only_ place like that. It's farther to the west than the Uichei Mountains, the ones Chun-nan are in, but teleporting to the edges of that area should be easy enough if you've got that ability."

Sonic blinked once or twice. He'd seen that name written before, but had never been sure how to pronounce it… until now. _So it's "wee-chae" and not "oo-ee-chae". Got it._ "Yeah, we can teleport just fine," he answered. Then he offered a tentative smile. "Thanks for your help. We really, really appreciate it."

Locke turned to fully face the two hedgehogs and loosely crossed his arms. "You sure you know what you're getting yourselves into? I may not have ever come face-to-face with that society myself, but I've heard the stories. They massacred close to seventy-percent of our world's _entire_ population before they went into hiding for an unknown reason. If the legends are to be believed, they did that in only a matter of _weeks_. These are not friendly people."

 _Leave it to Locke to be so concerned, even about strangers._ That warm feeling grew alongside Sonic's smile.

"We can handle ourselves," Steam answered softly. "And, even if we didn't, we absolutely need to do this."

"Whatever you say," Locke shrugged. He rolled up the map and began walking off with it, his free hand raised in casual farewell. "G'luck. You'll need it."

"Thank you," Steam murmured, glancing to Sonic. "You ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sonic sighed. He teleported away without waiting for a reply, landing as close to the barrier as he dared. Naturally, it was snowy and _beyond_ freezing in this area, and he stood there shivering while waiting for Steam to arrive. Steam landed beside Sonic, a barrier flaring to life around the two to temporarily protect them from the cold. Fighting off the urge to let his teeth chatter, Sonic mumbled, "So… got a plan to get in?"

Steam walked up to the barrier, leaving his own and quietly inspecting it. Flames erupted around his fist, followed by a bright golden glow before he threw a wild haymaker against the barrier, gritting his teeth from the effort in this cold. " _Fuck_ , this area makes it hard to move."

Another sigh escaped Sonic. "I should've guessed that busting a hole would be the only option…" he mumbled as he moved over to join Steam. "I think I can conjure up enough Chaos to help, but I don't want to use it _right_ by you. I still don't fully understand how this stuff affects people and shit."

Steam nodded, moving away to give Sonic room to do what he was planning. "Alright."

Once Steam was safely out of the way, Sonic let out as concentrated a blast as possible with whatever reserves of Chaos he had within him right then. This visibly weakened the barrier in a small area, but already it had begun repairing itself. "Alright, whatever you're gonna do needs to be fast, Steam."

"Got it," he answered, letting his body be flooded with Light before throwing an attack similar to what he had before, expelling every last bit of Light he'd built up in this short time in a burst. This was enough to create a fissure just large enough for the pair to slip through if they were fast enough, so Sonic rushed in at top speed before the opportunity was lost. As he did so, he quickly pulled up what he needed on his communicator, knowing they probably didn't have a second to spare. Steam followed him in, quickly walking up beside Sonic and frowning.

Suddenly, Steam sensed a blade pointed at him from behind, his gaze flicking toward Sonic with a grimace. "Who are you?" the female asked, animosity clear in her voice.

Sonic cringed but very slowly raised his hands in surrender. Drawing upon what knowledge he had of chameleon manners, he awkwardly said, "Lady Aniko, we… um, we're actually here on behalf of your family. Specifically, your son. We know him, or rather another version of him, and I can _prove_ that."

Aniko pressed her blade further against Steam's neck, drawing nearer with obvious distrust. "Who are you to say you know my family?" she demanded harshly. "Speak clearly or your heads will be removed."

This was no idle threat, so Sonic wisely hurried up. "If I can be free to move… I'll show you what I'm talking about. It just involves the device on my wrist. That's all."

"You are granted mere seconds. Make any other moves and I will make my earlier threat a promise," she answered.

"Right… so I'm just going to take it off, press a button and hand it to you," Sonic advised, cautiously moving to do as he'd said while talking. He was soon blindly handing the device behind him while saying, "In this era, I know people can view events that once occurred using magic that 'records' them. This is like that, only it doesn't use magic. It's just a recording for you to watch."

Aniko snatched it from him and investigatively tapped the screen, frowning, while keeping her sword pressed against Steam. "No moves, either of you."

"Got it…" Sonic mumbled.

Meanwhile, the video in Aniko's hand began to play. There was nothing of particular importance at first, just some people talking, waving at the camera, and so on, but then whoever was holding the device turned to face Sonic. Sonic grinned and waved, then called out, _'Hey, Shadow, come say hi to the camera!"_

Said camera turned to face the hedgehog in question, who had apparently been having a conversation with Espio. Both he and the chameleon traded looks, then Shadow simply shook his head. The cameraman, now revealed to be Silver, audibly pouted. _"Aw, you two are no fun. C'mon, Espio, make him say hi."_

 _"I will do no such thing."_

The video ended after that, the file too corrupted with age to be played further. But Sonic hoped it said enough to save his and Steam's lives here. Aniko sheathed her sword and grabbed them both by the necks, obviously light enough that she wasn't attempting to kill either of them. "Both of you will come with me," she murmured. "You will speak nothing, do nothing, and merely do as I say. Is that understood?" Sonic was quick to nod. Steam nodded as well. Aniko teleported with them to the village of Hyale, setting them both on their feet and motioning for them to follow her as she walked.

Sonic did as instructed and walked after her. _That… went a lot better than I thought it would._

Steam glanced to Sonic as they walked behind the chameleon, a small thoughtful frown on his face. Aniko glanced to them both, turning to face them both as she walked backward. "So, what is your purpose in invading our lands?"

"The invading was… not our main intent," Sonic promised, ears dipping down a bit. Then he got to the point. "Like I said before, we know your son, Espio. I don't know if you're familiar with timelines and all that, but in the one we come from he's an adult now. Beyond that… I imagine you won't want me to mention it around prying eyes and ears. It's… really important."

Aniko glared at him, glancing to Steam then back to Sonic. "The two of you were capable of breaking a hole in our barriers. How?"

"We're semi-Immortals," Sonic supplied, "like you and your people. We're just semi-Immortals of a different variety, is all." His sensitive ears picked up some sounds nearby, but he mostly ignored them. It made sense to him that their walk was being monitored by other villagers.

"Remnants of Light," Aniko muttered, her gaze falling on Steam. "It is not inherently present within you, yet, you used it."

"I'm called a Balancer. I have access to Darkness and Light respectively for various purposes," Steam answered. "I don't have either, but mere access. The Darkness is also neutral in nature, should you be curious."

Aniko snorted at him. "You both are certainly from a time where you have met myself… or you know the story of my people." She didn't wait for a response before turning around, shaking her head. Who are these fools?

A few seconds later, the sound of small feet rushing toward them interrupted the three. A roughly three or four year old (meaning very much still a baby by chameleon standards) ran up to Aniko and immediately skidded to a halt. Seemingly unaware of the visitors, the child raised his arms up high, opening and closing his hands, silently begging to be picked up. He was obviously quite happy to see Aniko and desperately wanted her affection right that second, as babies were wont to do. Aniko cast both of the outsiders a borderline murderous glare, as if daring them to come any closer as she carefully and gently picked up her child with a soft smile. "You were not supposed to come out here at this time. Why have you done so?"

Having known already that Espio had been mute throughout his earliest years, Sonic wasn't surprised when Espio used his hands to reply. _"I watching music,"_ he signed happily, pointing at an apparent musician just out of sight around a tree. Sonic couldn't help but smile. _"He have a flute, mama."_

Aniko shook her head in amusement. "Be careful, Espio," she murmured softly, holding the young child close. "Stay by me for now, okay?"

His response was swift… and undeniably cute. He snuggled right up to her with a nod, using small hands to help hold himself in place. Only then did he seem to notice Sonic and Steam, and his innate curiosity caused his eyes to immediately light up. Less than a second later, he was signing again, though he did so too rapidly for Sonic to follow. All he got was lots of signs for _"fast"_ and _"happy"_. Did that mean he had seen their entrance and was excited by the speed he'd witnessed…? Maybe, but with a baby it was hard to be sure. Aniko set a hand on Espio's head, gently attempting to calm him down as she resumed walking. This caused the little boy to begin signing a near-endless stream of questions at her in regards to these strangers, seemingly just wanting to ask them and not ever allowing her time to attempt to answer. Sonic thought it best _not_ to laugh at the sight and instead just followed in silence.

Aniko teleported into her home, then turned and teleported Sonic and Steam up with her, walking further in. "Shei," she called. The chameleon in question appeared to be asleep in another room, judging by the feel of his aura, and didn't immediately reply. This prompted Espio to squirm away from Aniko and scurry off to fetch his father himself. The woman turned to them both, a faint sigh escaping her. "You two should sit. You may now speak freely, but watch your tongues." Her scrutinizing gaze locked on Steam. "You especially. I can sense your brashness from a mile away."

Being allowed to sit was a rare privilege for unwelcome guests, so Sonic thought it best to accept the invasion and immediately sat, pulling Steam down at the same time. "The thing I didn't want to say before," he told her quickly, "involves Darkness. I really, really wish this _wasn't_ true, but Espio's has been raging in our timeline. Not continuously, granted, but that's mostly because twice now powerful beings of Light - allies of ours, I swear - have intervened and helped to keep it at bay. We just… we're at a point now where there's _nothing_ else we know of that we can do. If things escalate further, we don't even fully know what to _expect_." He sighed and lowered his gaze. "We came here looking for help. Help for us, certainly, but mostly for _him_. We didn't know who else to turn to."

Aniko held up a finger to signal for him to be quiet, frowning. " _Wait_ , for one thing. Shei will be in here soon. He _will_ be present for that conversation."

As if on cue, her partner entered the room with Espio wandering in behind him. He signed a quick, _"I heard, Aniko,"_ as he took a seat beside the table. Espio, meanwhile, tottered out to the porch to go bother Aku.

Her gaze fell back on Sonic and she took a seat as well, glancing between them. "His Darkness grew out of control, yes?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah. At first, it did so naturally - albeit as a result of outside efforts to mess with his emotions in order to trigger the first outburst. That took a good six or seven centuries to achieve, a fact the rest of us were unaware of until very recently, but everything's just been snowballing since then."

Steam cut in to provide more information. "He's also progressed to the point where his markings coalesced into one, and his eyes have also nearly shifted in color to gold once as a result of his Darkness."

Sonic was quick to add one more bit of information for the moment. "That one marking… we've been told that it fading away into nonexistence means… bad news, to say the least. And as of right now, it's _barely_ visible when you're right beside him."

Aniko shifted her gaze to Shei, a notable frown on her face. "Your thoughts?"

Shei was frowning deeply. _"This should not be possible. His emotions are never so volatile that they can trigger such a chain of events."_

At this, Sonic cringed. "That's… just it. Normally they're _not_. The only reason they have been lately, aside from when he's actively struggling with his Darkness, is when he's around the woman behind all of this. He… has feelings toward her, to some degree, but also hates her as much as one _can_ hate a person. That creates a _lot_ of chaos within him."

An obviously distasteful expression made its way onto Aniko's face, but she said nothing about it. "Is there anything more you wish to tell us?"

With another grimace, Sonic shook his head. "Nothing else that's relevant to this and what you can maybe help us with… no."

Aniko closed her eyes, thinking. "This is… _problematic_."

"Is there _anything_ we can do?" Sonic asked her quietly.

"To combat this, it would usually require _many_ years of training, to put it very lightly. He would need to be taught how to properly control his Darkness," Aniko answered. "That is what I and Shei went through to control our own."

"That's not feasible in our timeline," Sonic mumbled. "We don't have the luxury of that much _time_. We're all stuck in the grips of a _massive_ war, and he's partly at the center of some of the conflict. We know that at least two distinct and powerful enemy forces want him on their side - or at least not _against_ them, and they're doing everything in their power to ensure he completely loses himself to his Darkness. And they're doing this as _quickly_ as they can manage."

Aniko fixed the two of them with a serious look. "Your only real chance would be to keep him emotionally stable, truthfully. He will likely retain control of his energy when in control of _himself_ ," she murmured softly. "Other than this, there is likely not much you can do."

Before Sonic could do more than let out a couple internal curses, Espio came running back in so fast that he tripped over his own little legs. He recovered almost instantly, however, and practically flung himself into Aniko's arms while he rapidly signed at her. _"Mama, Mama! Aku say he bite me if I play with him!"_

Shei smothered a voiceless laugh behind his hand. _"Perhaps you should cease bothering him, in that case. You know he enjoys being allowed to sleep, son."_

Aniko held Espio close and sighed softly in amusement. "Leave him be for now, my child."

The baby pouted up at her with surprisingly adorable eyes. _"I want play, mama,"_ he complained.

"Do you want Aku to bite you?" Aniko questioned with a small chuckle. Espio pouted more and shook his head. "Then you would be wise to leave Aku alone for now. Perhaps when he is awake, he will be feeling more lively."

Espio seemed to think about this for a time before perking up. _"I go train please? Dada give me new knife!"_

Aniko smiled. "That is fine, my child."

Shaking his head in amusement, Shei stood up. _"Come, Espio, I will work with you."_ Visibly delighted, Espio sprang up and followed his father out the door.

Sonic was unable to conceal his smile. _Who knew such a dangerous guy could have once been such a sweet little kid._

Aniko's gaze fell on Sonic and she frowned. "What?"

Realizing he was caught, Sonic coughed a little and said, "Just… sort of marveling at the fact that he was - or I guess _is_ , here - such a sweet baby, is all. It's an interesting change from what I'm used to seeing."

There was immediate confusion on her face that made way for curiosity to take hold. "How is he as an adult?"

"Well… a lot like you, really. Calm, collected, sure of himself, protective of those he's close to… that sort of thing," Sonic answered. "When his temper does show itself, we all know it to be quite fierce. When he's sad, he's _really_ torn up about something. When he's content, he's really at peace with his surroundings and current circumstances. You know?" He shrugged a little as he quietly added, "He may seldom reveal much, but it's always seemed to me that there's a lot more going on under the surface than we know. For one thing, he feels far more deeply than most people are capable of. Don't… cut me for saying that, though. I mean it as a good thing."

Aniko frowned thoughtfully before giving a small nod. "You may stay here for now, but do not wander. I will not protect you from other villagers should you leave this house. You would be best off leaving if you have no other business here."

Sonic gulped and nodded. "I don't know that we do," he admitted. "But… thank you, anyway. For being willing to hear us out, that is."

"The life of my son is of utter importance," Aniko answered. "I needed to heed your words if only to know what danger he may be in." Sonic answered with another small nod. Her gaze flicked to Steam. "You speak little."

"I try not to piss people off unless I have to," Steam answered.

Aniko snorted. "Wise, for a Light-bearer."

Steam managed a small smile. "There may come a day when you will meet beings of Light that are not the type to commit atrocities. I ask that you give them a chance."

"You ask much for an intruder."

"I know you're going to listen."

"Perhaps I _should_ have removed your head," Aniko mused. For once, she didn't seem _entirely_ serious.

Sonic tossed Steam a look. _Should we go…?_

Before Steam could answer, Aniko asked another question. "Why are you in our time? Surely you did not come solely for our opinion."

"We were sent back against our will by one of our enemies," Sonic answered her. "We only decided to come here once we realized that Espio would have been around in this era. And, thus, you."

Aniko nodded slowly to this. "I see."

That they had been given the choice at _all_ to stay was not lost on Sonic, but he nevertheless stood. "Thank you for the offer," he murmured, "but we'll go ahead and stop troubling you now. If and when we ever meet again, I'll be sure to let you know what else has happened with your son."

"Thank you," she answered, giving one last look to Steam. "Watch your tongue. There are those less inclined to care about killing."

Steam stood and shrugged. "Met a few of them. They tried," he answered. He gave little else as a response, glancing to Sonic. "We leaving, then?"

"We probably should." Since it was polite in his own culture and in Aniko's, he gave her a quick but respectful bow before turning to leave. It felt silly doing it, since he seldom ever did, but he knew she cared about respect and traditions. It would mean more to her than to him. Then, with one last look at Steam, Sonic teleported away.

 **~保護者~**

Alana straightened from her semi-inclined position beside the couch in order to lay a hand on her husband's arm. "Sein, there is some sort of commotion on the ground floor," she murmured, hoping not to awaken their son again.

Sein frowned faintly, glancing to the door. "Do you want me to check it out while you stay here?"

Being unwilling to leave Jet's side at the moment, Alana accepted the offer with a nod. "Yes. If you would not mind."

Sein nodded and silently slipped out of the room, vanishing down the stairs and landing on the ground floor as his curious gaze roamed the area to find out what was going on. Seconds later, a small child (perhaps seven or so, meaning they were just small enough for a Babylonian to be held and carried around) came running through the room Sein was in. He dodged all the well-meaning hands that grabbed for him and promptly ducked behind a table in an effort to hide. Upon being found, as he inevitably was, the child darted away again and started making a break for the stairs. Sein, being the ever-concerned parent he was, teleported to the child and scooped them up off the ground before they could bolt off and cause any more commotion in their panic. "Woah, woah. Calm down for a second, you're alright," he said, hoping to comfort the kid in his arms. "What's your name?"

The boy only seemed to grow more upset and began struggling valiantly to break free. " _No_!" he cried out, squirming and pushing in an effort to escape. However, now that he wasn't running at such (surprisingly) high speeds through the crowds, it was easier to make out what he looked like. His feathers were a unmistakable emerald green and his dangerously watery eyes were a deep, ocean blue. Even his windswept hair was distinctive. "Let me _go_!"

Sein kept a firm grip for the moment, a soft and worried frown on his face. "Are you okay? Where is your guardian?" The physical features struck Sein as _incredibly_ familiar, but now wasn't the time to be thinking too deeply on that matter. "I'll help you to get back wherever you need to go, but I need you to breathe and talk to me."

For better or for worse, this kid had some _serious_ fight in him for his size and age. "Let me go, let me go!" He struggled some more before finally exclaiming, "I need to find my dad!"

"What's your dad's name?" Sein dared to ask, kneeling down and keeping his grip on the kid firm yet still. "I promise we'll find him together."

That finally made the boy stop and look up at Sein. "...You'll help me?" he almost whimpered.

Sein smiled brightly. "Of course. I help anyone I can."

There was a bit of silence before the boy finally relaxed in Sein's hold and mumbled, "My dad's name is Jet."

The older hawk froze up for a moment before nodding and smiling. "I know _exactly_ where he is. I'll take you to him." With this said, he stood up and began climbing the stairs. _Jet's kid… I… wow._

They walked for a bit without the boy giving any comment. He simply looked around, taking note of his surroundings. "...Stuff looks different," he finally mumbled.

"You've been gone for a while, then," Sein murmured softly. "I'm actually from the original Babylon, so _all_ of this is new to me," he said, chuckling. "We can take it in together."

The child blinked several times in utter confusion. "...Gone?" he echoed, not at all understanding.

"Let's not dwell on that for now. My name is Sein, what's yours?" he asked, turning his head to look at the child.

"Lucas," the boy mumbled, eyes downcast.

Sein smiled. "Jet mentioned you when we were talking one day. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to see you again."

After a small pause, Lucas's young mind came to a realization. "Where's sissy? Where's my little sister?"

A small frown came across Sein's face. "I don't exactly know, bud. When you talk to your dad, that's something you'll have to ask him."

"How much farther?" Lucas asked, looking around again.

"Shouldn't be too long now. I didn't wanna move too fast with you in my arms," Sein admitted gently.

Lucas dramatically slouched backward with a groan, arms drooping by his sides. "But you're being so _slow_ ," he complained.

Sein laughed a little. "Well, I can't go running up a flight of stairs with a child in my arms. That's just dangerous."

Another groan, this one louder. "Why?"

"Accidents happen, and if I fall or trip, then one or both of us could get hurt." Sein blinked a few times before realizing that, leaving out the way he spoke in comparison to Kath, that this was something that Kath himself might have needed to explain to him when he was this young. _Damn. He put up with a lot._

With an annoyed sigh, Lucas sat back up, crossed his arms and pouted. "My dad is faster than you," he grumbled, as if this was meant to offend Sein somehow.

"I'd hope so," Sein answered brightly. "I hope he's the best person in the world to you."

The much younger hawk perked _right_ up. "He is," Lucas grinned. "He's the best _ever_."

"I'm really glad you say that. A child should always be able to look up to their parents as role models."

That bit was lost on Lucas, but he was hardly paying attention, anyway. He was too busy saying, "Did you hear my dad won a whole war all by himself one time? Well, actually, he had _some_ help I guess, but it's still cool!"

"He's super strong, so I'd totally believe it," Sein replied. "I've seen him fight before. He's amazing."

"Yeah." Lucas positively _beamed_ up at Sein, appearing impressed by Sein's statements. But… then he was pouting anew. "Dad doesn't let me watch when he really fights, though. He says it's okay to watch training and stuff, but not real fighting. It's not fair."

Sein cast him a smile. "It's because he cares a lot about you. There's crazy things that happen, sometimes, and you shouldn't have to worry about that."

"I guess so." There was a teeny pause, then Lucas asked again, "How much father?"

"A few more feet," Sein answered, walking up to a room. "Now, stay calm. He was tired, so he's asleep. Try not to scare him awake, okay?"

That made Lucas frown a little. "How did he get tired? My dad barely _ever_ sleeps." In his young mind, that was such a cool thing, since _he_ wasn't allowed to skip sleeping due to being a kid.

"He had to fight some strong enemies recently. He didn't get much time between each one, so he has to recover now while it's peaceful and calm," Sein explained. "That's all."

Lucas's eyes went wide. "Wow, _really_? How strong were they? What were they like? Were they _here_?"

Sein smiled softly and set him down on his feet. "We can talk about that more soon, alright, Lucas? Go see your dad."

Happy as could be, Lucas opened the door and walked in. Immediately upon seeing Alana and her distinctive grey feathers and lighter blue eyes he blurted out, "Why does she look like Kath?" This prompted Alana to look over in confusion. That confusion rapidly bled away into surprise that caused her eyes to subtly widen.

The older male hawk walked in after him and knelt down by her. "This is my wife, Alana. She's Kath and Laralei's daughter."

Now it was Lucas's turn to be shocked. "Kath has a daughter?" he squeaked. "He never said that!"

Sein chuckled softly at this. "We can explain more about that another time. It's a long story." He motioned his head lightly in Jet's direction, hoping to get Lucas to go see his father.

Only then did Lucas take notice of Jet, and he promptly ran over and scrambled up onto the couch. This, unfortunately, _did_ startle Jet awake, but his jump was interrupted by Lucas latching his arms around his dad in a tight hug. "You're awake!" Lucas cheered.

It took Jet a few seconds to fully blink the sleep away and make sense of what was going on. Supporting his son in one arm, he pushed himself up. "...Lucas?" he eventually murmured, too stunned to say much else. Memories of the last time Lucas had been this small flashed through him, coupled with memories of how the child had _died_ , but he was quick to push them all away for the time being in order to focus on the present moment.

Sein watched this all with a bright smile, pulling Alana close with a hug. _This is great._

While Lucas snuggled closer, Jet threw a beseeching look his parents' way, silently begging for an explanation. _How is this… real?_ In the back of his mind he supposed he knew, but the emotions rising up in him as he held his child close were creating some difficulty in being logical right this second. The last time he had held Lucas had been… _that_ day. He'd never thought, after then, that he'd have the chance to do so again. It was honestly choking him up, try though he might to hold everything back and down.

Seeming to understand what he was thinking, Sein gave a soft nod. _Enjoy it. He's back with you, now._ That was nearly all it took for the damn of emotions to break and Jet quickly stood and teleported away to a more private area with Lucas still in his arms. He didn't _want_ to break down again, as he had on that one _horrible_ day when his son's life had been stolen, but if it was going to happen anyway… he needed it to be away from prying eyes. "I'm glad he's happy," the man murmured softly, leaning into Alana.

"I am as well," Alana agreed quietly. _To think that his child was revived… seemingly young enough to be spared the memories of his own passing… how was this done?_ She thought for a moment before saying, "Sonic is partly responsible for gathering the Light needed to revive allies… meaning his thoughts and emotions influence who comes back. Perhaps his recent concern over Jet caused this, somehow…?"

"Probably," Sein answered. "Which, honestly… it's good. Jet likely needed something like this."

"Something to protect," Alana murmured. She looked up at Sein. "Do you remember… what father once asked you, on a particularly terrible day when your anger nearly overwhelmed you?"

Sein blinked a few times. "Which time?"

She shook her head. " _The_ time, Sein. The time when we were all afraid you were about to lose sight of who you truly were."

His gaze shifted away slightly, sighing. "Yeah, I do," he admitted slowly.

Despite this, Alana murmured, "At the height of his argument with you, he asked you if you had something to protect. Because… having that is one of the most important things for a person. If you cannot find it in your heart to _protect_ others as opposed to simply triumphing over them… then you are unworthy of sympathy. And... having something to protect makes one stronger than anything else ever could." She managed a smile. "I believe that, like you, Jet needs people to protect as well… even if he may not so openly admit to it."

Sein nodded slowly. "And he has that now, more than ever."

"Indeed, he does."

 **~保護者~**

 **5,821 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:00 a.m.) 05-19-20.**


	82. O' Death

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this violent conflict… especially for the one who is forced to obey.

 **~保護者~**

 **"O' Death"**

 **~保護者~**

 _One… perhaps two remain._

Picturing his portal in his mind, Kaden silently calculated just how long it would take to acquire the remaining shards. There was one shard in particular that he knew would require a bit of time to get his hands on… and not to mention effort. _Basic forces will not suffice. Not against her. A higher degree of force will be needed._ Cracking open his eyes, Kaden glanced down to the floor beside his stone seat within the citadel he had so long ago claimed as his own. The triplets Alynn, Shyrr, and Tyrnn busied themselves by his feet, tending to their knives and waiting for permission to go out and resume practicing their hunting skills.

He let them be for now, allowing them time to sharpen their knives to perfection before sending them out. Instead, he closed his eyes again and issued a silent command for a certain high-ranking general to come to him. She was no _ordinary_ general, in fact being the strongest fighter in all his legions. That alone was reason enough for him to call upon _her_ as opposed to anyone else… especially given that he was due to be leaving soon. She could retrieve the shard with ease in his stead. Of that he was sure.

Zareil entered the citadel and calmly walked up to his throne, setting a hand on her hip and frowning. "You do not call for me often."

"You are not _needed_ often," was the immediate response.

Hearing their voices, the triplets looked up. One respectfully nodded and murmured, "Hello, Mother," before returning to sharpening her blades.

She nodded to the child, kneeling momentarily. "You all are tending to your training, correct?"

"Yes, Mother," Tyrnn (the youngest by several seconds) confirmed, never looking up from her work.

Another nod from Zareil served as her only response as she stood, seeming satisfied. "What do you need me for, Kaden?"

Few were ever allowed to address him so directly, but Kaden afforded her that one small privilege in most situations. This was one of them. Opening his eyes, he tossed a disinterested look her way and muttered, "The Hexan woman thought it wise to take the World Eater head-on. She was successful, but the battle has left her weakened." He stood from his seat and walked over to Zareil. "She is still more than powerful enough to kill most any who stand in her way… which is why _you_ will be retrieving the shard she has been guarding."

"Am I allowed to kill her should the chance arise?" Zareil asked, raising an eyebrow. "She is an ally of that nuisance."

Kaden bared his fangs at her and growled, "You are _required_ to kill her if such an opportunity presents itself."

"Good," Zareil answered, a wicked grin on her face. "Any further instructions for me?"

Twining a finger through her hair, Kaden yanked her head so that her throat was bared, revealing an old scar of hers from a battle long since past. "No more of these," he said quietly. "It will not do to have your skin marred by injury."

"I would allow no such thing," she answered in kind, her wicked grin fading into a small smile. "If she does manage so, however, there will be grave consequences."

He tossed her a look that was vaguely disapproving. "Make no idle threats, woman. Carry them out and then _perhaps_ I will take more heed to your words."

"I should not need to carry them out. Her head will be removed if the chance arrives, without further damage to my body."

His hand disentangled from her hair. Following the line of conversation still, he muttered, "Cover your legs with _proper_ armor, lest they be removed from you." He turned away to walk back to his seat.

"Should they be removed, you would be given more access," Zareil joked lightly. Kaden's ear flicked, but he didn't respond. "I will find proper armor momentarily. I will not take the Hexan lightly."

"Hn." Kaden reclaimed his seat and murmured a command to the triplets, who all were quick to jump up and rush out on their much-awaited hunt. They had shown remarkable patience in spite of the bloodlust they were experiencing following their latest meal, and for that they were rewarded with an opportunity to kill for themselves again. With them gone, he returned his attention to Zareil. She was virtually the only person who knew more in-depth information about his plans and activities, so no explanation was needed when he said, "Malevolence has been quite abruptly startled awake… and much too early for its liking. If we are fast, we can infiltrate without the fierce interference I anticipated."

"Doing so would allow you to kill it far more quickly, correct?"

His initial answer was just a small hum, but he soon continued. "That is not the current concern," he admitted, closing his eyes again in thought as he reclined in his seat. "The shinobi we decided to corrupt… it was _his_ Darkness that roused the beast."

Zareil's eyebrows furrowed. "Is his Darkness that potent?"

"Why else bother drawing it to the surface?" Kaden drawled in indifferent challenge.

"Yes, but for it to awaken Malevolence…" Zareil murmured thoughtfully. "I suppose I can even further respect the decision to corrupt him. That kind of power is nothing to scoff at."

"He is one of the most… _uniquely_ challenging individuals," Kaden said quietly, "that I have ever attempted to corrupt. Even now, with so much taint within his own Darkness, he continued to find it within himself to resist."

"Would the attempt to further separate him from his lifelines increase the chances of a loss of control over himself, or is such an effort out of the question?"

"It would," Kaden acknowledged. "That is another task for you and you alone. The other riffraff would not survive long enough to handle such a job."

"Tch." Zareil sighed. "We could use someone like him. I tire of cleaning up for those that cannot perform, unlike yourself."

Kaden shot her a _look_ for that little comment, but nevertheless continued. "You will need some degree of a plan if you are to go after him. 'Winging it' will not do."

"There is a being of Light there, correct?" Zareil asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"In a manner of speaking, there are multiple. Two are partial beings of Light while one is wholly a being of Light."

"I will need them to be removed from the area. They could ruin my skin," Zareil drawled. "If I remember correctly, the one 'blessed' with Light is actually somewhat dangerous, correct?"

"She is," Kaden nodded slowly. Then he added, "I will remove them when the time comes."

She nodded as well. "I will see what I can do. There are some formidable fighters among them, but few that should be capable of holding their own against me. Am I allowed to kill any that are not related to you?"

"Do as you please. I do not care what becomes of them."

"I will take whatever chances come my way, then," Zareil murmured softly, smiling.

After a small pause, Kaden unexpectedly stood again. He spied a marking on her arm and traced it with a finger, almost idly, as he said, "Take care not to let the Hexan cripple you with her magic. Replacing you is not a task I wish to take on right this minute."

"You will not need to replace me," Zareil answered.

Giving in to a baser instinct, Kaden leaned in and nipped at her throat once in mild reprimand. "Prove it, then."

"I will feed and then go. Best to take the power of those that cannot fight reliably for something this important," Zareil murmured.

At this, Kaden responded, "A mother is spawning near the southernmost entrance into the catacombs. She and her… _family_ are not needed. They should make a sufficient meal."

"I hope so, or I will be disappointed," the female demon answered. "Keep the children from serious harm while I am away. I have lessons for them upon my return."

He growled a little. "After their latest _adventures_ , they will not be straying far from here. They have lost that right for now."

" _Good_ ," Zareil huffed. "That was entirely out of line. I will not object to any further punishment for such actions."

His answer was a huff of his own, shortly followed by several harsher nips to her throat before he moved away. "Go, then. Any further talking can wait."

She nodded, turning to walk away. "Do watch the… _cat_. She is troublesome in her own right. Debris from her tantrum nearly hit me while I was visiting." With that, she vanished.

Reminded that he needed to check on the cat in question, Kaden teleported away to where he had left Astra earlier. The woman was currently in a near-meditative state, enough so that she didn't seem to notice Kaden's appearance. Her magic flowed about her, so it was plainly obvious she was engrossed in something. Kaden took note of that but approached regardless, a mild scowl on his face. "Astra," he called in a clipped tone.

Her eyes opened and she glanced back, blinking a few times. She opened her mouth to speak, but it took a few seconds for sound to come out. "Is there something you need?" the cat asked slowly, a faint frown on her face.

Kaden fixed her with a bit of a glare. "He has recovered enough from your efforts to be up and around. Explain."

"I did not want him realizing what was occurring. Him gaining knowledge of my seed will remove further chances of control. Do you need him immobilized?"

"Immobilized, crippled by pain, unconscious, I do not _care_. Keep him where he is and unaware of what is going on elsewhere. If he intervenes in this battle, it will be your head that is lost."

"All three, then. He will not be able to move of his own accord," she murmured, her purple eyes glowing. "It will take mere moments. Is there anything more?"

"No." Spinning around on his heel, Kaden walked away. It was high time he left and got to work as well.

 **~保護者~**

Several minutes ago now, Espio had left Sako with his parents and vacated his home, seeking shelter in the deep woods. His departure had been quite abrupt, he admitted, but at the time he'd felt there was no choice. He needed privacy while he tried to make sense of what was happening to him. In an unusually restless action, he paced up and down the length of a branch in the tree he was occupying, massaging his temples all the while. After a short time he sat down where he stood, one leg dangling over the edge as he put his head in his hands. Whatever was happening, Kaden's corruption was the root cause. He was _sure_ of it.

Instincts he had previously had no basis for understanding slammed through him, filling him with thoughts and emotions that he seemed to have no real means of controlling right this minute. _He's issuing a call… summoning someone. ...Not me… but I can still hear it. Why? Why can I sense him to such a degree? Is this normal?_ Gritting his teeth, he tried his damnedest to focus on what his newfound instincts were so angrily shouting at him. _There's a warning, too… warning everyone else away… We can't go near him. Interrupting is… dangerous. There are repercussions… punishments…_ Confused and not at all happy about that fact, he shook his head. Since when did he care about interrupting people, much less being punished for doing so?

Only after spending further time sifting through the aforementioned instincts did he come to understand several things. It was a truly basic, _primal_ instinct for a demon to fear and yet be unwaveringly loyal toward their God. That loyalty went hand in hand with an instinct to display _complete_ obedience, lest those fears be made a reality by the God in question. But while he knew this now, he was unaffected by the fear aspects of these instincts. Perhaps, at the very worst, he was somewhat _wary_. As for the loyalty and obedience… he wasn't sure. He did know, however, that he couldn't seem to shake the notion that they were affecting him to _some_ degree. It was difficult to even briefly entertain the _idea_ of getting any closer to where Kaden was, much less convince himself to try doing it just to prove he was _capable_.

Letting out a soft hiss of annoyance between his teeth, Espio stood and quickly teleported back to his house. He gave no one there a chance to speak, not wanting to face their questioning and concern, now or ever. So instead of dawdling, he located Armaris, took hold of her arm, and quickly returned to where he had earlier been. He was sure to release her immediately upon arrival, but restlessness soon had him pacing again. More thoughts like those from earlier swirled as his mind continued to try to make sense of everything.

Armaris frowned deeply at this, gently taking hold of his wrist and fixing him with an imploring gaze. "Hey, what's going on?"

For once, he didn't hesitate to admit aloud that he had _no_ idea. "I don't know," he mumbled. He felt antsier and more restless now that he wasn't moving, but did his best to remain still right now.

"You brought me here with you, so you wanted me for something, right?" she asked, trying to prod lightly. "Talk to me."

Tugging his wrist free, Espio made himself sit down so as to avoid further pacing. After a second or two of trying to organize his thoughts, he gave in and just said, "Whatever Kaden did is… creating changes."

Armaris sat down beside him, keeping her gaze on him. "What kinds of changes?"

With a shake of his head, Espio muttered, "Instincts… I think. And I can _sense_ him - what he is doing and whatnot." He hated bringing this up, hated taking these issues to her (knowing full well how much she, understandably, hated the topic of demons in its entirety), but he hadn't known who else to turn to.

Her expression visibly soured at this, a deep frown on her face. "Are… you serious?" His only response to that was to scowl a little. Of course he was _serious_. This was _not_ something he would lie about - assuming he was willing to lie at all most of the time. One of Armaris's eyes twitched, but ultimately she ignored the agitation this topic brought on and sighed. "What are you hearing…?"

Espio shook his head a little, but forced himself to reply. "He called upon someone… and was warning everyone else away." He paused, reluctantly listening, and added, "He has begun calling upon large groups, now. Powerful demons… I think."

Armaris nodded slowly to this, thinking for a moment. "Is there anything else?"

"Something about there being repercussions for interrupting him. Severe punishments." He frowned again, trying to discern any better details, but ultimately found none.

"He's doing something big, then," she murmured. "I doubt that's all you wanted to talk about."

Though he still hated to do it, Espio had to ask. "Is this… _normal_?"

Armaris looked down, expression somewhat gloomy now. "Yeah… it _happens_ , but it's not normal to be hearing Kaden to _that_ extent."

Well, that at least proved he had been correct to assume Kaden's corruption was the source of this bit of trouble. _Just perfect._

She murmured something under her breath before looking back to him. "There's something else bothering you," the cat pointed out. "You're definitely really stressed… or anxious."

That gave him some pause and prompted him to immediately try and determine if that was actually true. Except… he wasn't aware of feeling anything like that. "What?" Belatedly, it occurred to him that his racing thoughts usually _did_ indicate stress, but… him, _anxious_?

Armaris gently set a hand on his shoulder. "You were pacing, you can't really seem to think, and you're definitely a bit stressed," she explained carefully. "If you're not anxious, then I've got even more reason to be worried."

He frowned again and admitted slowly, "I don't… feel anything." He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone else, but with her… he supposed it was safe enough.

"I understand," she murmured, wrapping her arm gently around his. "You… aren't entirely connected to your emotions. To some degree and some way, you've grown detached from things, and that makes it hard for you to feel like you normally would." That… sounded somewhat familiar. Whatever memories he had regarding that matter were largely lost to him now, but a fragment of one remained. He was somewhat certain he'd had a conversation somewhat like this one long ago, but when and with who and _why_ he had no idea any longer. "Look, I don't know how to help you with this, but I'm here for you," Armaris murmured.

Though it was difficult, Espio suddenly found that he had it in himself to slowly and quietly admit, "I… appreciate that." Maybe it was just stress loosening his tongue. Hell if he knew, anymore.

A bright smile broke onto Armaris's face and she pulled him a little closer. "You better. Otherwise I'd have to be around you more." He huffed a little at this. She smiled more and nudged him lightly. "I don't hear you complaining."

Trying to regain some semblance of his usual self, he deadpanned, "Shinobi do not 'complain'."

His bit of dry humor earned a small smile. "Then, I guess you're stuck with me."

 **~保護者~**

Wave was breathing heavily as she knelt upon a large slab of floating flesh. This region of space was so empty that only hers and her father's magic was providing any light. Needless to say, that had been useful in their fight. The fight in question had been surprisingly long, though overall uneventful. But the _length_ of the fight… that had been troublesome. _It took a lot more out of me than I thought it would._ She took in a breath, let it out slow, then turned her head to locate her father. The tan-colored Hexan was busily disentangling himself from what remained of the World Eater's jaw. It had bit him quite savagely, but he had reacted fast enough to protect himself with his magic. He was unharmed, just as she was, and she was relieved. Still, she called out, "Do you need some help, Dad?"

Finally, he pulled his legs free, though he lost a shoe in the process. Making a face at the saliva covering his lower half, he pushed the jaw away with a foot. "No. I need a _bath_."

"I'll say, you do," Wave chuckled, managing a tired smile. "Why don't you go clean yourself up and let Alec know we're okay?"

"He would like to hear that from you as well," Han answered her. "Not just me."

"I'll be along," Wave assured, dismissing him with a motion of her hand. She got to thinking, though, and soon corrected herself. "Well, maybe not right away, though. I've got to let Jet know we're okay, and then I have to check on Sonic and the others."

Han sighed a little, but accepted without argument. He knew she had responsibilities. "Inform Jet that our people are largely unwilling to join in this war. He needs to know."

"I will." Wave examined her sword, deemed it clean enough for the time being, and then sheathed it. "You'll still keep trying to get what people you can though, right? ...What about your brother? I know you two barely speak to one another, but-"

Although he did is gently, Han interrupted. "I called upon him. He is willing to lend his aid, as are our father and aunt."

Wave's brow furrowed. "Aunt? What aunt?"

This earned another sigh. "Our mother's sister. She is like our mother, in that she has no inclination toward being _good_ , but she cares enough about staying _alive_ that she has expressed a desire to help."

"You'll… step in if she gets out of line, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Just checking." Wave was quiet for a second before saying, "Go on, then. Go get cleaned up. You smell."

Han smirked a little at her mild attempt at humor. "Watch it, or I will share this… gooey 'gift' with you."

She made a face at the idea. " _Ew_ , no thanks! I know dads like to spoil their daughters, but I'll live a long and happy life without receiving that _particular_ gift."

He let out a low chuckle. "If you insist." With that, he disappeared, slipping out of this realm and into Lost Hex, their home realm. With him gone, Wave sighed and pushed herself up until she was standing.

"So, you're already alone?" Zareil asked, sitting atop another chunk of flesh, ripping a piece off of it and consuming it. "Shame. Would've been nice to kill off the pesky Hexans together."

Hearing this voice, Wave cringed. _Aw, hell._ With trepidation, she turned around to face the other woman. She was reasonably sure that she knew who said woman was, based on past accounts from Jet regarding his encounters with her, and that did not bode well. Still, she plastered on her casual demeanor with ease and relaxed into a smile. "Guess I should've expected that you would show up again sooner rather than later. What's wrong, bored of terrorizing Jet already?"

"Not my problem he can't handle his own mind," Zareil shrugged, continuing to casually eat from the demonic carcass. "Besides, getting you would terrorize him even further."

Wave stiffened in confusion. "Can't handle his- What are you talking about?"

Zareil stifled a laugh. "I suppose someone lesser wouldn't have a clue. It's not in my interests to explain a thing, but you'll get a hint. Poor guy has a bad migraine." The demon mockingly acted as if she were a child crying for a second before grinning. "Guess you aren't getting help this time."

Dropping all pretenses, Wave glared at Zareil and removed her sword from her sheath. "What are you after, then? Spit it out. I haven't got all day."

"Neither do I. Give me everything you've got on you and I just might let you live."

 _Everything_ consisted of her sword, sheath, clothes, and… _Oh, shit._ Now was so not the best time to be too tired to teleport. In fact, it was arguably the _worst_ _possible_ time to be in such a sorry state. _Fucking shit._ Hoping to buy some time, she played dumb. "I have nothing you want."

Zareil stood, armored body standing tall as she teleported her spear into her hand. "Raise your sword if you don't want to die immediately." Without giving her any time to do so, despite her warning, she was on the move, viciously attacking the Hexan. She bashed the pole of her weapon against Wave's sword several times before slamming it brutally into the smaller woman's stomach. Wave wasn't launched far as Zareil snatched her by the head and brought her knee up to meet the Hexan's chin before blasting her away with Darkness, pursuing yet still with immense speed. _The World Eater… so much power to gain before I arrive._

Zareil used her long spear to guide Wave through walls of Darkness before resorting to vicious melee blows to keep the Hexan from recovering. "Give. Me. What. I. _Want_ ," the demon demanded, ever so violently beating Wave into submission. "And _maybe_ you'll live!" This sentence was accentuated with a brutal kick to the chest, slamming Wave against an asteroid that she drug over with her energies.

Before this could continue, there was a distinctive golden flash of Hexan magic as Han appeared back within this realm. Seeing what was happening, he lunged for Wave and grabbed her, then teleported back out of the realm without allowing Zareil to harm her any further. Only, in his haste to save his daughter from her attacker… the very item Wave had wanted to protect was dropped and left behind. Given that he had no knowledge of the item's very existence, Han didn't pay it any notice, or return for it. And Wave, in the condition she now was, was in no position to do anything about it.

Zareil grinned wickedly, retrieving the shard and teleporting it to Kaden's world before turning and beginning a _rapid_ feast on what was left of the World Eater. _I'll kill them all if they make any mistakes._ When she felt she was finished, she teleported to Mobius, outside the barriers of Hyale. Energy brimming to the surface, she launched a single attack against these defenses and tore a hole large enough for her to walk through casually. The reason why she was able to do so with such ease was deceptively simple. Being a type of vampiric demon, she could draw temporary strength by feeding off of the energies of others, be they dead or alive. She was strong enough in her own right without that little boost, but it certainly made this task vastly more easy than it otherwise would have been.

The demon walked forward, impeded by a sword that she caught in one hand and an arrow of Light that she had to twist her upper body to avoid. "I see, neither of you are actually worth my time, then…" Zareil murmured, clenching her armored hand around Aniko's sword tightly and glancing to Rose. "Don't blink, or you'll miss it." In that instant, Rose was forced into a defensive stance, forming a chrysalis of Light around herself to block the various blows that came careening at her one after another, all while Aniko attempted to draw her attention away. The butt end of Zareil's spear broke through the chrysalis, slamming against Rose's chest while the blade on the other side parried one of Aniko's strikes. Several vicious blows sent Rose bouncing off the ground with such destructive force that it knocked Aniko away slightly.

Right at that second, there was a flash of motion as Shei rushed in. Taking stock of the situation in a fraction of a second, he grabbed both Rose and Aniko by their arms and disappeared with them in tow. Rose needed to be taken away from here entirely, as did Sako (whom Shei had no choice but to carry with him), and Aniko at least needed a chance to regain her senses. As such, he took off with them in the hopes that Zareil wouldn't follow right this second. Zareil merely watched this happen, twirling her spear in hand as she continued toward the village. There were _far_ more targets to brutalize, and the thought left her lusting for more blood.

Shadow was the first to realize something was amiss when he sensed Rose and Aniko's abrupt departure from Espio's home. When Shei burst after them not even a minute later, his suspicion only grew. His eyes lit up as he began rapidly scanning the area, quickly zeroing in on a source of power that had him teleporting two powerful handguns to him without hesitation. Tails spotted this and sat up straight. "What's… what's wrong, Shadow?"

Toru grimaced, unsheathing his tachi and crouching. "A demon. Very strong," the chameleon called to the others. "Prepare yourselves." His gaze fell on Shadow, a mild concern coming over him. "You sure you're wanting to fight this? It seems she took out the cat already."

"There is no choice," Shadow growled lowly, his fangs somewhat bared in an instinctual show of hostility. His gaze remained fixed on the precise spot where the demon in question was walking.

Tails scrambled to his feet, throwing an anxious look to Vector. "You _need_ to get inside, okay?"

"Don't gotta tell _me_ twice," Vector gulped, already heading back to the tree. Cream, meanwhile, stood with a grim look on her face.

Something about her expression made Tails's heart sink. "...Cream?" While he was speaking, Silver emerged from whatever tree he'd been hanging out in nearby Cyril and hurried over to the group.

The bunny blinked away a few tears and forced a tiny smile. It didn't last long as she murmured, "I just… had a vision. Of this. I… I don't think I…"

This drew Shadow's attention and his gaze snapped to her face. "You what?" he demanded sharply.

Cyril turned to her, a deep frown on his face. "What's wrong?"

" _Surprise_ ," Zareil beamed, slamming Toru out of the tree as she suddenly appeared, watching as his body gouged out the earth below. Tails flinched and just about jumped out of his skin while Cream uncharacteristically let out a gasp of alarm. Shadow, meanwhile, cursed under his breath and readied his guns with special ammunition while he still had the chance.

"Aw, _crap_ ," Silver exclaimed, already taking to the air and disappearing after Toru. He was gone before anyone could stop him, assuming they even wanted to.

The demon's gaze fell on Shadow and she grinned, reaching out to take hold of him. "I know someone who would really enjoy seeing you. Mind coming with me?" Tails fearfully edged away from the pair, mind racing as he tried to work out what to do. Tears freely flowed down Cream's face as he dragged her along with him.

Shadow had a gun pointed directly and unwaveringly at the center of her forehead in under a second. "Fuck off," he snarled. Right about then, Silver teleported back with Toru and cautiously tried helping the chameleon back up onto his feet.

Zareil laughed softly at this, then glanced slightly to the rest of the group. "Anyone with Darkness should come with me. That way your lives can be spared and I won't have to eat you."

" _Eat_ us?" Silver echoed, horrified.

At that moment, Espio appeared right beside Toru and roughly yanked him up by the arm. "Up. _Now_."

Toru grimaced, glancing down to his body. Everything was in pain from the hit he'd been dealt, but he'd have to survive for now. "Got it. Any plans?" Toru's gaze fell on a shadow approaching rapidly, already understanding that Armaris was returning as well.

Whether or not Espio intended to reply, it was cut short by Shadow muttering to Zareil, "It would seem you're being ignored." His eyes narrowed. "Fancy that."

Zareil smirked. "Not important. I'll start tearing your little friends apart limb by limb if they think ignoring me will save their pathetic lives."

Shadow let out an indelicate snort. "When you return to your home… tell Father I am not in the mood for games." He said nothing further before firing once, loosing a high-powered and radiation-filled bullet through the armor on her head. He had no doubt it wouldn't hurt her _much_ , but it _did_ succeed in punching a hole through the metal and creating a wound to _some_ degree.

The demon stood there, head recoiled backward before her helmet suddenly exploded off of her. _Kaden, am I allowed to hit this boy harder than I would have before?_ There was a small pause before the permission was granted. This was unsurprising, given that he cared about keeping his sons and grandson _alive_ … not necessarily _uninjured_. Her eyes flared open wide and she let out a bestial roar before slamming her fist into his stomach, launching him high into the air while letting out a concussive blast of Darkness to ground anyone that dared to attempt to intervene. " _All_ of you will _perish_ ," she growled, slamming into the ground and storming forward at them with her spear in hand. "You made your final mistake."

Espio ripped a knife free, as he no longer had a sword, and motioned subtly for Toru to take a position by Tails and Cream. Silver gathered psychokinetic energy around himself in reluctant preparation to defend himself. "Go," he muttered. At about the same time, Shadow caught himself on a high branch of a tree with one hand. He used his other to aim and fire twice more at Zareil, hitting her back precisely along her spine to cause her as much pain as possible and regain her attention.

Her spear slammed into the ground, effectively throwing Armaris out of her shadow and into the air where a precise strike sent the cat crashing through the tree containing Espio's home, taking the whole building with her. This succeeded in rousing Aku from his long slumber (being as old as he was, he tended to sleep through a lot), and he dropped his camouflage. Seeing a demon in his midst, he rose up to his full impressive height and unleashed a beam at her from his mouth. The demon vanished from sight, pushing Toru away long enough to stomp violently at Tails and Cream. The pair reacted immediately using radiation (an unintentional move on the fox's part) and psychic ability as they dove out of the way.

Zareil snatched a card from Cyril out of the air and crushed it in her hand as she landed a roundhouse kick to Toru's sword, launching it out of his hands and far enough into the air that he could no longer see it. He was then sent flying toward the tree Shadow was in, skidding to a stop on his feet. Seeing this all go down, Shadow cursed again and snapped, "Soul!" The chameleon glanced up quickly, steadying his stance so he could keep his balance. Reasonably sure that Toru could fire a gun (it wasn't _that_ fucking hard) and knowing he needed a weapon, Shadow threw one of his two guns down at the other man. "Don't lose the damn thing," he muttered angrily, returning his attention to Zareil again. Toru nodded swiftly, turning his attention back to the fight.

The demon was currently busied with Cyril, his versatile magic being enough to keep her back temporarily as he increased his own abilities, threw up shields, and sent out rapid attacks. She eventually smashed through his barriers and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him violently into the ground until Aniko returned and kicked her with enough force to make Zareil release the Babylonian. The two clashed weapons violently until the demon suddenly ducked under a blow and sent Aniko into the air with a merciless kick to the chin.

It was this attack on his mother that finally prompted Espio to join the fight. Utilizing his extreme speed, he knocked Zareil's body aside several feet and came to a stop in front of Aniko. Zareil winced slightly and sighed, glancing to Shadow with a smirk. _I hate to contact you twice, but could you let me borrow the ability to clone myself, Kaden?_

This time, there was an audible frown in Kaden's voice when he replied. _I cannot grant you perfect clones now. I need them._

 _Not necessary, dear. I just need to be able to keep Espio busy while I work on Shadow. Perhaps rid ourselves of a few of these pests as well._

 _Fine._ The power was granted without further dialogue.

Wordlessly, Zareil began creating clones of herself (which immediately took off after the others) at a rapid pace while walking toward the tree Shadow was in. Toru fired at her, but she reacted far quicker this time, avoiding the bullets and throwing herself up by Shadow. "Don't move. It'll hurt more that way," she murmured, creating a sphere of Darkness around the two of them to begin the corruption process. Shadow fired at her rapidly, buying himself _just_ enough time to break free before they were fully trapped. He kicked Toru out ahead of him, also freeing him from the sphere.

Zariel moved quickly, snatching Toru by the neck and firing a blast of corrupted Darkness at Shadow, fully intent on knocking him out if she had to. Even Shadow wasn't sure how, but he managed to dodge in the nick of time and shot at her once again. Despite barely looking at where he was shooting, no bullets ever missed their mark. He struck her on the cheek and arm each once, then several times in the region where her heart was. She snatched one before it could hit her, wincing as every one that touched her caused some degree of pain. Each minor pain she felt only further served to fuel her rage, leaving her to kick with such ferocity that everything in her wake was reduced to dust.

She then suddenly appeared behind the dark hedgehog and slammed his body against Toru's before trapping them both within a corruptive sphere of Darkness again. "You spelled your own demise, _boy_. Do not wave your little toys at me ever again." Zareil then revealed that she had his gun in hand, tossing it aside carelessly before violently removing the gun Toru had held tight within his clutches to throw it away from them as well. As she did this, Shadow pushed himself off of and away from Toru as much as this trap would allow, internally cursing her, the pain he was now in, the energies crackling through and around him… everything, really.

"You'd do well to watch your back, _demon_ ," Toru muttered through gritted teeth, clenching his fists. Shadow tried to stand, found he couldn't quite manage it, and sank back down on one knee.

Zareil idly reached behind her, then pulled her arm back in front of her and glancing over the card she'd caught. "Huh, metal infused with magic. Interesting." She launched it over her shoulder and smiled in satisfaction as she listened to Cyril cry out and drop to the ground. "Well, that saved me some time. Do you two think you'll be good and stay there? Good," she muttered, beginning to walk off. "Kids to kill, bodies to feed from. Who first?" she mused, grabbing her spear from the ground before her eyes fell back on the debris. "You…" The demon stood over Vector's unconscious body and sighed. "Weak." Her spear plunged through his heart, the withdrawal of her weapon removing the organ with it and leaving her mildly disgusted. "Too weak." She flicked her spear and removed the atrocity staining her weapon, instead moving to more interesting prey.

"Bunny!" the demon called, appearing over her and kneeling down in front of Cream. "You have the pleasure of being removed next."

Cream somehow managed to regain her composure in this moment as she sat up from where a clone had thrown her. "I know this," she said softly. Her eyes opened, locking with Zareil's intently. "And I also know that you will meet with success in other ventures as well." She looked away, wearing an uncharacteristic frown. "Do not think this means that you win. You will not."

"I need not win," Zareil answered easily, pressing the tip of her bloodied spear against the bunny's throat. "I live to kill, and to serve my God. I am pleased and fulfilled as long as I am performing in those ways."

Spying Li nearby and knowing this was to be her final moment, Cream swallowed back more tears and whispered to him, "Tell Espio-sama I said goodbye… _please_."

The wolf turned in time to react, his hand flying in front of the spear as it was drawn back only to be pierced along with Cream's neck. His eyes widened and he dropped to his knees, unable to do anything as Zareil pressed him into the ground with her Darkness. Cream dropped limply behind him. Novei suddenly launched into action, managing to catch Zareil off guard enough to throw the taller woman to the ground and take off in a run with Li in her arms. The demon pushed herself back to her feet and found her gaze falling on Tails. Li wasn't worth her time, and neither was the Therian, but she knew that this fox was _something_ interesting. "A mortal, still alive after all this time?" she called, prying her spear out of Cream's neck to walk to him.

Tails left off staring in abject horror at Cream's body long enough to stutter out a small, "Y-Yeah… something like that," as he slowly backed away. Purely out of instinct, he allowed a volatile combination of electricity and radiation to crackle to life around him. It was his _only_ means of defense.

"You lot are _hilarious_. Rebellion until the moment you drop. I suppose this resilience is what makes you so capable of surviving the many, many wars I've heard of. Would that be correct?" Zareil asked, stepping no closer at seeing his display.

"U-Um…" Tails thought it best to shut up right about then and just gulped.

Zareil knelt down once more. "I'll kill you from over here and eat you, got it?" Her spear twirled slightly before being launched powerfully through his body, a satisfied smile on her face. Tails hit the ground once the weapon went through him, rapidly losing consciousness as he bled. "That makes th-" Her smile faded and she grimaced, standing once more to glance behind her as a portal opened in the air. " _You_." She watched as Ylden dropped into the battle, growling faintly before deciding killing him would need to wait. The demon stood, teleported her weapon in hand, then suddenly appeared and slammed into Espio while teleporting the both of them away from the battlefield.

Espio gritted his teeth, eyes sparking with temper as he violently kicked her off of him. He jumped back and away, putting a healthy distance between them and buying him a couple precious seconds to get his bearings. Already he knew they were _nowhere_ near the others anymore. _Fucking perfect._

"So, first your mother, then your woman, and then your little bunny child. How does it feel, knowing you could lose it all in just a snap of my fingers?" Zareil asked, a smile on her face. He glared heatedly at her but didn't dignify her words with a reply. That he was _beyond_ furious and barely containing the emotion was already too much of a reaction as it was. She twirled her spear and let the bladed end stick high in the air. "The fresh blood of three. The reptile, the bunny, and the fox. They are _dead_ , Espio," she taunted, growling in satisfaction. "Come, hit me with all of your fury and hatred!"

Refusing to rise to the bait no matter _how_ badly he wanted to just tear her _apart_ , Espio bit out, "You will join them soon enough." Despite his efforts to reign himself in, Darkness crackled frenetically around him several times. He sought to quell it, but his anger was such that this was impossible.

"What of it? My God will simply bring me back. I am far too useful to him to be lost forever, Espio." She smiled. "However… I could help ensure that you are not killed, alongside your family and lover. All of you could fight alongside each other forever and if one of you was to die, you could simply be _brought_ back. Does that not sound like something you would want?"

Espio's gaze was cold and unflinching as he muttered, "Such a rousing speech… but I am afraid that no one who cares is around to _hear_ it."

"Then they will die and _you_ will come with us alone," Zareil growled, rushing forward with no hesitation and creating a sphere of Darkness around them both.

Though he started to react, Espio was stopped dead in his tracks when a terrible, dark chill ran down his spine. The instincts that had been clamoring within him earlier rose up, screaming at him that he was being _contacted_... and that he _had_ to listen. A voice softly whispered in his mind, issuing a simple command. _"Stay still."_

Just like that, Espio found himself rooted to the spot. It lasted only a few seconds before he regained control of himself, but that was several seconds too long. Zareil grabbed Espio and forcibly began the corruption process, staring directly into his eyes. "The God _wants_ you in his legions. You would do well to listen."

The sheer ferocity of the corrupted energies forced Espio down onto his knees before too long. They, along with the energies Kaden himself had left him with, soon created a faint glow in his eyes even as he continued to struggle to remain in control. _Shit …_

Zareil smiled and set a hand on Espio's head, beginning to force him down further. "Let the corruption set in. You will be better off if you quit resisting." Due to the energies now freely coursing through him, Espio found himself unable to focus enough to respond to her in any manner. Bit by little bit, his resistance started to crumble. Her gaze shifted to the right and she glared at the sight of Ylden and Armaris rushing toward them. "Looks like your woman is here to have her head removed, alongside her father. Watch, and see what happens when you defy Kaden," she muttered, leaving the sphere and reclaiming her spear once more.

" _Zareil_ ," Ylden muttered, his clothes and fur being teased upward by the immense magic building up around him. "Release him, _now_."

"You are in no place to make demands," Zareil answered, launching forward and lashing out at him. A barrier of magic held firm just long enough for Ylden to release his spell, a colossal spell crashing into the sphere and shattering it. Released now, Espio fell forward on his hands and knees, breathing heavily and slowly regaining focus. The faint glow remained in his eyes, however, and energy continued to writhe around him. "You _bastard_!" Zareil yelled, shattering his barrier with a malicious burst of energy around her before slamming her spear down at Armaris. _I'll cripple you both by killing her._

Armaris phased around the spear by temporarily turning into Darkness, then darted under Zareil's legs to get to Espio as Ylden kept her busy with various magic attacks. The female cat dropped to the ground immediately, shock wracking her body as she stared at Espio's prone form. "E-Espio!" she cried, shaking. "Are you awake?" Despite his condition, Espio subtly grimaced after a long moment and, seconds later, managed a very slight nod. The new corruption, coupled with Kaden's initial corruption, was tearing through him stronger than he could manage to fight. It didn't help that his own Darkness was so readily _letting_ all of this in. Tears flowed from Armaris's eyes as the adrenaline rush (part of the only reason she'd been standing moments before) and the weight of her emotions caused her to crumple and left her on the ground sobbing beside him. "I'm so sorry!"

Another chill ran down Espio's spine as he heard the words, _"Stop fighting,"_ whispered in his head. In spite of himself, his resistance crumbled even further. He cursed internally, though he wasn't actually able to do so aloud. The glow in his eyes intensified almost immediately. Armaris wanted to do something to help him, but nothing within her knew a single thing to do that wouldn't result in her own corruption.

At this moment, Aniko suddenly appeared beside them both, quickly scooping Armaris up under one arm (so as to keep her away from the corrupted energies) and staring at her son in mute shock. "I-... _Espio_ …" Hearing his mother's voice brought some focus back and Espio almost flinched as he tried to focus on her further. The glow in his eyes flickered away for a second, but _only_ a second. She watched him in disbelief, some dull, deep pain spreading through her core. "My son… what have they done to you…?"

There was another chill, followed by another command. _"Ignore her… Focus on this."_ Helpless to resist any further by now, Espio's attention soon drifted away from Aniko entirely. All he was aware of was the Darkness. His resistance faded almost entirely.

Aniko's hand shot up to catch the spear nearly brought down on their heads, deep hatred and defiance burning deep within her eyes. "You have hurt my child," she hissed. She ripped the spear free from Zareil's hand and bashed the pole against the demon's head, then swept her feet out from under her. "You will pay _dearly_." She briefly clashed with Zareil, Ylden's magic further boosting her ability to match this demon alongside her untapped _fury_. For just a moment, she seemed capable of besting the demon, then she was forced to protect Armaris from a blow that would have ended her. The chameleon shot after Zareil, intent on attacking once more until the demon picked up Espio, put him between the two women, then shot a smirk and vanished with her son.

Elsewhere, Zareil's sudden departure caused the sphere trapping Shadow and Toru to suddenly vanish. They were dropped roughly onto the ground, leaving Shadow in incredible pain as he pushed himself up. Whatever corruption had been attempted on him rapidly fell by the wayside in light of his complete _refusal_ to let it affect him. That he had no prior corruption for this to feed off of certainly helped. As such, the eyes he opened were initially glowing to a degree, but that glow was gone by the time he blinked. Wincing, he moved to stand.

Toru laid on the ground for the moment, shifting slightly to try and determine if any bones were broken. He deduced that a few were likely fractured, given the pain, and made a move to very slowly sit up. "Shit…"

Hearing the slight grinding of bones, Shadow muttered, "Stop moving around."

"I can't stay lying on the ground the whole time. There are others _far_ worse off than myself that need tending to," Toru countered, but only lightly. He understood what Shadow was saying this for, entirely.

Looking around at the wounded all around them, including many of this village's residents, Shadow let out a soft growl. "I will tend to who I can. You stay put." He chose not to mention the fact that he was doing so partly as a means of distracting himself from the faint thrum of corruption still pulsing through him. Zareil had focused so little of her efforts on him overall that his corruption was minor enough to be overcome and ignored... but having a distraction was nothing he would object to.

The chameleon huffed, sighing. "Fine. If you take too long, I'll get up regardless."

Shadow shot him a somewhat withering look, but in the end just let out a soft snort. He started walking away, but not before idly threatening, "Do so and I may shoot you."

"With your aim, I'd be a dead man," Toru joked lightly, chuckling before coughing in pain. _Shit, he was right._ With no reply to make, Shadow walked off, headed straight for the closest victim. Already, he was dreading the state he'd find her in. Cream was _dead_. So many people were _dead_. Espio was _gone_.

They had _lost_.

 **~保護者~**

 **8,689 words this time. So, uh, this got real dark. Hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help... and yes, I am very broken inside about poor Cream. It had to be done, okay? *Tears* Posted (at about 11:20 p.m.) 05-19-20.**


	83. Corruption

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this incredibly dark situation… especially for the one who is angry.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Corruption"**

 **~保護者~**

Three days had passed since the latest attack on Hyale. For three days, the corruption had had time to fully ingrain itself within Espio's Darkness. For three days, his energies had had time to settle, allowing him full and proper control of them for the first time. All the while, he impassively pondered over every little detail of the fight he had taken part in, thinking about how little he had actually fought, considering the idea that maybe he hadn't had as much of a desire to resist as he had previously believed.

For three days he sat still and silent, thinking endlessly while he and his captors awaited the return of her God. They stayed within an ancient and crumbling citadel, engulfed in shadows so deep and so black that only eyes like that of a demon's could penetrate it. He watched, emotionless, as demons came and went through the spacious main room, some surviving the intrusion and others not. He didn't participate in any of it, caring not for the pointless scuffles. The time would come when he could bloody his own blades. He could feel it. Until then, he was content to stay where he was, uninvolved and unruffled by it all.

A hand took hold of the back of his neck and roughly thrust him forward and up. He didn't give the demon - a burly creature who had been keeping an eye on him alongside the woman - the satisfaction of seeing him stumble. Instead, he neatly gained his footing as the demon growled, "On your feet. He comes." Turning to Zareil he muttered, "My task here is complete. I have other duties to attend."

Whether she replied, Espio didn't notice. He paid more attention to the additional layer of darkness that blanketed the room as the unnamed demon left, a layer which only faded after Kaden had appeared within it. Wordlessly at first, he approached Espio and circled him, eyeing his condition - corruption and all - before moving in front of him again. With eyes just as cold as the ninja's, he murmured, " _Kneel_."

There was no way to resist. He had no power to do so. Slowly, unwillingly, Espio moved down on one knee. Though he kept his demeanor impassive, aided by a lifetime of training as a shinobi, inside he suddenly boiled with anger. Stripping him of his free will, one of the most important things to him in life… This would not do. Just as soon as he was able, he swore he would do something about it. Cutting his newfound God was the very least of the actions he silently promised to take once he found a way to. _I will eviscerate you._

Pleased by the display of obedience, Kaden crossed the room to Zareil. He was seldom one for praises and _never_ when they were unwarranted, but in that moment he tipped her chin up with a satisfied growl and rumbled, "You did well."

Zareil idly licked her lips, a faint smile on her face. "I needed to. The rest of their group is… _terribly_ weak without their Immortals around. Such a shame Ylden showed up, though."

Kaden let out a thoughtful hum. "He will be dealt with eventually," he assured. He then took hold of her chin and tipped her head, eyeing the spot where one of Shadow's bullets had struck her. Eyebrows slightly upraised, he murmured, "He managed to harm you."

A flicker of anger ran over her features, but she merely sighed. "He had guns with unusual ammunition. Each one hurt, even when I was wearing armor. Luckily, though, he was unable to do more. Some corruption should have set in on him, but he wasn't my primary target."

"No, he was not. But it will take more than that for the corruption to stick. His Darkness is too deeply dormant to be reached without a great output of energy on our parts." He released his hold of her chin and glanced back to Espio. "There are small things that can be done to help further solidify _his_ corruption, however."

"Mm... " Zareil looked over Espio's form. "He wasn't as problematic as I thought he would be. It may be easier to advance this than we thought."

At this, Kaden gained a rare smile. "As it happens… his kind's Darkness appears to quite enjoy feeding off of other malignant energies. It absorbed the corruption too fast for him to resist as much as we anticipated."

"Which means his parents would likely be similar cases, I presume?"

"To some extent. They lack the same degree of initial corruption, meaning it will not be quite as simple. More effort will be required."

Zareil lightly bit the tip of her index finger, thinking. "Do you think they will come here? His mother and woman were _volatile_."

"They will come," Kaden calmly asserted, "and you are to let them. I am curious to see how he responds to them, in his current state."

The demoness muttered something akin to disliking that, huffing. "The chameleon grew _exceptionally_ strong once she was sufficiently angry. It is likely that she is similar to me."

Kaden blinked once. "He possesses more than enough strength to handle her, and I suspect that he _will_ … given the opportunity." Glancing to the doorway, he changed the subject. "His kind, when engulfed by Darkness, are partial to blood. They are known, for one thing, to lick their weapons clean. Hunting a meal may be a decent way to pass the time until they arrive."

Zareil frowned at the implication. "Must I babysit?"

"He is strong of will, Zareil. He is not the sort to cease fighting at _any_ point. Given the _slightest_ opportunity to, he _will_ rebel." Kaden gave her a firm look. "Keep watch over his activities for now. Do _not_ make me order you."

She rolled her eyes, not at him, but merely at the fact that she had to watch over Espio. " _Fine_ , but you know how I detest watching over troublesome people."

Huffing, Kaden betrayed a rare moment of " _care_ " (or whatever it was that demons could actually manage) and gave her a brief kiss. "You will find respite later. For now, do your job."

A small laugh escaped her and she glanced to Espio. "Let's go."

Kaden released him with a new order. "Go with her. You are under her command for now." With that said, he turned and walked to his seat. Still refusing to betray any emotion in any manner, Espio simply stood and walked outside, since he now had permission to. Satisfied with this, Kaden got comfortable and simply closed his eyes to walt.

 **~保護者~**

Things were disconcertingly quiet.

Though he himself could not speak, Shei had grown used to hearing voices around him at all times as of late. The chatter had been tiresome now and then, certainly, but in the wake of all that had occurred he found himself somehow… missing it. At least when there had been noise, it had been proof of how at ease everyone had been. How peaceful some had managed to be. How well-rested everyone had started to become. Although… a part of him wondered now if those very truths had played right into their downfall.

Shaking his head, the shinobi cast his gaze into the sky. The rare pleasant weather they had been experiencing as of late was showing signs of fading. Snow clouds had begun gathering high in the sky, promising of a storm to come and gifting the ground below with a sufficiently gloomy look. It was more than appropriate, all things considered, given what had just happened days before. Only today, he had helped finish burying the last of the village's dead. In total, there had been thirty-seven… counting young Cream. She had been buried in Hyael's graveyard with the others, near his family's plot. She had more than earned that right.

There had been another casualty, too, Shei recalled, standing up. His son's friend, that crocodile… Vector, he believed. He wasn't entirely sure where the man had been taken to in order to find rest, however, though he'd heard murmurings of some detective agency or another. But that, for now, was unimportant. Injuries abounded among the living, so he set about checking on those nearest to his current position. All of them were outside, sheltering from the increasing cold within a barrier crafted by the older Therian woman in light of the complete loss of Espio's home. The rubble from it and the uppermost portion of the tree stay lay scattered for some distance behind the trunk.

Shei focused on his companions. The young fox had bled significantly from his wound but, curiously, had been undergoing rapid regeneration. He was still left unconscious, but he was the only one to have been so viciously stabbed and survive it. Still, Shei made a mental note to keep an eye on him, and the grief-stricken hedgehog sitting watch by his side, as he moved on. Li and Novei were seated nearby, the former sporting a bloody bandage around the palm of one of his hands. Overall, however, they seemed fine… other than the haunted look in the wolf's eyes. It was likely best to leave the pair alone.

Letting them be, he walked to the one responsible for the barrier (Calypso, he recalled) and knelt before her. She sat against a large stone, eyes closed, with the Sun God laying in the grass close by. He waited patiently for her to open his eyes before signing, _"Where has he been?"_

Dark eyes blinked once. "I take him away some time ago. He need rest, but it too dangerous to let him rest here. I t'ought he would be safer elsewhere, and he was."

With a slow nod, Shei asked a new question. _"He has not regained consciousness since Kaden attacked him. Why?"_

"Somet'ing about the way he die," she said cryptically. Seeing his confusion, she thought to elaborate for him. "He die once, properly. He was mortal t'en, killed when the floating lands of t'is world were blown apart by Chaos. Somet'ing about the way he die leave him broken forevermore."

 _"He has some sort of permanent injury?"_ Shei questioned.

Calypso tapped her own head meaningfully. "He very vulnerable all over here. It not take much to put him down if you know where to hit."

That was likely knowledge that Kaden would have, seeing as how the two men had appeared to know one another. And besides that… the God of Demons struck Shei as someone who did their homework, always paying due diligence to the task of learning everything possible about any and all foes. Meaning this had been deliberate. _"Is he in some sort of a coma, or merely unconscious?"_

The black-skinned woman shrugged. "I not know yet. It hard to tell."

Soundlessly, Shei sighed. "Pray, keep me informed. I should like to know if anything changes."

She responded only by closing her eyes, so Shei stood and moved along. He spied Rose laying precisely where he had left her, close to the base of the now-broken tree and certainly close enough to be protected… but not too close, for the sake of Aniko. She was also right where he had left her, fully healed (thanks to their regeneration) but still grappling with her emotions as she had been ever since the day they had… lost. He couldn't fault her for it, wondered at his own inability to be as affected as she was, and made a silent promise to return to her side soon.

He shifted his gaze to Armaris. The bulk of Aku's body hid her from his view, as the dragon lay loosely coiled around her in the grass in a show of rare comfort and support. Even without seeing her, Shei could sense that she, too, was in turmoil. However, as with Aniko, Shei was at a loss for how to help. The best he could do was be mindful of her injuries and change her bandages again when the time came. For now, however, he opted to leave her be in the hopes that maybe she would manage to get some sleep. But perhaps that was nothing more than wishful thinking on his part.

Shei continued on until he reached the spot where Toru had been seated. With a frown, he did as he had done before and knelt before the subject of his attention. Having heard the young man's name when Aniko had spoken with the ninja, he addressed said man by name. _"You are healed already, Toru,"_ he stated calmly, though it was obvious. This seemingly idle observation belied the significance of the truth he was pointing out… for only chameleons with access to their Darkness had any regenerative abilities.

Toru's eyes were nearly devoid of any emotion as he stared at Shei. One of the only things he allowed to be visible within was _painfully_ obvious anger. "I am thinking," he murmured, a near cold edge to his voice. "That demon… she was far too powerful to have been normal, and she had used _none_ of her abilities outside of Darkness. Even _that_ , she used sparingly."

"S _he is not normal,"_ Shei agreed. _"My best guess is that she is someone ranked only just below the God. Perhaps a High General of sorts."_

The onyx chameleon bared his teeth for a moment before sighing, shaking his head. "She slaughtered us, _alone_. And she _wasn't_ allowing her clones to kill. Only she had that honor for herself. This fight could have very well been the death of us all had she left behind her own wishes."

Shei nodded slowly. _"I intend to seek out the Immortal allies the hedgehogs and their friends constantly speak of. It is clear that we are helpless without them at this time."_

Toru pushed himself to stand, glancing away. "Keep me informed. I have someone to check on." With another nod, Shei respectfully walked away again, allowing the younger chameleon some space. Toru crossed his arms as he walked toward the one person from this group he'd primarily fought beside during the fight. Some concern shone through the blank expression he wore, worried that the corruption might have seriously harmed him or worse. _Shadow, you'd better be okay._

The hedgehog in question had separated himself from the others immediately after tending to who he could the day of the fight. He sat beneath a tree a short distance away from the barrier in a spot out of view of the others. While by this time he was no longer worried about the possibility of corruption (it seemed to have trickled away in its entirety somehow), he was very much in between doses of medicine by now. Medicine which had been in the house. That had been destroyed. Shadow _really_ cursed his life in this moment, especially when his head started spinning again and fresh chills wracked his frame. _Fucking hell…_

The chameleon walked over near the tree and sat down quietly, glancing over Shadow to make sure he was doing okay physically before bothering to speak. "Hey, Shadow." Shadow didn't dare open his eyes, not with how dizzy he was, but he managed to mumble a vague greeting of sorts. It even managed _not_ to come out sounding slurred, by some miracle. Toru frowned at this. "That illness eating at you?"

Fighting back another chill, Shadow forced himself to properly answer this time. Though, that nearly took more effort than it was worth. "You could say that," he muttered, speaking slowly to ensure his words stayed clear and intelligible.

"I came to check on you," Toru admitted slowly. "You're really the only person I've talked to here that might not bash my skull in if I speak to them."

"Why bother?" Shadow mumbled. The question was out before he could consider it, but he decided soon that he didn't care that he'd asked.

"We all took quite a beating, and she went after you specifically. Wanted to make sure she didn't cause serious damage that you were ignoring." This was partially a lie, but Toru didn't let onto that. There were a few things he hadn't had time to really sort out.

A stutter betrayed itself in Shadow's words when he responded as his teeth tried to chatter, reacting to yet more chills that hit him. "I'm f-fine." Internally, he let out another curse.

Toru didn't respond to this, sighing. "If you need something… let me know. I can try to get something sorted out, as long as it's not ridiculously out there."

Somehow, Shadow managed a second of dry humor. "And here I was going to send you shopping on another planet," he grumbled.

"I'd drag you with me as punishment for such an outlandish request," Toru quipped in return, a faint smile on his face. "I'm not a _shopper_. More of a thief."

"No wonder you two get along," Shadow found himself mumbling without having intended to.

Toru huffed, recalling that Espio had a bit of a reputation for that as well. "Perhaps that's part of it."

No sooner than Toru had finished saying this, Silver could be heard speaking to Calypso. Hearing his voice, Shei wandered back over to the two, trying to see what was going on. Silver looked at Shei, ducked his head, and gestured weakly at the Therian. With a huff, Calypso said, "I am seeing somet'ing on that terrible world. I can show, but it will not be pleasant."

Armaris heard this, despite her obvious emotional state, and slowly crept over from within her Darkness. Aniko became aware of the conversation and followed her husband for the time being, staying _extremely_ close to him. Shei gently took hold of her nearest hand. _This will not be good._

Calypso looked over at Armaris in particular and frowned. "You may not wish to see, girl. It not be pretty." Even as she spoke, she called magic into her hand that quickly formed into a glassy disk roughly the size of a dinner plate.

In response to this, Armaris's Darkness flared angrily for a moment until she fully realized that the image would still be shown. "Just do it," she hissed harshly. Aniko glanced to Armaris, making a motion to tell the cat to hold her tongue for now and let Calypso do what she was doing.

After expanding the disk to accommodate so many viewers (although one, Silver, left almost right away), Calypso allowed the image of what she was seeing take form. Shei immediately frowned when he saw his son knelt _respectfully_ on the ground… but with eyes blazing with unspoken anger. He seemed to be listening to something that was being said elsewhere, but for whatever reason made no moves to get up or do anything at all. Aniko's anger much more visibly rose at seeing this, her shoulders straightening and her jaw clenching. Armaris simply watched, hate-filled eyes brimming further with anger.

A short time passed and Kaden walked into view. Like a light switch had been flipped, any and all traces of emotions vanished from Espio's entire demeanor, leaving him impassive and silent before his anger could be spotted. He was released from his position on the ground, told he was to obey someone else, and just like that he stalked out of the room. Only now were they able to see that it was Zareil herself who was also there.

Aniko didn't even fully realize that her Darkness was slowly beginning to flare to life at her overwhelming anger, the sight of these demons enough to nearly make her snap. "That _bastard_ ," she muttered venomously.

Shei's eyes clouded. _So the corruption held, then…_

The feed continued. Zareil idly motioned for Espio to head off somewhere, seeming highly disinterested in this procession. Having been given free reign to do as he pleased so long as he ultimately obeyed his instructions, Espio simply took off and out of sight. " _Fuck_ this," Aniko snapped, gripping her sword tightly and storming off. "I'll be back." Armaris wordlessly followed the older woman, not interested in listening to anyone else. Aniko teleported the both of them to Kaden's world, waiting on nobody.

This simple act put the two women right into the citadel's main room, courtesy of a sort of magic trap that was at play. Upon noticing their arrival, Kaden sat up slightly from where he had been lounging in his seat and cracked his eyes open to look at them. He huffed quietly. _They came running faster than I'd thought they would._

Aniko stared him down with outwardly visible fury, every muscle in her body tensed. "You fucking _bastard_ ," she bit out. " _Fuck_ you."

Huffing again, Kaden laid his head back down and invited, "Go find him, if that is what you want. See if he still accepts you both. I do not care if he makes you bleed."

"I want your head on a pike," Aniko snapped, ignoring him should he make any further comments and storming off outside. Armaris stared at Kaden, frowned, then followed behind the female chameleon. It didn't take them long to find Zareil, the demon simply standing still with her arms crossed. The thought to strike this thing down now came across Aniko's mind, and she ultimately attempted it, her blade striking against skin and metal but being blocked _just_ enough to prevent her from cutting into the demon.

"Strike me again and I cannot guarantee you will be standing in the coming seconds," Zareil muttered darkly. "I am _busy_." As she spoke, a powerful demon's aura spiked with pain and suddenly died away within a deep ravine a short distance away. Two more, both in close proximity to the first, followed suit seconds later. Zareil smiled in satisfaction as she sensed this, laughing. "Even without a proper weapon, he is surely a threat to behold. I would personally advise against seeing him…" Her gaze fell on Armaris. "But it seems at least one of you can hardly hear your surroundings now."

Aniko withdrew her sword and none-too-gently pushed Zareil multiple feet away from herself and Armaris, the demon not bothering to react and simply staying standing in response to watch as the pair walked on toward Espio. The female chameleon grabbed Armaris gently and leapt into the ravine, landing deep within it in a neat crouch and beginning to walk once more. Though aware of their presence already, Espio initially paid them no mind as he examined the kunai knife in his hand. _Dull… already._ Scoffing slightly, he cast the now useless weapon aside and wiped some blood off of his face with the back of a hand. He was splattered with the stuff, needless to say - not that he _cared_.

Much of the anger in Aniko's posture and expression faded at the sight of Espio. The woman fearlessly walked closer toward her son. "Espio… what are you doing?" He turned slightly at the sound of her voice, glowing eyes glancing over her and then Armaris each in turn, but he made no immediate comment. His expression remained just as unreadable as it had been earlier, giving no hint to his thoughts or emotions. The woman stopped a few feet from him, a frown on her face. "You know who I am, correct?"

With a scoff, he turned his head away and muttered a simple, "Yes."

Armaris walked forward, but didn't approach. She instead hid behind Aniko to some degree, only poking her head out enough to watch Espio. This action greatly concerned the female chameleon, enough so that she wrapped an arm tightly around the cat. "Espio… have they hurt you since you arrived here?"

While internally debating how to rid himself of these two, Espio murmured a calm, "No." His fingers twitched slightly by his side, as though reflexively trying to shift their grip on the handle of a blade he no longer had.

Armaris began tugging at Aniko, muttering, "We _need_ to leave," under her breath rapidly, over and over again.

Aniko stood her ground, eyes narrowing. "Are you going to attack your mother?"

The offer was tempting. _Incredibly_ tempting. But Espio refrained for one reason and one reason alone. _I will not do what he wants._

The female chameleon frowned further. "You are resisting." She ignored Armaris's increasing attempts to drag the older woman away, pulling the cat close instead.

Darkness started to swirl almost lazily around Espio's hand. "...Leave." The Darkness started forming into the vague shape of another knife, this one crafted purely from energy.

Aniko seemed to heed this warning, almost respectfully, and turned to walk away without another word. She held Armaris close, even as her senses picked up on the Zareil's spear hurtling toward them. As Aniko expected, the pole was the only part to strike her, but she surprisingly curled around Armaris to protect the much more feeble woman. "You have a lot of nerve, _demoness_ ," she muttered, her gaze shifting to the imposing form of Zareil standing over her. Espio turned his head to look, staying silent and simply observing.

"I don't want you to just _leave_ ," Zareil answered. "You see… while you're not as powerful as Espio, you stopped one of my attacks with one arm. I'm intrigued to see what kind of demon you become," she admitted easily, earning a _hateful_ look from the female chameleon. "Aw, what's wrong? Don't wanna see your kid not liking you?"

Aniko opened her mouth to protest, only for Zareil's foot to come crashing down on her back and forcing her into the ground in an awkward position as she tried to protect Armaris (who, strangely, wasn't responding to anything occurring). Espio looked on briefly, but soon turned his back on them all, having decided that he didn't care one way or another what became of any of them or who killed who. Aniko glared hotly at her attacker. " _Fuck_ you, woman."

"That's _no_ way to talk to your future general," Zareil snapped, pressing down harder with her foot. "Let me kill the cat. She's far too weak to continue on her own, so she shouldn't be allowed to live."

"No." This was met with more crushing force and a growl. Despite the pain and danger she was in, she remained defiant and _outwardly_ obstinate.

A small black knife comprised of Darkness suddenly struck the ground directly beside the struggling women. The impact loosed an explosion so vicious that it threw them all away from one another and tore the ravine open wide. Once the blast died down, Espio lowered his arm, his expression still not giving anything away about his motivations or intentions. All he said was a muttered, "You're annoying…" as he turned away again. He gave no indication specifically who he was talking to. It could well have been all of them.

Aniko landed, still wrapped around Armaris (who now appeared to either be asleep or unconscious as a result of the last attack), tumbling several feet before throwing herself to a standing position and staring at Espio. _They have taken you from me…_ Without another word, she teleported herself away from here. Or… she _would_ have, had Zareil not _literally_ grabbed her out of her teleport and thrown the two of them toward the citadel.

"You will _not_ be leaving," Zareil snapped, storming over and kicking Aniko up to her feet. " _Fight_ or lose yourself to your Darkness," she threatened, surrounding them both in a corruptive sphere of Darkness.

A small pulse of Light raced through the area right in that moment. It seemed weak due to its size, but it still succeeded in loosening the sphere's hold on Armaris and Aniko enough for them to flee. Aniko wasted absolutely no time in viciously drop-kicking Zareil in the temple to buy herself enough time to teleport away. To further aid in their efforts, a much stronger pulse of Light collapsed down upon Zareil, pinning her with crushing force and gifting her with burns in an instant. Kaden intervened from afar with his Darkness, obliterating the attack effortlessly, but by then Aniko had already escaped.

Aniko landed back in Hyale, immediately dropping to her knees as her carefully held back emotions collapsed outward, laying Armaris down and almost violently pulling her husband into a tight hug. Shei immediately held her as well after making sure the sleeping baby clinging to his back was unharmed by the grab. He had questions, naturally, but wasn't at all in a position to ask any of them.

His entire demeanor sad and devoid of his usual joy, Silver dared to ask a soft, "What… What happened…?"

"They _took_ Espio," Aniko muttered, barely able to get it out through the intense choking feeling she felt. How long had it been since she'd cried, much less to _this_ degree?

Pursing his lips together, Silver made a potentially rash decision and used his mental powers for the greater good. ...Sort of. At the very least, he gave Shei a voice, allowing the man's thoughts to be heard aloud as though he were speaking. Sensing this, Shei shot him a vaguely stunned look. Silver only waved him on, urging him to communicate now that it was possible. He did so after a long moment, returning his full attention to Aniko and speaking to her as though no one else was there. _"What has become of him?"_

Aniko paused harshly, pulling back and staring at him in absolute shock. " _What_?" she demanded.

Shei silently huffed, rolling his eyes toward Silver. The hedgehog in question raised a hand and tiredly volunteered, gaze averted, "My doing. Mental powers. Seemed like he had stuff to say. Hands are occupied. Thought I'd help."

Aniko offered him a brief, yet _deeply_ appreciative look before turning her attention back to her husband. "Espio… he's been corrupted. Not fully… but enough that he would have been willing to attack us both had he not been resisting Kaden."

That caught Shei's immediate interest. _"He is still capable of resisting?"_

She nodded very slowly. "I'm not sure what he was resisting, exactly… but that seemed to be the only thing stopping him from hurting us."

Concern building in normally mellow eyes, Shei told her, _"That he was taken by demonic Darkness is bad enough, but this… The implications of this are serious, Aniko."_

Aniko looked briefly confused, not wholly catching on to what he was meaning. "Explain."

 _"Our kind's Darkness is… unique in a great number of ways,"_ Shei said. _"One way is that it allows for our regenerative abilities, as you know. Another more drastic example is how it likes to grow by feeding off of other malevolent energies and assimilating it into the user, strengthening them and their Darkness together. Assuming the user is not consumed by sources of corruption before this process is completed, any corruption will be devoured, leaving only the natural Darkness behind… but vastly stronger than before, in this case. If he continues to hold out against Kaden's corruption and Malevolence's… that could be what happens to our son."_

She thought about this deeply for some time before nodding and pulling him close. "He will remain in an evil state though, either way, correct?" she whispered.

Though silent, Shei sighed. _"There is no changing that at this time. But… if he retains control over himself for now… at least he will have his free will returned to him before long."_

"Free will for those who are evil is dangerous," Aniko murmured quietly.

 _"It will lend us an opportunity we do not have as of now,"_ Shei replied. _"With free will, he can decide for himself what to do and what not to do. At that time, we may be able to attempt to reach him in a manner we simply cannot currently."_

She simply drew closer to him, lightly rubbing her cheek against his. "I fear we may not reach such a point…"

Closing his eyes, Shei indulged in a private grimace. _"I wish I could promise that we will, Aniko. I truly, truly do."_

Cyril shakily spoke up at this point, gulping before he did so. "As… unprepared for all of this as I am, I will do everything I can to help you guys get your son back."

Silver nodded. "He's my friend, too, even if we were never exactly _close_. You can count me in. Tails and Shadow, too. They've been by his side for so long - there's _no_ way they'll abandon him now."

Li coughed, speaking for the first time since the battle ended. "I-I… I will try to help… I can't promise much, but… I'm here for this." Novei softly sighed, but didn't argue. She was going to go wherever Li went.

Turning her gaze on the two chameleons, Calypso murmured, "Whet'er you like or not, you have ally. They here to help you. You let t'em do t'at, and perhaps you will have chance of bring your son home. We _wish_ to help if you let us."

Aniko gritted her teeth for a moment before lifting her gaze to all of them. At first, there was a glare. Over time, though, it softened into something much more appreciative, something she would normally _never_ show to outsiders. "You-... thank you."

Silver sighed aloud, resting his chin in his hand. "We need some sort of plan. All I've got so far is… well, the pretty obvious fact that we have to get Uncle Jet and the others back here. And maybe other Gods and Goddesses if we can."

Li pushed himself to stand with his uninjured hand, Novei immediately helping him to do so. "I can get in contact with everyone. I'll get to Jet, Sein, and Alana-"

" _We_ ," Novei murmured. "We will go and get them. _You_ are not going anywhere alone."

The wolf glanced over the others. "I'll be back as soon as possible," he murmured, teleporting himself and Novei to New Babylon. Having teleported straight to where Sein and Alana's energies were, they arrived in the room immediately.

Seeing them appear, Alana straightened. She had been seated on the floor beside Jet with Lucas (who was sound asleep) in her arms. Jet was laying on the couch again, unconscious but wracked with a migraine so severe it had him writhing weakly in agony and unable to lie still. He had spiked a fever from the pain the night before, proving beyond a reasonable doubt how much he was being affected.

Alana's eyes, already dark with fear and concern, hardened upon seeing Li and Novei - especially when she took in Li's emotional state and his wound. One thing was clear to her straight away. _We have let ourselves become too preoccupied. Something has happened._

Sein was immediately on his feet, pulling his wolf friend into a tight hug to comfort him while also having him sit down beside them both. He didn't let Li go until he felt that his friend was feeling at least a little better, pulling away with a smile intended to comfort. "Talk to us. You've got a lot on your mind."

Li was quiet for a moment before Novei ever so carefully nudged him with an elbow, prompting him to speak. He was quiet at first, but Novei's presence and gentle urging from Sein helped him to get going and explain the situation at hand. Over the course of the explanation, Sein's aura grew visible and slowly began to grow _far_ more obviously agitated and angry. Alana remained stoic and silent throughout, keeping her emotions at bay so as to not further aggravate her husband - and to keep her own mind clear. By the time the wolf was finished, it was apparent that Sein was _intent_ on getting up and leaving at a moment's notice should he have to.

The wolf eventually somewhat cowered against Novei's shoulder, his mental state unable to hold out through reliving that traumatic experience. Sein glanced to Alana, intent _clear_ in his eyes. "Can you watch over Jet if I leave?"

Solemnly, she inclined her head. "Of course I can. Go see how you can help."

Sein set a hand on Li's shoulder, glanced to Jet with a sorrowful look (as he wasn't getting to stay by his son's side), and teleported back to Mobius with Novei and Li. The three landed back in Hyale (courtesy of a temporary opening in the barrier that Shei created and then promptly closed), the Babylonian of the three immediately taking stock of his surroundings. Everyone was so… _defeated_ , and he could only feel his anger rising further. He walked over to Shei, carefully skirting around Aniko when he realized how volatile she was feeling. One look at these two told him that everything Li had said was absolutely true, and it left a burning feeling in his chest.

Once he was close enough, Shei signed a quick, _"Where are the others?"_

"I asked them to stay on Babylon. Jet has an unusual migraine that is rendering him unconscious and unable to move," Sein murmured, a frown on his face. "I don't know what's causing it, but I don't think it's anything natural. Alana is with him."

Shei nodded slowly, but switched the subject. _"You appear determined to do something. I cannot advise being rash in your decisions right now."_

"I'm _absolutely_ not being rash. I'm still clear of mind, and I thought it over. That demon that caused all of this… _needs_ to die." There was a painfully obvious level of anger, righteous though it was, in his voice that preceded all else.

 _"And you plan to do what, precisely?"_ Shei asked him.

"I'm going to Kaden's realm and world to wipe her life away," Sein answered, crossing his arms. "I'm more than capable of doing it and coming back safely." He cast a glance to Silver and did his best to flash a comforting smile before teleporting away toward Kaden's realm. Every fiber of his being was now intent on killing the demon that rampaged and killed both Vector and Cream. _How long has it been since I've felt such intense hatred for something?_ Ultimately, he decided that he could venture through those thoughts later in favor of focusing on his goal.

However, before his teleport could be completed, something rose up in his way. He slammed into it at full-speed, but it never wavered in the slightest. It was abundantly clear that his access was being forcefully blocked by Kaden himself. He wouldn't simply be _allowed_ to come into the realm. This left him feeling far more fury than before, grabbing the handle of his sword and handling it tightly in efforts to keep himself under control. _Fuck you, Kaden, and the demon you sent after them…_

 _We will stop you._

 **~保護者~**

 **6,629 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 11:30 a.m.) 05-22-20.**


	84. Fractured

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this period of fear and uncertainty… especially for the one who does precisely the opposite of what everyone expects.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Fractured"**

 **~保護者~**

A short time after Sein left, Silver let out a soft sigh and asked no one in particular, "So… what do we do now?"

"We need to try and recover," Cyril offered, a deep-set frown on his face. "We… don't have much of a choice, considering how badly some people are hurt."

"Easier said than done," Silver mumbled, hugging his knees up to his chest.

Cyril glanced to Shei and Aniko, a notably compassionate light entering his eyes. "There's also some… grieving to do. I'm not terribly close, but… I can tell a good few of you are tight-knit."

Silver hid his face in his arms. "...Yeah. We were."

"I'm sorry, for what it's worth," Cyril answered, idly shuffling one of his decks. He didn't like how few cards were left within. The previous fight nearly exhausted his playing cards, which would leave him in a rough patch for sure. _Maybe I should grab the other two… This seems to be a lot worse than I anticipated._

There was a short silence, one that was interrupted by Silver inhaling sharply and jumping up. He started to say something, but it was cut off by a rush of Darkness that bowled him over and threw Tails and Rose along with him. Cyril was quick to grab a card from one of his decks, launching it at them and making a barrier appear around them should the attack be followed by anything as he threw himself to his feet. A second attack, however, blasted him backward before he could do anything further. Shei started to move after the lot of them, stopping only when he fully sensed the Darkness at play. A rare grimace crossed his features. _She has returned._

Aniko lightly pushed herself away from Shei, hand on her sword's handle as she further fought to control the Darkness attempting to rise within her. " _Where_ are you?" the female chameleon barked, eyes wide and filled with murderous intent.

A tap on Shei's shoulder caused him to whip around. He was met by a grin and a sickeningly chipper, "Here," from the woman who had again invaded their lives. Nyokae gave him a small smile before flashing Aniko a grin. "I hear you've been having some family troubles as of late, my dear. Such a shame, that."

"Step away from my husband," Aniko threatened, turning to Nyokae fully. "You are _not_ welcome here."

Nyokae tilted her head to the side, feigning ignorance. "And whyever not? I have actually come to _help_ , believe it or not. Do you not wish to see your precious boy freed from his new God? I know _I_ do."

"Shut. _Up_." Aniko spat, moving to walk forward but pausing when she noticed Armaris rising off the ground. _You are not awake, yet..._

With another smile, Nyokae turned to Shei. "Hand me the child. I am afraid that I have need of him." Scowling, Shei backed off and moved toward Aniko. He knew he didn't stand a chance fighting generally, but _she_ certainly might.

"You will _not_ have him," Aniko answered, stepping fully in front of Shei. "Get out of here."

Shei started to move, ready to utilize all of his speed to get their grandchild away from there, but Nyokae raised a finger, idly twirling it in the air. Vines borne of Darkness rose up and entangled themselves around him, rooting him to the ground and preventing him from moving. As Sako awoke and started to whimper and fuss, Nyokae tutted at the older of the two male chameleons. "None of that. As I stated, I have need of that child. I believe he will make _fine_ leverage."

" _Get_. _Away_." Aniko snapped, stepping toward Nyokae. "That is my _husband_ and _grandchild_."

Suddenly, Nyokae's smile dropped, as did her whole facade. Rounding on Aniko, she snapped right back at her. "Do you want Espio freed from his bonds or _don't_ you, hm? Because if you _continue_ to waste my time, we may lose the only window of opportunity that is available."

The ground nearly exploded under the weight of Aniko's step, and she continued her aggressive speaking. "You don't explain a _thing_ ," Aniko yelled, unsheathing her sword. "You say the bare minimum and expect us to blindly _follow_ you? You are _ridiculous_!"

"I do not ask you to follow me," Nyokae responded, frowning. "And, in fact, I am not _asking_ for your _permission_. I am _taking_ the boy." With that said, she snatched Sako from Shei's shoulder and none-too-gently tucked him under an arm like a sack. Then, turning back to Aniko, she added, "But I will tell you _this_ much, since you care to such a _charming_ degree. No harm will come to this… _bundle of joy_. Even as he is now, Espio will not harm him. It is the only promise I will _ever_ make to you."

" _Give him back_ ," Aniko muttered darkly, stepping toward Nyokae. She paused again at an almost insignificant burst of Darkness from Armaris, glancing back for a moment to watch the cat walk over with her eyes wide open. _You are still not awake..._

"A pity that one with such a strong lineage cannot even control herself. A sorry waste, I must say." In a surprisingly bold move, Nyokae released Shei and gave an idle wave before teleporting away. "Toodles."

Armaris vanished almost _immediately_ , leaving no trace other than the fog that naturally emanated from her while she was using her Darkness. Aniko turned to Shei, expressing her intent to follow the cat and Nyokae. The look Shei gave her was knowing and filled with concern he could never truly voice, but he made no moves to stop her. It would be a waste of everyone's time and he knew it. Aniko knew this as well, but she refused to accept it and teleported away after the both of them. The barriers that had earlier kept Sein out were now gone, allowing them all entry with ease. It was likely that they had just missed him on his return back to Mobius.

Nyokae appeared first, landing close to where she sensed Espio but not directly by him. She took a few seconds to survey the area before tilting her head slightly. _He has been left alone…? Interesting. Perhaps his charge was sent to keep an eye on that Immortal instead._ Standing from her defensive crouch, she walked over to the ravine where the other chameleon still was, eyeing the damage from the explosion he had let loose earlier. _And he's feeling rather feisty, it would seem. This will be interesting._

Armaris appeared shortly after, almost calmly stepping after the chameleon despite having no real understanding of what she was doing. She truly wasn't awake for this, her body being led by her emotions and instincts with the intent to remove _anything_ she saw as a serious threat. This currently included Nyokae, which is why Aniko followed to begin with. On this planet… starting a fight with Nyokae was an incredibly terrible idea. For one, she knew Zareil wanted them both corrupted, which was a problem since she didn't believe herself fully capable of fighting the demon for any extended time. Another issue… Armaris wasn't thinking, at all. This could only lead to disaster if left unchecked.

Nyokae took notice of her presence with a huff, but for now she paid them no real mind. Instead, she casually looked over all the fresh demon carcasses that littered the ground. Each had had their throats savagely torn open so severely that they had nearly been beheaded. Some were even missing much of their chests. Walking on, she spied a high ledge midway up one of the cliffs where her target sat, eyes already locked hatefully on her.

Predictably, he jumped down the moment she was close enough to speak - and, naturally, she _did_ speak. "I must say that I am glad you abandoned the little gun you stole when retrieving that pesky little gem," she told him casually, eyes on the energy-based knife he was holding. "Guns are much too _fast_. Killing with them, you can't savor all the… little emotions in their eyes. It ruins the enjoyment of catching your prey if they die so quickly."

Aniko grabbed Armaris's hand to prevent her from approaching further, _knowing_ the cat would attack once she was within range. Her gaze fell on Nyoke, ultimately, and she gave a deep frown. _You are making a mistake by doing this, woman._

Eyeing her coldly, Espio flipped the knife in his hand so that it was perfectly positioned for an attack. "You are talkative… for a corpse."

The threat was clear, but Nyokae only smiled. At that point, she moved Sako into view. "That I am… and you are going to have to listen to it."

His attention sufficiently caught, Espio bit out, "Hand. Him. Here." Despite his words, there was no care in his voice. Only coldness and subtly building anger.

Smiling, Nyokae just tucked the child back under her arm. "Not yet, love. As I said, you are going to have to listen to me first. Attack me if you will, but do keep in mind that that would endanger the boy as well."

Anger surged up within Espio's energies, but he showed no outward response to it. " _Speak_ , then." Aniko showed visible distaste at this happening, her fingers curling tightly. She didn't voice this, however.

Her gaze sliding over to the nearest corpses, Nyokae drawled out a seemingly random response. "Have you tasted it yet, love? Blood is quite delicious, I must say." She gave him a smirk. "Especially yours." He openly glared at her this time, his grip shifting and tightening on his knife. Aniko rolled one of her shoulders, a disturbed expression falling on her face at this. Nyokae continued without missing a beat, speaking casually as though all of this was somehow a perfectly normal and reasonable conversation. "Blood is warm, is it not? It is rather like drinking hot chocolate…" she wetted her lips and smirked, "...but with more screaming."

"You ramble," Espio muttered, already tiring of her presence.

"Not at all," she easily countered. "I am reaching a point. That point being that there are some aspects of this little world that suit our kind's needs quite well. Although… there are certainly aspects of your short stay here that I cannot _imagine_ you enjoy. _Servitude_ , for one thing. It does not suit you."

That caused another wave of anger, this one prompting him to speak. " _You_ are partially to blame." Aniko frowned, watching these two. She knew that free will was important, but there was so much context she was missing regarding the relationship between these two that left it impossible to make a judgement.

"Perhaps I am," Nyokae shrugged, "and yet… I believe I may have a solution to your little predicament. Your only job is let me do as I please for a moment."

"I will not," Espio muttered darkly.

"I believe you will, once you realize that this will set you free," Nyokae challenged. "By aiding your own Darkness in consuming the various taints within it, you will have your free will returned to you. Is that not what you want, love?"

" _This_ was your plan?" Aniko muttered, grabbing Armaris more fully and pulling her away. _This is intensely dangerous..._

"It is the _only_ plan," Nyokae calmly corrected. She turned to face Aniko. "Do you know what happens, if he does not hold out on his own? He remains a demon forever. A _powerful_ one. Eventually, he takes control of all other demons in Kaden's stead when that man dies. I have seen it happen before in other far drearier realities. Do you wish for it to happen here as well? Because if you _do_ , I will _gladly_ stay my hand and allow events to unfold."

"You have caused many of these problems yourself, but if you _truly_ are trying to free him…" Aniko bit back more that she wished to say, not wanting to leave this in the hands of the woman who had hurt her family so much already.

"Yes?" Nyokae taunted, smirking. "What if I am?" Though it was pointless, Espio glared at her back.

"I will ensure you die if you manage to survive this," Aniko huffed, motioning for her to continue with a notable level of agitation.

"I look forward to it." With that said, she roughly threw Sako at her and, anticipating Espio's lunge, intercepted him. Just like that, the two of them blurred into motion and began to fight as they always did, their battle rapidly turning excessively violent and destructive as they moved further and further away.

Aniko moved to catch the baby, but Armaris phased in front of her, collecting the baby and holding it close with the intent to protect. She quickly began moving the cat, regardless, as she sensed a very familiar aura begin to draw near. _She's returning because of the fight._

Zareil chose this moment to appear, slamming into the ground and glaring at the two with a flare of hate before beginning to walk toward the fighting chameleons. She didn't wholly expect Aniko to intervene in this, being thrown against the wall of the ravine by a severely pissed of chameleon. "Oh, so you _want_ to die, then?" the demoness asked, glancing between Aniko and Armaris. "Fine by me." _Kaden, can you pacify the cat, or do something with her? This chameleon is about to get her brains bashed in._

More focused on Nyokae and Espio at the moment (though, curiously, not intervening in the slightest), Kaden responded by issuing a simple order to Armaris, knowing she was in a state of mind to listen right now. _"Remain where you are. Do nothing."_ The cat stood still at this order, still holding Sako close. She simply watched as Aniko and Zareil viciously traded blows, both being forced back by each hit and neither willing to give the other any ground.

Zareil slammed her fist down at Aniko, only for the blow to be redirected and a foot to crash up into her chin. She didn't budge, however, using this to grab the chameleon's leg and slam Aniko into the ground. The chameleon twisted her body powerfully, using the strong grip of Zareil to throw the large demon to the ground and kick her back up against the wall to keep her out of Nyokae's fight (as little as she wished to allow said fight to happen). Zareil soon returned to her feet, viciously slamming her spear against the now defending chameleon's sword.

A truly powerful explosion interrupted their brawling, one which caused a sensation akin to an earthquake that travelled through the area. Numerous demons were drawing to the sight of this outpouring of energy, especially when they sensed that one of those energies suddenly no longer _belonged_ here. Aniko felt this explosion and grabbed Zareil by the neck, forcibly kicking her in the stomach, then the chest before twisting in the air and throwing the demoness several miles away so that she could rush over to check on what happened. She was met with a bit of chaos for a second as the fight in this area suddenly resumed, but it stopped when a much smaller explosion launched the two combatants apart. Upon landing, Espio tossed his mother an impassive glance… with eyes that no longer glowed. She stood there, a touch… _amazed_ at the fact that Nyokae had _truly_ appeared to help the situation.

In that moment, Nyokae walked back into view, huffing and dusting herself off with her free hand. "You do not need to be so rough. Honestly, after all the nasty _good_ I just did."

Espio glared severely. "You do not deserve to be treated _gently_."

Nyokae pretended to pout. "Do you not care if I am harmed?"

"You are worth more to me _dead_ ," was the exceedingly cold response. Aniko almost echoed this sentiment, but thought better of voicing such and simply crossed her arms. Nyokae opened her mouth to say something, but Espio cut her off by suddenly appearing in front of her and slamming her into the ground with a vicious kick. Not even a full second later, he was in front of Armaris, taking in her strange condition with impassive eyes before _somewhat_ gently taking Sako from her. The cat didn't make a move, simply standing there and watching with blank, white eyes as he did this. He idly noted that she appeared close to ascending into some out-of-control Dark form, but gave that no real mind overall.

Gathering a ball of energy in his hand, he started walking away. Once far away enough to ensure Sako (who was still fussing and otherwise expressing his distress) wouldn't be hit, he threw the ball over his shoulder, allowing it to hit her and creating an explosion that ripped through the area she was standing within. Armaris stood there within it all, eyes narrowing slowly as the energy ripped at her body. She _refused_ to die to this, but… she still couldn't move an inch. Aniko was quick to rush over and collect Armaris, despite some physical protesting that the cat did in an attempt to stay where she was, and ultimately just ended up watching Espio quietly. _This is better than you being a demon… but not enough so for me to be pleased._

Since she was close, Espio stopped and turned to face her. Without perhaps the very last shred of his true self shining through, he handed Sako to her (albeit somewhat roughly) and muttered, " _Take_ him."

Aniko welcomed Sako into her arms and watched Espio, nodding. "Take care of yourself, _please_. Do not let them attempt to control you, no matter what it takes," she murmured, hoping that he would listen just this once despite his current state. Whether or not he did was unknown. He said nothing more before turning and teleporting away. Aniko was quick to teleport away with Sako and Armaris before Zareil could fully recover from the attacks. The two landed on the ground, the command on Armaris being allowed by Kaden to dissolve as they did so, and Aniko ignored everything else in favor of walking to Shei. She wrapped her free arm around him in a hug far too tight for his good.

He immediately coughed and struggled in her grip, hoping to ease it enough to be able to breathe. With his arms pinned, he was helpless to communicate with her and ask her to gentle her hold. Sein took on the risk of walking closer and _very_ carefully tapping on the woman's shoulder. "Hey… you're crushing him."

Aniko seemed to panic at this, releasing her husband from the hug and looking at the ground quietly. "Forgive me. I am simply overwhelmed," the woman murmured, sighing.

Able to breathe again, Shei signed, _"It is alright. What happened?"_ He took her into his arms at that point, knowing she needed the affection since she had been the one to initiate a hug in the first place. He would leave the talking to Sein. Or anyone else, really.

"Nyokae… she helped Espio free himself from the demonic corruption so that he was no longer being controlled. Afterwards, though… he openly attacked Armaris and gave Sako to me, then left," Aniko explained slowly.

Sein was quick to realize that she was in no state of mind to explain in more detail, and as such simply set a hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything else of note that you think should be said?" A shake of her head served as the response as she further moved into the hug, closing her eyes. Sein understood and looked to Shei, asking if there was anything he could do for her.

Ignoring the silent question for now, Shei used one of his hands (despite their race's sign language typically requiring two) to awkwardly sign a slightly disjointed question - in that he had a hard time conveying his meaning as easily as normal. It could still be understood, though. _"He gave the baby to you?"_

Aniko felt the movements and opened her eyes once more in time to watch his signing before giving a soft nod. "He did, after taking Sako from Armaris."

Shei frowned slightly. He was relieved and grateful, sure, but… _"That does not sound right."_

"Perhaps he has… essentially abandoned Sako…?"

Sein shook his head. "No. He _gave_ the baby to _you_ ," the hawk explained. "He's making sure that Sako will be safe." Shei said nothing more and silently moved his arm back to where it had been before, holding Aniko alongside his other arm. The woman didn't move from where she was, holding Shei a bit tighter and casting a glance to Sein. She appreciated what he said, and the hawk gave a small smile to show that he understood. The hawk then turned his attention to Shei, a frown on his face. "Did Li and Novei leave again?" The chameleon looked over and nodded. His gaze eventually shifted to Armaris, who was still standing perfectly still and certainly in her Dark form. "What… happened?"

Freeing a hand again, Shei communicated what could be roughly understood as, _"She nearly ascended when Nyokae appeared."_

"She was deeply upset before this all occurred, yeah?" Sein asked, attentively watching the cat. Shei gave a single nod. "It's likely that her Darkness rose at the arrival of Nyokae, since she likely sees that woman as a threat. That means she's probably acting purely on instinct and emotion… which means she's in a state where her Darkness is controlling her and not the other way around."

Shei signed briefly again. _"That is most likely."_

Aniko frowned deeply at this, not liking the implications that she was now aware of. "This means that she will remain in this state until she exhausts herself or is forced out of it…" Not wanting to leave anything this sensitive to someone else, but understanding that she had no way of safely managing something so sensitive, she looked at Sein. "Can you help ease her out of this state?"

"I can try. I've never… really attempted this before," he answered, already walking to Armaris and setting a hand on hers. The cat turned to him, assessing him, then simply watched. Sein smiled softly, set his other hand on her free one, and said, "Let's get you out of this form. It doesn't suit you, kiddo."

 **~保護者~**

Silver finished carefully checking over Tails and Rose's wounds, rebandaging wounds that had been busted back open after carefully laying them down in the softest grass he could see. Once he was sure they would be alright for now, he turned to Sein. "Hey, um… since you're here, can I trouble you for a bit of help? That medicine you guys got for my uncle was destroyed with Espio's house. Is there any way someone can go get more?" He sighed and tossed a worried glance in the direction of Shadow. "He's starting to get sick again. I don't know how bad it is, but based on my understanding it's going to get worse pretty rapidly."

Sein frowned as he looked over to Shadow, then over at Espio's destroyed home. _Damn… I really missed a lot…_ Pushing these thoughts aside, the hawk gave a soft nod to Silver. "Of course. It may take a few minutes, but I'll make sure it happens."

Visibly relieved, though that didn't do much to take away from the sorrow in his eyes, Silver nodded. "That's fine. I get it. Thanks."

Sein flashed a bright smile, waved, and teleported away. He was only gone for a few minutes (as he said) before returning with more of the medicine in hand. "There we go, bud."

Silver accepted the medicine with a grateful smile, though it ultimately didn't last too long. "Thanks," he said again. He started to hurry toward his uncle, but stopped. "Listen… I'll be right back after this. There's something else I've gotta talk to you about once Uncle Shads is taken care of."

The hawk blinked once and gave a gentle nod. "Alright. I'll be here, waiting for you."

With that, Silver hurried over to where Shadow was seated. "Oh, uh, sorry," he quickly mumbled, stepping past Toru on his way over. "S'cuse me." Toru gave a gentle nod of greetings to the aptly named hedgehog, choosing to stay silent for the moment. After acknowledging that with a glance, Silver knelt down in front of Shadow. The older hedgehog appeared to be almost dozing (a good thing, if Silver were to be perfectly honest), but even when asleep it was clear he was unwell. He was shivering and shaking, his breathing and pulse were completely abnormal, his thoughts were racing all over the place… _Not good._ Reaching a hand out, he gave Shadow's shoulder a quick shake. "Hey, Uncle Shadow?" he quietly called, for once dropping his usual nickname.

Shadow started badly, causing Silver to wince in sympathy, but somehow was able to focus his attention on Silver straight away. Maybe he wasn't doing quite so terribly after all? Silver couldn't really say for sure. "...What?" Shadow mumbled, pushing himself up so that he was no longer slouching against the tree.

Pleased to be able to deliver some good news, Silver managed another fleeting smile. "We got you some more medicine." As proof, he held up one of the medicine vials and the disposable syringe to go along with it. Then, glancing down, he said, "Your hands aren't shaking too bad, and Dad said you know how to handle medical stuff now. Think you can handle this, or do you need some help?"

Pushing himself up the rest of the way, Shadow motioned for him to hand them over. "Let me do it."

Silver obliged, giving the items to Shadow and letting the darker hedgehog do what needed to be done. Once he was sure Shadow had successfully completed this small task, he took the objects back and stood up. He left the hedgehog be after that, hoping he would go back to sleep, and promptly returned to Sein. "Um… what do I do with these now? I don't know how to dispose of medical stuff."

Sein carefully lifted the items out of Silver's hands with aura before willing it to be spontaneously destroyed. "That should be good enough."

"Right." Stifling a sigh, Silver dropped his gaze and turned his head away. "You said… that Uncle Jet has a headache right now… right? One that isn't natural."

The hawk nodded. "Yeah. There's no way it can be something normal."

This time, Silver's sigh escaped him. "I was worried you'd say that."

"Why…?" Sein answered, a confused and concerned frown on his face.

Silver plopped down into a sitting position in the grass, too emotionally exhausted to remain standing. "I dunno if I've told you before or if anyone else has, but I hail from a really long line of people with mental abilities. I lucked out in that they were never dormant in me, so I've been able to train with them my whole life. When you mentioned an unnatural headache that was enough to put Uncle Jet down… it made me think of some of the abilities people like me have. It's sometimes a really slow and painful process, causing things such as the kind of migraine you described. That is… forcibly taking over another person's mind."

Sein's expression immediately shifted to something a bit more angry, if only because of the thought of someone trying to control his son's mind utterly infuriated him. He quelled this, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Is there anything you can do about that, or anything we can do?"

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," Silver told him. "It won't… be as easy by myself, without Cream here, but…" He swallowed hard, forcing back emotions before continuing. "But I still want to do everything I can for him. Which, hopefully, could be a lot. I just didn't want to do anything without talking to you first. You're his dad and all, you know?"

"You are _more_ than welcome to do something, even if it doesn't work. I understand your intentions," the hawk answered, managing a bright smile. The fact that Jet's pain was someone's deliberate plan _seriously_ bothered him more than he was willing to openly admit.

Eyes slipping shut, Silver immediately began to focus. "I'll see if I can loosen their hold. It'll just… take a second to see how strong it is, since I'm not close to him or his attacker."

Sein nodded, standing by him with a vaguely curious look. "Gotcha. I'll be right here."

Things were quiet for a minute or two before Silver let out a sharp breath between suddenly gritted teeth. " _Crap_ … this looks _bad_ , Sein. There's so much already happening… they _have_ to been at this for a while. How long has he had this headache?"

"At least four days. He was recovering for a bit, but it hit all over again and set him back to square one," Sein explained quickly.

Grimacing, Silver nodded. "I'll be as gentle as I can, but I'm gonna have to dig deeper. It doesn't make sense that someone could take _him_ down like this unless there's something I'm missing."

Sein took a deep breath before nodding. "Do what you think is necessary."

More silence answered him initially. After a time, Silver grimaced again. "It… I think… someone did something _really_ rare. Almost no one I've ever heard of is strong enough to plant the seeds of control and then just _leave_ it for years on end, constantly feeding it power to help it fester and grow… but it looks like that's what someone freaking _did_."

The hawk's expression morphed into one of deeper concern. "What the hell… How could someone manage that?"

Silver swallowed hard. "There's… a lot of damage here. Old, old damage that's never healed. Would've made it easy for someone to do something like this… 'specially when the damage was fresh." He sighed again. "...I'm… not surprised to see this. I don't know what anyone's told you, but some of the stuff Uncle Jet went through… there's no way it wouldn't have caused this. And the fact that he never seemed to have gotten any measure of help for any of it…" He trailed off and shook his head.

Sein clenched a fist, but ultimately left it as it was and sighed. It took him a moment to hold off the surge of emotion this news brought on. "Do you know what's caused this damage…?"

"Kinda wish I didn't, but… yeah," Silver admitted. "We learned a long time ago that Uncle Jet was… tortured. We don't know by who or why or even exactly when, though. Part of that is because so many of his own memories about the matter are… iffy at best." He focused for a second solely on what he was doing before continuing. "I don't know how long that nightmare lasted. He never said, either, but… it was long enough to leave a lot of permanent scars in and on him. And not just mentally, either."

Sein stood there, grappling with his feelings on the matter. On one hand, he felt _hatred_ for the person or people that did this to his son, but… on the other, he felt immensely _guilty_ for having not been there for his son to help him through this. He didn't speak about this, but these feelings obviously began to weigh deeply on him. "Is there anything else you can find out?" the hawk asked.

"I'm looking," the hedgehog promised. "I'm thinking that whoever is doing this to him now likely had a direct hand in what happened to him then, so I'm trying to glance through his memories. It's… hard, though. Most of them are too fractured and broken to even make sense of anymore. All I can get from them are his emotions from the time the memories formed. They're… _awful_."

This didn't improve Sein's mood in the slightest, but he kept his composure and simply frowned. "You can't find anything where he's actually able to see someone?"

"Not yet… no." Silver continued on looking for a long while. Eventually, a deep frown settled upon his face. "I found something. Looks like… at least three people. Two of them are part of a race he once described to me and the others. He called them Syxans, I think? He was in a huge war with them, alongside the rest of New Babylon, before and after he was captured. We used to think that maybe the Syxans did this crap to him, but… the third person doesn't fit in with that scenario."

"How so?" Sein immediately pressed, his fists clenching tightly. If there was any chance at being able to stop the person responsible for this, Sein was _going_ to take it and run with it.

"The couple of memories he has of this person are _really_ faded out, but I can make out details," Silver was quick to reveal. "For one thing, the Syxans have colors ranging from dark purple to black. This person is completely _white_. They seem to be kinda petite in build, so maybe a girl? And they kinda seem to have a tail."

"So it _has_ to be another race…" Sein murmured to himself, thinking. _A Babylonian is probably out unless it's tail feathers, but… that likely just leaves Mobian races. Few others have tails like they do. Cats… foxes, and reptiles come to mind._ He quickly turned his attention back to Silver. "Did they have fur, or can you not tell?"

"It's hard to say, but I _think_ so?" Silver hesitantly answered. "Like I said, everything is really vague and out of focus, he seems like he was nearly unconscious at the time, but it _seems_ like they might have."

Sein's mind went back to work, thinking of how to deduce the difference. "Are… there _any_ other features you can make out?"

After yet more searching, Silver responded, "It… seems like they're using magic in this memory. Or something similar."

The hawk's eyes widened and he muttered, " _Fuck_. That doesn't bode well at all."

Slowly, carefully, Silver withdrew and opened his eyes. "I can't find anything else without risking causing him more harm. These memories were already present, but digging up stuff that's buried… I don't want to be the one to dredge those up and reawaken his suffering. I just can't do that."

Sein nodded slowly at this, frowning. Silver had a point, for sure. "I think I know who is doing this… but I _really_ don't like the idea of it being _her_."

Silver looked up at him. "...Who?"

"Her name is Astra. She was a being of Light who corrupted herself, then was corrupted into a demon. She's a magic user and… well, she's _dangerous_ in that right alone," Sein explained.

That alone couldn't be enough basis for such an assumption. "Has she attacked him before that you know of?" Silver dared to ask.

Sein nodded immediately. "In an attack on New Babylon. She attacked both Sonic and Jet, but it seemed like her focus was on Jet. He was left in a state of extreme mental anguish."

"That's bad news," Silver said, closing his eyes. "Gimme a sec… I'm gonna look at those memories." Once again, there was quiet for a time before he next spoke. "It's not possible to say for certain, but she does seem to resemble the fuzzy images from those old memories."

This left the hawk feeling more anger than anything else at the moment, but he made absolute certain that it would not surface. "What do you think, then? Does it sound right?"

"It could," Silver sighed, withdrawing again. "But, either way… I can't seem to dislodge her hold on him at all. She's dug in roots way too deeply for me to do anything on my own. I just… _can't_ without someone to help me."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sein immediately asked, wanting to do something to help his son.

"The only thing we can do, as much as I hate to say it, is wait for her to properly establish control," Silver told him. "Once she does that, he'll be conscious again and we can start working on getting him to wake up _inside_ and force her out."

"I-" Sein _hated_ that idea, his fists curling tightly by his sides. "That _can't_ be the _only_ thing we can do."

"I wish it wasn't," Silver mumbled, looking down. "With her having such a tight hold on him right now, though… it's the only option we have." He swallowed thickly, trying not to allow his emotions from the past days rise up too strongly, and shifted a little where he sat. Then, wanting offer give the man _some_ glimmer of hope, he said, "But… once he's freed again - and we _will_ free him… At that point, I suspect that there will be a _lot_ you can do to help him recover. Not just from this, but… from all of it."

Sein managed a smile at that, nodding. "If you need _anything_ from me, don't hesitate to ask. You've done more than you may understand, bud."

"I don't need anything," Silver answered quietly, managing a fleeting smile of his own. "I do have a bit of a request, though." He shifted awkwardly, unsure how to go about making a request to someone so ancient and strong, but ultimately just went out with it. "Once Uncle Jet is himself again… help him as _much_ as you can, will you? He's family to me, and has been most of my life. I want him to be _happy_ again. Like he used to be."

"He's my kid. I'd happily give my life again just to see him happy," the man answered softly. "I'll do whatever it takes."

More than pleased with this answer, Silver's smile succeeded in growing a touch. "'Whatever it takes' is gonna involve a pretty hefty amount of work. He's gonna need the help of some seriously powerful psychic users to start to mend the long-lasting damage that that Astra person has been doing since way back then, for one thing. I can definitely help, once he's free of her, but I can't do it by myself."

Sein nodded. "When the chance comes, I'll start looking for people to help. Having him feeling like a normal person… that's something I will not pass up."

"There's more that needs to be done than that, though," Silver cautioned. "For one thing, people with PTSD, depression, and everything else he's been grappling with requires a lot of emotional support and therapy. He's _never_ had therapy of any kind, according to what Dad's told me. Not even just for his autism. I don't know how much you'd be able to lend a hand in this area, but you're his _dad_. I'm sure it'd mean the world to him that you even want to _try_."

"As I said, I'll do everything I can in my power to help. Even if it hurts… I _will_ be there for him," Sein promised, a determined expression growing on his face.

Silver inclined his head. "I'm glad to hear that. His old 'dad'... didn't give a shit. He's always needed parents who care. Everyone does, really."

The hawk nodded. "Absolutely. That's why I'm here now, I suppose." He tried not to give the 'old dad' thing too much thought, because he knew it would bother him to no end if he dwelled on the fact. "I'm here to be his father and I'd like to see someone _try_ to stop me."

The hedgehog properly smiled for a second. "Good."

"Hey, I really want to thank you for all the help. I appreciate everything you did," Sein said, a soft smile on his face. "I'm really glad to have met someone as awesome as you."

"Ooh, flattery. Do I get a present, too?" Silver asked, somehow managing to relax enough to create a joke on the spot for the first time in days.

Sein drug Silver into a friendly hug, smiling brightly. "This is all you get for now," he laughed. Silver hugged him back briefly, a short laugh escaping him for a second. Shortly, Sein let him go and sighed softly. "I should go explain everything to Alana. She needs to know this, but… I really don't want to be gone too long."

"What're you going to do?"

The hawk debated on this for a moment before gasping, then concentrating. A clone of himself appeared beside him, and he smiled. "I'll send my clone to them, that way I can stay here in case something happens!"

Silver offered a small nod. "Okay."

Sein sent the clone off with a small sigh. "Well, I guess that's all we can do for now. Guess we should try and rest until we figure out what to do next."

It wasn't like they had other options. Silver could only close his eyes again and silently wish that all of this forced confidence wasn't for nothing. They _had_ to follow through with their goals. They _had_ to save Jet from that woman. If they failed... _We may all die this time._

 _And there would be no saving us from him._

 **~保護者~**

 **7, 132 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 12:01 a.m. because I am a boss like that) 05-23-20.**


	85. Persuasive

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this revealing conversation… especially for the one who finally comes clean.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Persuasive"**

 **~保護者~**

In the aftermath of their struggles of the day, Aniko held Armaris close to her, relieved to see that the other woman was awake and feeling better than she had before. Her other free arm was holding Shei as well, refusing to let either of them go. This level of protectiveness didn't often show itself, but it shone through due to the recent circumstances involving her son and honorary granddaughter. She refused to lose anyone else. The cat was nestled up in this embrace, currently just trying to keep herself calm and not think too deeply on anything that had just occurred.

Whatever sort of private moment they were having was interrupted suddenly when someone connected their minds to this person's. They revealed themselves to be Alana when they heard the person's voice. _"Something of consequence may be occurring with Espio. He has just entered a place that is not a place… an area that shouldn't exist and technically does not."_

Aniko frowned immediately, unsure of what to say in return at first. _"What do you mean, woman?"_

 _"It is a hole in reality that an Immortal appears to have once created. I do not know why he is there, but it cannot be over a trivial manner if he has gone to such a place."_

 _"Can you show us what is happening?"_

 _"If that is what you wish."_ Without further warning, their minds all seemed to warp together to the place where Alana had sensed Espio's energies and was now viewing them.

 _Everything was dark when Alana focused in on Espio's location, allowing his parents and Armaris to see him. He was walking expressionlessly through a thick black fog across a rocky landscape. His intention was initially unclear, with empty hands and a seemingly relaxed posture, but everything about the state of his energies seemed to indicate that he was actively hunting for someone or something to kill. His target, whoever or whatever they were, appeared to be very specific, judging by how unwaveringly he kept on his path forward._

 _Eventually, a voice called out from somewhere ahead of him. "Come to finally rid yourself of me, have you?"_

 _Stepping closer through the thick wisps of swirling blackness, Espio levelled Nyokae with a cold look. "If I have...?"_

 _Offering a strangely small smile, Nyokae turned to face him fully. "I would have to advise against it," she told him. "Although… I know you, how stubborn you are. Talking you out of this is unlikely to be possible."_

 _Slowly, a weapon formed in Espio's hand out of Darkness. It was a proper katana, energy-based but more than solid enough to stab and slice. His voice softening with deadly intent, he murmured, "I am done listening to you."_

 _She drew her own weapon, that small smile remaining. "I expected you would be, now that I can no longer affect you."_

 _His eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself. Fully." It was the only chance he would ever give her._

 _Surprisingly, Nyokae obliged for once, actually listening to what he said and what he wanted from her. With permission granted to speak, she did just that. She slowly turned her head away, eyes roving about and looking at nowhere in particular. "This place… once upon a time, only Immortals - or those with their powers - could enter it. Before my lady busted a hole open in this little realm, that is. Prior to that moment, it was a place outside of time, outside of our reality, dwelling somewhere in the darkness between said reality and the place where the Faein are said to sleep."_

 _Turning her gaze back on him, she continued, "I was sealed away here by the Immortal who somehow created this place, alone and suffering in the dark. For what reason, I never knew. But I grew to understand myself, my powers, the truth of our race's nature, in my time here. So, I suppose, my time was not wasted. And being that there is no time here, my youth was preserved… much like yours was beyond the confines of my newfound home." She sighed. "My home… it was here, in a place beyond the stars, beyond anyone's reach… until she found me. I dwelt here for a time almost beyond memory, and yet she found me."_

 _Unexpectedly, she let out a small laugh. "Being as you are, I do not expect you to grasp the concept of gratitude, of repayment, of willingly serving another person. But whether you understand or not, I do. I swore to myself from that moment on that I would help her see to it that her dream would come true… to the extent where it became my dream as well." Her head canted, eyes searching his impassive face. "An existence where those like us are no longer punished, persecuted, massacred in droves by those who believe they have the right to control us… is that not something you wish to come to pass?"_

 _Rather than answering her question, he shifted a foot very slightly, putting it into a position best suited for performing a lunge. "Your point, Nyokae."_

 _Another laugh. This one was bitter. "Strength is what we gain from the madness we survive, is it not?" she asked him. "At least, that is one method for it. It certainly seems to have been a deciding factor in my life. I have crossed the seas of countless centuries, turning worlds against one another, waging wars, slaying those who once could not be killed by the likes of us… and all the while, my strength only grew. I grew along with it, fighting harder and longer than ever before, on and on until one day… I realized I could go no further."_

 _Raising her palm, she suddenly slit her own hand and then tipped it over so that the blood could fall. Only… much of the blood turned to dust before it could ever hit the ground. "There are consequences to existing as I did for so long, within this place," she revealed. "My body is crumbling. You, perhaps, should have never come to this place, given that I don't know how long it takes for this unfortunate… process to become an inevitable part of one's future. Though, if you leave soon, you may well be safe."_

 _His grip shifted on his weapon. "You are stalling," he quietly accused. "Get to your point. I will not ask again."_

 _With a small shrug, she again obeyed. "When my lady shared with me her dream, it became ours. I swore we would see it through together. As I am now, however… I have been forced to accept that that will not be possible. This war shows no sign of ending soon enough for me. She may have an endless bounty of time, but I do not." She looked him in the eye again. "Her dream is all that matters to me. Nothing else. For that reason, I began to seek out a replacement, someone to take my place by her side when I am gone. I had thought, for far too many years, that my search was a fruitless one destined to fail… but then I stumbled upon you."_

 _She dared to step closer and, for now, he simply let her. Now that she was finally getting at the heart of the matter, he seemed prepared to patiently take whatever nonsense she threw his way - including her stepping closer than he normally liked anyone being to him. "I admit that I had no idea who you were, at first," she told him. "The way you fought, however… the way that you so valiantly held your own against me… that warranted curiosity. I needed knowledge, knowledge that I gained after a great deal of time spent digging through the past. Your past, in fact. To learn that you are descended from the two most powerful families our kind has ever known…" Now for the third time, she let out a short laugh. "Well, color me surprised. I must say, I was not expecting that in the slightest."_

 _Taking another step forward, she asked him, "When I first asked you your name, you refused to answer. You threw the question back in my face, demanding to know who I was. Do you remember?" Her smile finally grew. "My response was this. 'It does not matter who I am. It matters what I intend to do.' And, love, at that point in time… I was not warping the truth."_

 _"I am meant to trust your word now?" he asked her softly._

 _"I do not see how you cannot trust these words, in particular, but believe what you will. Nevertheless, I do still have more confessing to do." He fell silent, although he gained a slight glare, so she continued. "Given how little your dear, loving parents saw fit to tell you, I believe some more education is in order. I already taught you so much - how blood tastes, the sheer pleasure that can be found in killing, what it is like to succumb to our kind's true nature - but there are still things you have yet to learn. One is a detail I deliberately kept out of my discussions with you, for it served me well to do so."_

 _His eyes narrowed a touch further, but she paid him no mind as she revealed, "As you recently discovered, our kind and our Darkness do not and cannot compare to that of other Darkness in existence. That is because of what we are, love. Borne by Darkness and into Darkness shortly before even Malevolence itself came to be… we have a great many talents, abilities, and powers that our current softer culture has chosen to forget." Her gaze drifted away from him again for some uncertain reason. Despite her inattentiveness, he still made no move to attack just yet. "One of the abilities we have is a fun little skill for… persuasion, I suppose you could say."_

 _At this, she tossed him one of her standard grins. "By simply saying or suggesting things, we can convince people to do what we want, think what we want, feel what we want… Most would choose to call it 'manipulation'. You yourself certainly accused me of that often enough. You were correct but, of course, I had no desire to tell you that. The less you knew, the less able you were to resist." As he glared at her, harder than before, she said, "Manipulating you was still by far one of the hardest things I have ever attempted to do. I have said it before, and I shall say it again: you are by far the most stubborn man I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. For it to take seven centuries to do what can normally be achieved in seconds… Truly, I once began to question whether you would ever start to warm up."_

 _Her feet carried her one step closer. He swiftly raised his sword, barring her from approaching him any further by keeping the length of it firmly pressed against her torso. Her lips twitched into another brief grin. "You did, of course, cave eventually… as you well know. My goal from there was to convince you to join me. To join us." She put a hand on his cheek, prompting him to push his sword into her hard enough to draw thin lines of blood in minor retaliation. Yet even now, he continued to let her speak, appearing determined to hear every last word of the truth before he finally forced her out of his life… for good. "In that endeavor, I failed. I know that as well as you do. However… that I was able to bring you to this point… I believe I can say now that that is victory enough for me. To bring you to a position where you realize that we are one and the same… I can be happy enough, knowing that."_

 _Without warning, a spark of his normal self burst free and he snapped at her, "I am nothing like you."_

 _"Are you so certain?" she challenged him. Her thumb started stroking his cheek. "To feel most alive when bringing death upon others… to live for the joy of making others suffer and bleed… Tell me, where exactly do you and I differ?" He suddenly lashed out, kicking her back and away from him hard enough that she landed doubled over on her knee with an arm wrapped around her middle. Still, despite her sudden pain, she laughed. "Apart, we are nearly unbreakable. But together… you and I are nearly invincible. Our unity has made this so. Tell me, with but a few exceptions, who out there is this sad reality can actually harm us aside from each other? Hm?"_

 _For a moment, he lowered his sword. "That does not matter here."_

 _"Perhaps not," she agreed, moving to stand. "But unless you want to join me in an eternal dance of battle within this place, I suggest you let me say my piece."_

 _He seemed to understand something in her words that Shei, Aniko, and Alana could not. Frowning, he allowed her to do as she asked with a simple, "Speak."_

 _"You may not have realized it yet… but I have given all that I have, all that I am, to you. My Darkness, my power, my abilities, my love…" his eyes narrowed hatefully at that word, "...and even children. I have given it all to you in preparation for this moment." She smiled yet again, but this time it was different. Almost… rueful. "I can read you just as well as you can, perhaps even better. When we fought earlier, I could feel your desire to kill me. I had long known it could come to this point, and I am prepared now to accept that it has."_

 _Ignoring everything else she had just said, Espio sharply demanded, " Children?"_

 _A sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes. "Strange, isn't it? That a chameleon couple, of all things, has managed produce not just one offspring, as rare as that is… but two?"_

 _In that moment, he made a split-second decision. Faster than even she could have managed to react (supposing that she had not done as she'd implied and somehow given him her speed, along with everything else), he lunged forward. In less than the time it would take one to blink, he had sunk his sword deep into her chest and torn downward in an act of savage violence. He now kept her pinned to the ground with said sword as he snapped at her, "Where is the other one?"_

 _Though she was coughing up blood and struggling for air, Nyokae managed to get out a raspy laugh. "As in tune with your instincts as ever, I see… but I do not intend for you to take her from her home. She belongs with the Army, you see. If I cannot have you there in my stead… then I will leave her there in your place."_

 _Cold fury surged throughout him, causing his Darkness to flare violently and influencing his next actions. Gripping his sword tightly, he wrenched it through her body in a different direction than before, twisting it sharply just to amplify her pain. Bones and organs alike were ripped through, causing so much pain that even someone like her could never hope to hide it. "Tell. Me. Where."_

 _Coughing violently, Nyokae was initially unable to answer. Nonlethal though these wounds would normally have been to a chameleon (what with their regenerative abilities and all), without them she had no chance of surviving… even if he chose to cease torturing her right that minute. Still, in spite of this, she managed a weakening smile. "Oh, you suffer beautifully…" she whispered, reaching up to again rest a hand on his cheek. Appearing to not even think, merely react, Espio lashed out with his sword, severing her arm at the elbow. Her body convulsed with fresh agony, but even now she kept talking. "So helpless against the power of your own emotions when they finally choose to show themselves…"_

 _Finally, he seemed to have enough. Without a shred of mercy, he tore his sword through her one last time, cutting a deep line from the center of her heart, across her throat, and up the side of her face. Then, knowing she would soon be dead from these wounds, he muttered with such dark animosity that it gave even the likes of her chills, "I will find her myself, then… and I will personally ensure that your dream crumbles in the same way as you… into dust." Standing, he violently kicked her away from him, turned on his heel, and simply walked away… disappearing into the fog from whence he had come._

Armaris didn't enjoy the dark satisfaction she gained from watching Nyokae be killed, nor did she like what Espio had _done_. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but everything about it filled her with a dread she had no clue how to perceive other than with _fear_ of what could happen from here. Aniko shared this feeling to some degree, but ultimately she was left feeling far more worry, concern, and confusion. Her son had gone so far, and she hadn't been able to truly help stop _any_ of it.

As the mental connection faded, Shei slowly signed, _"...A daughter…?"_

Aniko nodded slowly. "He has a daughter she never… told him about," she murmured, biting her lip. This was burdensome and worrying in its own right.

"He expressed his intention to find this child," Shei said, "but that may not be safe for her sake. He will not harm her himself, but simply being around him will draw countless threats her way. Especially if he is stealing her away from the Trokkelar Army itself."

Armaris muttered something under her breath before speaking. "I… don't think he intends to _keep_ the child. He seems to only want the kid away from that army."

Shei shook his head. _"No. His actions with Sako prove that some miniscule part of him seeks to keep his child - children - safe from harm. This is not about keeping her away from an enemy and nothing more. This is about protecting her in general."_

"Then, it is likely he still would not intend to keep the child," Aniko answered. "His lifestyle will begin to draw threats, as you mentioned. That would not be safe for a child."

 _"Not even one of our own,"_ Shei agreed. He hesitated for a long moment, then looked her in the eye and said, _"Aniko… a part of him remains awake. Is it possible that he can be brought back without the need for some form of purification?"_

Aniko frowned deeply, then she reluctantly shrugged. "I am not sure. It may be possible… but, I do not know."

"If a shred of him remains, a _chance_ is there to bring him back," Armaris answered softly. "No matter how small, it still exists. As long as that doesn't get taken away, somehow, then we _can_ bring him back from this."

 _"If you are correct,"_ Shei answered, _"then acting quickly is tantamount. We cannot dawdle any longer."_

Aniko tapped her fingers gently against Armaris's shoulder, frowning. "You are sure of this, Armaris?"

The cat nodded gently, moving to sit up properly. "I wouldn't have said it otherwise," she muttered, mild annoyance bleeding into her tone. "I've been through it several times, and it's something that Cere taught me as well. I have reason to believe it."

"Then this is the basis we must act upon," Aniko said, sighing and holding them both close. "We will bring him back." The conviction in her words managed to bring Armaris some hope for this, a faint smile breaking onto her face.

If only that smile, and their hope, could last.

 **~保護者~**

"So, Shadow," Toru called gently, walking up from behind the tree calmly. It had been roughly an hour since Silver had brought him the medicine, and the chameleon couldn't help but check up on the dark hedgehog. Something in him said he should, so he went with it. Crimson eyes glanced his way in response as the chameleon took a seat, eyes that were clear and completely coherent once more. Shadow was still resting a bit for the moment, but beyond still sitting he seemed completely fine now that the medicine had taken effect. The chameleon managed a smile at this, sitting down by Shadow. "How are you feeling, now?"

"Fine," Shadow answered honestly. Inwardly, he was relieved to be able to admit that. He _hated_ feeling like such shit and was glad it was over. For now, at least. _So long as I do not miss future doses, at any rate._

Toru seemed pleased with this fact, nodding slowly. "Good to hear that. I was worried."

Unsure how to respond exactly, Shadow offered a very slight one-shouldered shrug. "You did not need to be."

"I was, so too bad," Toru joked lightly. "But honestly, I wanted to congratulate you for something."

Now sufficiently confused, Shadow turned to look at him fully. "...Dare I ask what you're talking about?"

"You were a badass during that fight. You took a hit from a demon that sent me flying," Toru remarked, leaning against the tree. "If I didn't know any better, I might say you could kick my ass because of that."

Shadow's right ear flicked as he listened to these words and processed them. After a moment, he huffed and indulged in a rare eye-roll. "Perhaps I can," he answered lightly, almost jokingly, while moving to stand and stretch a little. Dozing against a tree had left him a bit stiff, which he didn't appreciate.

"Also, it was pretty damn cool to watch you shoot that fucker in the face," Toru added, smiling. "Stubborn as fuck, eh?"

"So I have been told," Shadow responded. He indulged in a quick stretch before continuing. "Though, usually people say so when I am irritating them."

Toru shrugged. "I'm not irritated. Just impressed."

"There is little reason to be," Shadow told him. "You did as well as could have been expected of anyone in that situation."

"You _do_ realize that not many people could take a punch like that and still have the resilience to be _that_ stubborn, right? She had to take your guns just to keep you from _continuing_ to shoot her."

At this point, Shadow let out a sigh and spontaneously revealed, "I was built as a _weapon_ , Soul. I was _created_ to do this, and I can seldom feel pain. It is not something to be _admired_."

"You don't act like a weapon, in my eyes, Shadow," Toru answered, standing up finally. "You act like a _person_. Don't bind yourself to the idea of what someone _made_ you or _told_ you to be." Suddenly uncertain again as to how to reply, Shadow only shrugged slightly in response. Toru then smirked faintly. "And don't be afraid to let your skills be admired. Whether it's part of you or something you've gained, it's something that's _yours_. Use it, and use it _proudly_."

Huffing again, Shadow loosely crossed his arms. "Turned into a motivational speaker, have we?"

"I learned to try and teach kids to be whatever they wish themselves to be," the chameleon answered. "You have to be… 'motivational' to get a kid's attention at times."

Shadow turned his head away and murmured, "Perhaps that would have been effective with my daughter. She was always… _determined_ not to listen when she did not want to."

"Sounds like she took after you," Toru murmured gently. "Stubborn."

"For better or for worse," Shadow answered.

Toru smiled. "Tell me about her," he suddenly prompted.

After a pause, Shadow relented and said, "She was always getting into trouble. She had her own ideas about how things should be done, what rules should be enforced, what she should be able to do… normal behaviors for a child, I suppose, but amplified in a way. She was… a handful, to say the least."

The chameleon nodded gently. "That definitely sounds fairly normal, honestly," the man answered. "Though, I still feel like a few of those things apply to you."

"Pray tell," Shadow responded dryly.

"Handful, getting into trouble, own ideas about how things should be done…" Toru smiled. "Those sound like traits you may or may not have."

"I will admit to nothing," Shadow answered him simply, a hint of a smirk showing itself on his face for a very brief second.

"Then I'll just have to watch and see. I'll let you know my findings," the chameleon smirked in return, crossing his arms.

"Best of luck to you," Shadow responded with another huff. "I have been told that your target is rather unwilling to submit to being observed in such a manner."

"I doubt he'll even realize I'm watching," Toru answered easily, shrugging. "I've done this professionally before. I think I'll manage."

"Have you, now? To think, a shinobi who has practiced their skills before. Shocking."

"No, I simply picked it up and apparently was a master at it," the chameleon answered. "No practice required."

"Certainly not."

"See? Now you get it."

Shadow rolled his eyes once more and muttered something involving the words "cheeky bastard" under his breath. Toru took a chance and lightly nudged him with an elbow, a faint smirk still apparent on his face. In response, Shadow just as casually shoved Toru slightly with a hand.

"Better watch it, I'm pretty good at pushing people," Toru laughed. "Natural shinobi skills and all."

"I somehow doubt that _pushing_ is a necessary shinobi skill," Shadow told him. "And I am not about to get into a shoving match with you."

"You nearly went and started one," the chameleon answered. "And while it isn't necessary, I am naturally very good at it, as I said."

"Wrong," Shadow corrected. " _You_ started this, as I recall."

"The details become less important once you have won," Toru answered. "At least, in this situation."

"Cheeky," Shadow said again. "You have 'won' nothing."

Toru smiled, a bit more gently than he had before. "You're interesting when you're relaxed. I enjoy it."

Though he never quite intended to, Shadow's knee-jerk reaction to situations like this was to ask, "Why?" That was precisely what happened here.

"Well, you seem like someone who usually doesn't cut around with people, yet, here you are, doing exactly that," Toru explained.

With no better response to give, Shadow murmured a simple, "I suppose."

"Not to mention, this is the first time I have seen this side of you."

Shadow thought about that for a second and realized it was true. He didn't often let his guard down like this around… anyone, really. _Maybe_ Sonic or Silver once in a while, sometimes Tails, but not anyone else. Ever. "...It is," he acknowledged.

Toru smiled. "Good to know you can relax around me."

Another moment of thought, then Shadow said, "Likewise, I suppose."

"We should probably go see how the others are doing. A few things have happened recently, and we should keep up with everything happening," Toru stated, sighing. "It's for the best."

"Their conditions are stable," Shadow was quick to report. "Those with minor injuries are healed." His eyes performed a quick scan before he continued. "Something appears to be going on with Aniko and her family, however."

"You wanna go check on your friends, I assume?" Toru suddenly asked. "I'm fairly sure you don't wanna try and deal with Aniko if she's feeling remotely volatile."

"'Murderous' might be a better word," Shadow remarked, already starting to walk away.

Toru shrugged. "I'd never say that to her face. It would _cause_ her to be murderous," he replied in return. "Let me know how they're doing. I'll update you on Aniko and the others when we meet back up." Shadow's only answer was to raise his left hand in vague farewell and continue on his way toward his nephew and friend. It was high time he checked on them.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,770 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 11:30 a.m. ) 05-23-20.**


	86. A New Dawn

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this dramatic revelation… especially for the strangers.

 **~保護者~**

 **"A New Dawn"**

 **~保護者~**

Out of four, they were the only two awake.

After their many actions since the beginning of everything, they and their two kin had entered into a long sleep to recover. Since that time, they had been the only ones to awaken. They were acting alone, entirely independent of the others, for the first time. Had it not been necessary, they would have gone back to sleep, awaited the completion of their kin's rest. As things were now, though, they had no choice but to act. The existence that had been so carefully crafted from the beginning was in far more dire straits than most could hope to understand. Swift, calculated steps had to be taken in order to quell the unrest and restore balance… without jeopardizing free will by directly doing too much with their own hands.

Their eyes could see all things all at once. Here, there, everywhere. Him, her, them. This event, that event, all events. Past… present… and future. It was the future they looked to now, firm in their knowledge of what had to be done. There existed an Immortal, a woman who had not been rampaging and sowing the seeds of further chaos… but who was far too interested in the Witch, the leader of the Trokkelar Army, to be ignored. She had not been dealt with yet by her kin, the other three Immortals, because she had been wise. She had kept herself under the radar, out of sight and out of mind. But her discussions with the Witch could be ignored no longer. On the cusp of finally pledging allegiance, action had to be taken.

Free will was something to be valued. It was not for nothing that such a gift had been bestowed upon the whole of existence. Interfering with that by taking all choices away was not a decision they could take lightly. Yet, looking into all possible futures, it was clear that the odds of this woman _ever_ turning a new leaf were too minuscule. The risks were too great. There was no other choice for them to make.

She had no idea who they were when they approached her. They did not expect her to. With identities hidden and, in fact, so deeply forgotten by most in this dark era, there was no way for her to know. In spite of this, she instantly treated them with disdain. She believed them to be below her, unworthy of her time. With calm words, they confronted her with her misdeeds and the threat her actions presented to existence. They were ignored. Her attack came with somewhat admirable speed, but it was for naught. Unfazed by her attempt at harming them, they closed their eyes and with no movement… allowed her to fade away into nonexistence.

Their first ever encounter with the kin that had come after them had never been meant to go well. Never before had they been able to see _any_ of their kin, aside from the two they left asleep in their own birthplace… living or dead. Once, they had hoped that such a first encounter could go well. That had been long ago. Now, they focused on their _second_ encounter, one that would have to wait until later. With this woman gone, a new Immortal had been born to take her place, and it was this infant who they silently promised to visit once they could.

It was time to move on, so move on they did. They returned at once to a place that now was only known as "The Meeting Place of the Immortal" deep within the vast emptiness of space. It had had a proper name, once, but that mattered no longer. What mattered was the meaning that this place had always held to them. For them and their two companions, it had been a place of solitude and quiet, where they could gather in person to discuss matters and interact as opposed to _always_ doing so via their minds.

All Immortals after them had continued this tradition, and they could feel it. They all knew deep within that such gatherings with one's kin are important. Emotionally, mentally, spiritually… gatherings such as these were _needed_ for each Immortal's well-being. With all this in mind, the two of them felt immediate and poignant regret that their companions could not be here with them now. However, the one who took on a female form chose to abate that pain slightly by focusing on a lesser one. A hand resting on a shattered pillar at the edges of the ruins, she murmured, "For this place to have turned to stone and crumbled like it has… It was never meant to be in such a state."

The one who appeared male closed his eyes, a faint sigh escaping him. "I did not wish to see this place having befallen the fate it has."

"I wish to mend it," the woman responded softly, "before we continue."

"Such would lend to the belief of our identity, when the time comes to reveal. I agree," the man answered, opening his eyes once more.

Saying nothing more, the woman closed her own eyes. Stone melted away into pure energy, what was broken mending itself seamlessly in the process. Ancient pillars rose, an archway stood tall, the long-fractured table grew sturdy anew… When it was all done, she walked to what had once been her place at that table, running a hand fondly over the table before sitting down. The man followed suit, running his gaze over everything around them wordlessly. The woman turned her head to look at him. "We must call upon old allies. Their help is necessary. The young one desperately requires aid."

"We must and shall. There are many left who can aid us, provided they are returned from their own slumbers."

She shook her head. "They are not awake. It is necessary to call to them." _Most have been sleeping since the Dawn, just as we were. It is time they become aware of what is happening._

He managed a faint frown before nodding. "Who would you say we reach out for first?"

Reaching out her mind, she responded, "Eirza… do you remember her? One of our kin crafted her as the embodiment of Storms, the first of many leaders for her creator's infant Babylonian race. She appears to be sleeping the least deeply."

"I remember. Shall we, then?" he asked, the faintest of smiles on his face.

"I shall," she gently corrected. "Please, awaken your creation, the Goddess of Fates, Ynder." Wordlessly, he nodded and closed his eyes, beginning the process. After a few seconds of silence passed, the woman murmured, "Eirza is awake. I have begun to call to Eona, the embodiment of Light. She sleeps much more deeply."

"Ynder is awake. I will awaken Zenith," he answered softly, lightly tapping his fingers against the table. "Do you anticipate their arrival as much as I do?"

At this, she smiled. "We could personally meet so few of the individuals that began to populate existence. Eirza, Ynder, and the others… I considered them friends. I look forward to our reunion with great pleasure." After a small pause, she quietly added, "Eona is awake."

He smiled as well, nodding. "Zenith is as well. It will be… _interesting_ , to say the least. Do you think they will recognize us?"

"Not as we are now. We are disguised for a purpose. We are not _meant_ to be recognized." She shifted to cross one leg over the other as she sat. Then she said, "The way energies were once bound to one another, near the dawn of semi-Immortal existence… it was so intriguing to see. Ice, water, cold, and the like formed the Deep Freeze… birthing Yareis with them."

"As well as that which brought together fire, plasma, and all heat with it controlled by Pyrun, the embodiment of Searing Heat. Those two remain, correct?"

"Yes. I will awaken one if you will awaken the other."

"Of course, though… they were both known for their… _attitudes_ , were they not?"

"They were," she agreed. "Being at odds with one another is only natural, given that they are so very different from one another. However, some exist today that they can form bonds with. They will be alright."

"I look forward to their arguments. They were always amusing," he answered, the faintest of chuckles escaping him. "Pyrun is awakened."

"As is Yareis." She gave him a small smile. "To think that I had managed to believe you were a pacifist…"

"I am, but I was never opposed to others fighting, so long as it did not directly involve myself," he answered in kind. "Who else did you wish to have join us?"

"Your people took after you so well." Turning her head away, the woman answered, "No one remains asleep, but two of our friends remain trapped. Teyan, the embodiment of Chaos, and Ythene, her sister and her Voice across the stars… we must free them from that which binds them to their realm." _To realize that they were attacked so soon after we departed…_

The man's eyes closed. "It should be trivial, but… the fact that they have been locked away for so long is troublesome. I wish for them to be free, regardless."

After a few moments, she said, "I have loosened the barriers that have trapped them. They will be able to handle the rest on their own." Looking at him briefly, she asked, "Shall we call everyone here now? They will want to know who woke them and why."

"I would believe we should. I hope they will come, but if they do not, such cannot be helped," he answered gently.

Looking again to the future, she regained her earlier smile. "On nearly all occasions, they do come. They have begun to do so here as well."

Somewhere outside of the meeting place, the others began to arrive one by one. Teyan appeared first, far too anxious to be out and about to waste any time. She stretched languidly with a gleeful explanation of, " _Ah_! This is what I was _missing_ , sister."

Ythene arrived behind her, a slight smile on her face. "I know," she murmured.

Pyrun appeared in a ball of flames, a small frown on his face. " _Who_ is calling us, and _why_?" he asked, mostly to himself as his gaze fell on Teyan and Ythene.

"Shall we find out?" Teyan asked, gesturing to the meeting place some distance ahead of them. "Must be an Immortal of _quite_ unique power, if they were able to restore this place so perfectly."

Whatever Pyrun might have said was interrupted by a brief crackle of lightning as Eirza stepped from her realm into this one. Upon seeing the three of them, her pure blue eyes sparked with surprise. "...I see. So I was not the only one to hear that old call."

A faint frown appeared on Pyrun's face as ice began spreading across a small area of space, Yareis walking through elegantly and wearing a mildly concerned expression. "I was awakened… as well as the rest of you…"

As Ythene strategically placed herself between these two polar opposites, she inclined her head. "Yes. But, were we the only ones?"

"No," Ynder murmured from behind them, blinking once slowly. "There may yet be more… This seems to be a _mass_ calling, as opposed to anything else."

Teyan crossed her arms. "No one has called to us in such a manner, much less _all_ of us together, since the Dawn," she reminded them, a bit tense. "Something of consequence is going down. I'd fill you lot in, since you were asleep, but I get the feeling that whoever freed my sister and I intends to do that on their own."

Yareis huffed. "If it is that important, I would wish for them to be quick. I do not wish to waste time."

"It is more important than any of you understand," Ythene murmured. "Existence… it is on the very _brink_ of collapse." Eirza stared at her in utter silence.

Pyrun sighed. "Let's all wait. Ynder said that others may be arriving, so, as soon as they're here, we should all go in. I think that's the best way for us to figure this all out." Yareis's eyes narrowed at the man when he spoke, _already_ annoyed by his presence but not willing to say anything. Yet.

A small pulse of Light preceded the arrival of Eona, who kept the brilliant glow of her energies dimmed through the use of careful manipulation of said energies so as to protect the others' eyes. Looking over the group, she immediately sought out her partner. She, like he, looked just like the Tokarians they had once brought into existence. Not seeing him, she asked the others, "What era is this? When I went to sleep for the second time… how long ago was that?"

"A _long_ time," Yareis muttered. "Apparently, everything has gone to shit since we all went dormant."

Eona shook her head. "I entered my second sleep long after you all, and even my partner, closed your eyes to rest. I saw trouble brewing then and took steps to help counter it."

Teyan cut in again. "That was a _long_ time ago, hun. Good news is, though, that the kid you chose grew up. He served you and your gift well. He and a lot of others have been trying to fix things, but it's _not_ been working out for them. Guessing that's why we're all out here."

"Then we should go," answered a softer voice. Turning, Eona saw Zenith and smiled. "Talking can wait."

Pyrun gently motioned toward the meeting place. "Let us get moving, then."

The group flew to the meeting place without further ado. Out of respect, they landed and walked the rest of the way in, coming into the single wide open room where once they had participated in grand meetings with _ancient_ friends. Within that room, seated in two very familiar seats, were two individuals that they didn't recognize. They looked like normal people, for all the _world_ like normal people. And yet… surely they could not have been. What few tendrils of energy they could sense from these mysterious people seemed to prove they were not.

Turning her head, the woman stood from the table and offered a nod of greeting. "You all came. I am glad."

Pyrun frowned. "What's going on, enough for you two to call us all here? Surely you wouldn't have awoken us if we weren't needed."

"And, if I may, might you tell us your names?" Ythene added more kindly.

This earned a smile from the woman. "We do not have names, young ones." Turning to her companion, she asked softly, "Are you going to greet our friends?"

"I was content to let you do the talking," he answered lightly, gesturing to the many seats that moved near to the table. "I ask that you all sit, however. It is a pleasure to see you all, but I am ready to believe that the upcoming information you will receive is… _startling_."

Eyes sparking again, this time with understanding, Eirza slowly sank into her old seat as it moved into position behind her. Almost inaudibly, she whispered, "It's… you."

Yareis frowned _deeply_ at this, walking forward and setting her hands on the table. "I need an _explanation_."

"You are as feisty as ever, Yareis. Do you not remember us?" the man asked, smiling ever so gently.

"Do not tease them," the woman chided just as gently. Looking at one of her own hands, she said, "For now, we should shed these disguises. I prefer not being so… physical." As she spoke, she allowed hers to fade slowly away, leaving her true form in its place. The man did the same, smiling until the last moment in which his physical body disappeared.

Ythene stared in awe at the people before them and found herself whispering, "It… truly _is_ you." _The…_

 _The Faein..._

 **~保護者~**

 **2,710 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed! Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:12 a.m.) 05-24-20.**


	87. In Memory Of

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during these discussions… especially for the one who refuses to bow to the whims of others.

 **~保護者~**

 **"In Memory Of"**

 **~保護者~**

Aniko's gaze lifted when Toru walked over, the faintest of frowns on her face. "What do you need, Toru?"

"Just wanting to check in, that's all. Gotta stay informed on what's happening," he answered. "You guys seem to have been through a good bit, on that note."

The female chameleon nodded gently. "Yes. There is much to explain, so I recommend you sit."

He shortly did so, taking a seat in front of Aniko and Shei with a faint frown in Armaris's direction. "She okay?"

"She ascended into a state of Darkness where it was controlling her. She has been very… _tempestuous_ , to say the least," Aniko murmured, continuing to hold the cat close.

Toru nodded gently. "I see. What about Espio, then?"

Aniko shot Shei a look that asked him to fill in anything she neglected, continuing to speak without waiting for his response. "Espio was left in a corrupted state due to interaction with the demonic god and Malevolence's energies. Kaden then further increased the corruption, temporarily taking control of him. Nyokae-" She paused when Toru's expression very briefly betrayed some hint of extreme disdain, only continuing when she was sure he wouldn't speak on the matter. "She appeared, as you may or may not have seen, and… aided Espio in allowing his Darkness to consume the taint left by those other beings."

 _"In doing so,"_ Shei signed, _"She allowed him to regain control over himself, essentially returning his free will to him. But what she did was not for the purpose of bringing him back to his normal state. He arguably is getting worse, and very rapidly."_

"And… the big catch is that his Darkness, the Darkness of a chameleon, has him considered evil, right?" Toru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Perceptive," Aniko murmured. "Yes, that is his current state. We were debating on how we should go about attempting to reason with him and potentially further help him."

"I assume you'd like my opinion, now that I'm over here?" Toru asked, a faint smile on his face.

Aniko visibly frowned. "Did I _ask_?"

"Alright, good to hear," Toru answered, _entirely_ ignoring what she said in favor of continuing the conversation. "My opinion is that the cat here is the key to it all."

Black ears perked at this, Armaris glancing up curiously. "Why me?"

Shei looked at her. _"Armaris, you should know why,"_ he signed to her gently.

Toru answered again, simply in case Armaris didn't, or hadn't figured it out fully. "You… Firstly, Espio is a bit partial to you, like he is with his mother. The difference is that you are emotional. You can show your emotion far better than Aniko. Don't kill me for that, by the way."

An eye-roll served as Aniko's response, then Armaris spoke up again. "How do you know I wouldn't make the situation worse?"

"Cat," Toru sighed. "Look, I'll give it to you straight. You're not perfect, and neither is he. The thing is that you're something he needs, someone who cares about him and can easily show it, through words and actions. Taking that chance is necessary, unless you want to spend the rest of your life knowing and regretting that you _didn't_."

 _"I greatly dislike that all parties in this conflict are playing tug-of-war with my son, but… we cannot let this situation continue any longer."_ Shei looked away for a second, indulging in a silent sigh of his own, before continuing. _"We must pull him back to us, Armaris, and you may be the only one who can."_

"I don't _want_ to keep playing that game. I just want him _back_ with _us_ ," Armaris murmured, curling up against Aniko softly.

Toru managed a small smile. "And that's _exactly_ what we need from you. Emotion. You can do it, and you just _proved_ it."

Aniko closed her eyes. "I must agree. You are… the one who truly would have the best chance. Use your emotion and speak to him."

Armaris glanced over her body. She could still vaguely feel the attack she'd endured from Espio as phantom pains. It was unpleasant, but the worst of it was the emotional hurt it brought. "We don't get a choice… do we?" Shei silently shook his head.

Toru sighed. "So… you're gonna do it, then?"

Armaris nodded gently. "I will."

The onyx chameleon smiled. "Good." Pushing himself to stand, he began walking backwards in the direction of Tails and Shadow. "I got something else to keep up with, so just let me know if I'm needed."

 **~保護者~**

 _I do not have much left. He drained too much from me._

Noting his predicament with a grimace, Kath slipped unseen over to where Rose was laid out in the grass. She was badly injured and unconscious, and he was no healer. Light, however… it was a healing energy in and of itself. He had enough to mend most of her energies, maybe. If nothing else, he was sure he could restore her consciousness. As her own Light had not been given but was something she naturally had within, she had an ample amount to finish healing _herself_ \- and anyone else who needed it.

Gathering what little Light he had left into his hand drew attention toward him (much of it unhappy, given the community he was within), but he ignored that for now. Kneeling by the woman, he allowed the energy to flow over her until he had nothing left. As he'd anticipated, she was not left in pristine condition. But she was awake now, and that was what mattered. He stood and took a step or two back to give her space to do whatever she intended to do, then started to turn so as to walk away. Rose pushed herself to stand quickly, moving after him and calling for his attention softly by saying, "Kath?"

Kath paused and turned back around to look at her. "...Yes?"

It took the woman a moment to properly compose herself, a faint smile on her face. "Thank you. I appreciate the gesture, even if it was for intentions other than simply healing me." He hummed softly in acknowledgement. She walked closer momentarily, a small frown beginning to appear on her face. "Your… Light. It is gone…?"

"I was not born with it," Kath explained simply. "When Kaden attacked me, he drained most of it away. I used what I had left to accomplish certain tasks."

Though she seemed unhappy that he appeared to have _needed_ to use this gift, there was a certain amount of happiness that could be gleaned from her eyes. "You are every bit as amazing as I believed."

Her words made him frown. "There is nothing 'amazing' about me," he responded.

"You may say so, but I know many others who could argue against your words." Now that she had said her piece, she saw fit to begin healing the others as she believed Kath had no doubt intended for her to do.

"Do not push yourself," was all Kath said in reply as he again turned and began walking away. Having no doubt that Sein would seek him out regardless, he headed over to the younger hawk.

Sein turned to Kath with a bright smile on his face. "It's good to see you back."

Kath didn't immediately answer that and instead asked, "...How long has it been?"

"Roughly… about a week," Sein answered gently. "Felt like a lot longer, though."

With a slow nod, Kath answered, "Mobius and Babylon were restored in that time. How?"

"Calypso. She used her magic to restore both. Life and all," the younger hawk answered easily.

This explanation managed to be vaguely startling, as he had never known her to be capable of such a feat. What was even more startling, however, was glancing in her direction and finding she was suddenly _right_ next to them. She smiled a little at him and teased, "You doubt my ability, Kath?"

Huffing, he looked away. "No."

She managed to surprise him again by taking hold of his arms and forcibly turning him around in order to check him over. The unexpected touch caused him to just sort of freeze up for a second, allowing her ample time to finish what she was doing. Then she released him and it was her turn to huff. "Good. You not hurt no more. T'at very good."

Sein smiled softly, managing to stave off some snickers at his reaction. "He was taken to the Realm of Light. I'd hope he wouldn't be hurt."

"I know. I be there where he taken away." Calypso gave Kath one last appraising look-over, then relaxed a little bit with a sort of sigh. Once _again_ , she caught him off-guard, this time by pulling him into a quick hug. "You stop worry me like that," she softly chided as he again stiffened. "I no like to worry."

After a second or two, the momentary blankness that had overtaken Kath's mind released its hold and he was very quick to squirm free of her. Trying to preserve some dignity and deflect attention away from what had just happened, he crossed his arms and muttered, "You act as though it was my fault." Sein threw a hand over his mouth to hold off laughter, the man being _obviously_ very amused by the display. Kath noticed and threw him a sharp glare. " _You_ can shut up." Unlike Sein, Calypso openly laughed.

"I mean… you kinda started it," Sein answered with a snicker, grinning.

"I seem to recall that _she_ did," Kath argued pointedly.

Calypso grinned as well. "And if I did, Kat'?" she asked.

He let out a long-suffering sigh. "That is _not_ my name, Calypso."

"It be a nickname, then."

"I refuse."

Sein shrugged. "May or may not suit you." There was a very mischievous look on his face that Kath would be entirely too familiar with.

The grey hawk's eyes narrowed at expression, but all he said was a simple warning. "Continue to encourage her and I will throw you off of this planet."

"I _dare_ you," Sein answered, grinning widely at him. " _Kat_ '."

" _Sein_ -"

Whatever Kath was about to say was cut short when Calypso decided to intervene and save the younger Babylonian. "Calm, calm. We do not need to murder each ot'er today." Her placating drew Kath's attention to her just in time to see as she very quickly gave him a peck on the cheek before grinning anew and teleporting away. Flustered anew, he swore under his breath and promptly plopped into a seat beneath the nearest tree.

Sein blinked a few times at this, unsure exactly what to make of it before a devious (not really, but he would swear that it was) plan was concocted and he walked over to his adoptive father. "So, you're feeling alright?"

"Sein," Kath warned, closing his eyes with a small scowl, "I suggest you quit while you are ahead."

"I'm actually just checking on you this time," Sein answered, sitting down. "I promise."

"Somehow, I do not believe you," Kath muttered.

"Give me a chance."

Eventually, in spite of his better judgement, Kath sighed and answered the question. "I am fine."

Sein gave a genuine smile. "I'm really glad to see you back." Kath shrugged vaguely. "Alana was really worried about you. She wanted to stick around solely to wait on you."

That earned a small wave of pain borne from guilt after making her worry, but Kath didn't show it much. "...I will see her soon," he promised, both to Sein and to his daughter.

"I know she'll appreciate it," Sein answered, a bright smile still on his face. "So… what do you think we should do next?"

Kath hadn't had much time to think on that yet. It was hard to do that effectively when he was still so tired. "I do not know."

"Well… you should focus on relaxing then. You and Calypso could probably hang out for a bit, since she seems happy that you're back and all," Sein suggested.

The idea sounded… pleasant, in a way, but Kath shook his head. "We do not need to 'hang out'."

"Well, you can _relax_ with her, then. Whatever keeps you off your feet and resting," Sein answered, putting his hands behind his head. "You should heed the advice you gave Rose."

Somewhat tempted though he was, Kath staunchly refused with another shake of his head. "I will remain here."

"I _could_ bring her over here instead, then," Sein answered, a brief grin breaking onto his face. "It would only take a second."

"Do not _dare_ , Sein," Kath glared.

Sein smiled. "Why not? You not want her around?"

After silently cursing Sein for forcing him to, Kath irritably corrected in a mutter, "I did not say that."

"Then, why not? Something you're not telling me?"

"I recommend shutting up."

"Oh? There _must_ be something, and that _something_ involves Calypso," Sein answered, fully turning to Kath. "What are you hiding from me?"

Kath tossed him another glare. "Nothing you need to be made aware of."

"Do you perhaps _like_ her?"

"Shut _up_ , Sein."

"Deflecting doesn't help, Kath. It only makes the party look more guilty," Sein smirked, chuckling to himself.

"Stop pretending to know things that are not true," Kath answered, still hoping to get the subject dropped.

Sein stood and sighed, smiling. "Too bad. You two could be good for each other," he teased before suddenly bolting off to make sure Kath couldn't kill him for it. Though tempted to make chase, Kath ultimately stayed put and closed his eyes again.

 _Damned brat._

 **~保護者~**

About ten minutes after Shadow and Toru had parted ways, Shadow found himself seated next to Tails. He had finished thoroughly checking his nephew over moments before and was now listening to Tails talk. It was surprising, initially, that he was so emotionally… vacant. Blasé, almost. But then it clicked that that wasn't true at all. Tails was distracting himself with dialogue, with keeping busy, by finding himself work. That was all.

"...should've been busted to smithereens," Tails was mumbling, eyes on his curiously in-tact communicator, "at some point in that fight. Kinda glad it wasn't, though."

Shadow had never been blessed with a surplus of emotional intelligence and understanding. His quick, subtle scans told him much, true, but that didn't give him any idea of how to help. He did sort of _want_ to, he decided. Tails no doubt _deserved_ the aid, given how much he always aided others (Shadow included), but ultimately… Ultimately, Shadow was at a loss. The only thing he could think to do was keep Tails talking. If Tails himself deemed that a decent coping mechanism, then for now Shadow would go along with it. So, eyeing Tails's fingers as the fox rapidly typed on the communicator screen, he asked, "...What are you doing?"

At this, Tails let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know how much you remember, since by your own telling your recollection of your early days travelling with us are blurry at best, but… Well, once I learned you were a cyborg, I offered to take a look inside for you. Make sure all of your components were in good health, so to speak, and all that stuff."

That sounded familiar. Shadow was decently certain that he remembered snippets of the event in question. Not the conversation itself, but something involving scans and a bit of well-meaning poking and prodding… _With tools,_ he vaguely recalled. Actually, he seemed to recall nearly having an internal panic attack at the time, possibly due to flashing back to his early days spent on the ARK. Not a pleasant memory. One he sought to avoid. One of _many_ he wished he could lose forever.

Tails continued. "At the time, I discovered that a lot of the functions you were built to perform aren't actually possible right now because of things being… switched off, I guess you could say?"

This teased more memories up, and Shadow frowned. "...Just as my ability to scan once was."

"Yeah, exactly," Tails said. "But, I mean, even that one isn't fully 'turned on', so to speak. There are other functions related to your scans, and a bunch of other things, that you haven't had access to in a long, long time. I took detailed notes of everything I found at the time, and I was looking over all the old files again."

Understanding now what was happening, Shadow said slowly, "You believe we should activate everything."

The fox almost winced. The actions seemed… sympathetic, perhaps? "Not if you're not _comfortable_ , Shadow," he was quick to say, looking over. "This is about _you_ , after all. _Your_ mind. _Your_ body. _Your_ abilities. It's _your_ choice. My thoughts on the matter aren't relevant here."

Pursing his lips together, Shadow looked away. He wasn't upset that Tails had been thinking about this, or even that he had brought it up. In fact, he wasn't upset at Tails at all. He supposed it was more correct to say that he was upset _for_ Tails? Though he couldn't be certain about it at all, or why he suddenly wanted to assuage Tails's concerns, it occurred to him right about then that maybe it hadn't been for nothing that Sonic had so recently teased him about having a _best friend_. Whether or not that was actually true, Shadow found himself letting out a small sigh and saying, "They are."

Amazingly, this seemed to be enough to lift Tails's spirits to some degree. He managed a quick, albeit small, smile and looked back down at his communicator. "If… you're sure, then is it alright with you if I explain what I'm thinking?" The answer to that should have been obvious. Shadow turned his head back and gestured with a vague motion of his hand for Tails to continue. "Well, like you said, I've been toying with the idea of activating everything. None of your deactivated abilities are _un_ important, after all. But, then I got to thinking that maybe it would be easier on you in a lot of ways if we only reactivated the ones that could _really_ help out right now."

Thinking back as far as he could and as clearly as he could, Shadow said, "Without access to these abilities, I am severely limited in what I can do. I will remain so until I am given full access again."

"Doing everything all at once might overload you," Tails was quick to caution, "and we don't know what sorts of memories that having these abilities back might trigger." Shadow opened his mouth to say something, only for Tails to cut him off. "I know that it barely affects you most of the time because of your programming, but you _do_ have PTSD, Shadow. Gerald _traumatized_ you. There's no telling whether or not simple programming will _always_ be enough to keep those mental and emotional wounds from rearing up and hurting you all over again." The fox heaved another sigh and closed his eyes. "I just don't want to be the reason any of those old wounds reopen."

It was true. Gerald had done a lot to harm Shadow for a long time. Often it had been for the purpose of achieving the sick man's goal of creating a living weapon. Other times - like when Shadow was kept awake, conscious, and trapped during surgeries and experiments _purely_ as punishment for things - it had been _because_ the man was sick, and nothing more. While Shadow couldn't remember everything Gerald had done, certainly not even most of the things he had done, he remembered _enough_.

He remembered enough to still have nightmares. Sometimes they involved memories so vague that all he was aware of was raw pain and, when those memories came from his childhood… fear. Sometimes the memories were so clear it was like he was living through them all over again. Sometimes he awoke gasping and shaking in the throes of anxiety. And sometimes… just sometimes… he awoke with a panicked yell.

He remembered enough to still find himself unable to handle walking into hospitals, being surrounded by all the sterile equipment and white walls and floors and lab coats and people wearing medical masks… Over time he had forced himself to slowly and carefully ease himself into the world of medicine, due in part to no longer wanting to be _afraid_ , and it had helped… but not enough. Even seeing Tails in his lab coat had sent Shadow flashing back to his past at least once.

He remembered enough to still _suffer_ , ultimately. There were places he couldn't go, types of people he could never bring himself to talk to or look too closely at, activities he could never partake in, peaceful dreams he could never seem to experience, thoughts and emotions he would likely never fully escape… Perhaps Tails was right. Perhaps doing this, any of this, would be too much. But Shadow was so _done_ letting Gerald rule his life from beyond the grave.

Maybe it was just something that Toru had said to him earlier that was affecting his decision-making right now, but it didn't matter either way. Screw being afraid. _Fuck_ Gerald Robotnik having _ever_ caused him to feel that way. It was time to make a choice _without_ that long-dead man's influence, and he would be damned if he let his past suffering continue to do harm in the present. _I will not submit to your will for me,_ he silently promised. Really, he was doing so for the second time now in his life. It seemed he had suddenly just… needed a reminder of that. _I am not your weapon._

Returning his attention back to Tails, who was watching him with deeply worried eyes, Shadow firmly told him, "This needs to be done. I have ignored it and treated it as a non-issue for too long. That cannot continue."

Somehow, some way, Tails managed another smile. This one lasted longer. It seemed more genuine. He looked… happy. "You look like you're ready," he observed quietly. "If you're in a place now where you can go through with this, then that's just what we'll do. And I'll be with you the whole way. You can count on that."

Sentimental. People were always so _sentimental_. Only, with Tails and the other people Shadow had chosen to spend his life around, he could never bring himself to mind. Still, as a matter of principle, he let out a huff and a dry remark in response as he pushed himself to stand. "And here I had counted on you flying yourself to the moon during the process."

That smile grew immediately. "I mean… if I had my ship still, I could," Tails was quick to remind, also moving to stand. "Though, if you meant with my little namesakes here, then I guess you'll just have to be disappointed."

Everything immediately felt better, now that Silver and Tails were acting like themselves again. Smiling. Joking around. Being as happy as they could be in the aftermath of such a tragedy. This was good. This was right. Shadow supposed there was no real harm in privately admitting that he was relieved. "We should deal with this now, while there is an opportunity to," he said, instead of voicing his other thoughts.

Tails nodded. "Yeah, you're right about that. I'll see if Sein would be willing to teleport us to my house." He started to walk away but stopped almost immediately and turned back around. "Oh, you can collect your new friend if you want, too. I don't mind if he comes with."

 _Friend?_ There was about a half-second of confusion, then it twigged that he must have been talking about Toru. Huffing again, Shadow loosely crossed his arms. _I am not going to walk up to people and ask them to tag along._ Granted, it was only _one_ person (a person who seemed to care to a degree for whatever reason, no less) and Shadow didn't truly care if people happened to see Tails working on things like this with him… but still. _Inviting_ people to do things or go places just wasn't something he did. "If _you_ want to 'collect' him, be my guest." Tails just chuckled a little and headed off toward Sein like he'd said he would.

Toru appeared by Shadow, blinking once. "I heard someone mention me. What's up?"

At first, Shadow tried to deflect this little scenario off of himself. "Ask him," he responded simply with a vague gesture toward Tails's retreating form.

"It seems like he's a bit busy at the moment," Toru answered, crossing his arms.

"He can be interrupted," Shadow grumbled.

Toru shrugged. "I'd rather not. So, you gonna tell me what he was inviting me to?"

Shadow tossed him a look, coupled with a frown. _He heard. How much did he hear?_ "If you know he was wanting to invite you along, then you know why."

"Well, perhaps I would like to hear you explain," Toru murmured. "You didn't seem to disagree with me coming along."

"You seem to have heard enough," was Shadow's response.

"Hearing it from you directly would make it feel less like I'm intruding."

Surprising even himself, Shadow looked away and sighed. "You are not intruding," he admitted.

Toru blinked once at this before managing a smile. "Well, then I suppose I'll join."

Despite what he had said, Shadow found himself asking, "Why do you want to?"

It was Toru's turn to surprise himself with his words. "It's involving you. Why _wouldn't_ I?"

Shadow blinked several times, unsure what to make of this reply. _What?_

 _The hell did I just say?_ Toru thought to himself, a minute frown appearing on his face.

Thankfully, the pair of them were saved by Tails jogging up to them. "Hey, Shadow, we're good to go. He's willing to teleport us." He glanced at Toru. "Oh, are you coming?"

Toru nodded. "Yeah. No reason not to, I suppose."

"Great." Tails smiled and began walking back to Sein. "Let's go then, you two." Having nothing left to say for the moment, Shadow just followed him. Toru managed a smile and followed beside Shadow, hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. None of them saying another word, they headed off to Tails's house.

 **~保護者~**

Sona woke with a start from her dozing when she felt two presences appear near her home, immediately snatching her scimitar off the ground and bolting to the entrance. She relaxed at the sight of Li, letting the weapon drop back to the floor. "Shit, dude. What the hell _happened_ to you? You look pale and your ha-" The cat bolted over, snatching his arm up to inspect the wound. "Who did this to you?" Novei was obviously _not_ pleased with this woman's actions toward Li, already winding her fist back until Li bopped her shoulder with his free hand.

"There was a fight. I tried to save someone and got hurt, it's fine," Li answered, a small smile on his face. "Though, I really need to talk to you."

Sona frowned deeply, letting go of Li. "What's up?"

"Well… you know about the war…"

"Everything went to shit, then got _worse_ ," Novei explained, crossing her arms. "Every fucking thing is falling apart now."

The cat growled, flames appearing around her as naturally as her anger flared. Eventually though, the fires died down and she sighed. "I'd love to join in, but I can't. I've been watching over Locke's kids, and I will _not_ leave them unguarded."

Li grew a touch more concerned at this, though not necessarily due to what she said. "Last I remember… he's not doing all too well," the wolf murmured, obviously expecting a bad reaction.

The anger came _immediately_ , flames flaring to life around her as she growled deeply. " _What_?" she demanded.

"He _said_ that Locke has gotten hurt," Novei answered harshly, glaring.

"Both of you calm down!" Li quickly said, loud enough to catch them both off guard and achieve the intended effect. "Yes… Locke is hurt, and he hasn't been able to do much recently because of that."

Sona gritted her teeth and eventually sighed. "I can't leave this place, regardless… I couldn't go see him even if I wanted to."

Li frowned for a moment before suddenly appearing to have an idea. "You could leave them with Cosmo. Locke has left the two with her before. I'm sure he wouldn't be upset if you did the same, since there's a really good reason."

The cat blinked a few times, before slowly nodding. "You're… right. I… I'll be on Mobius soon, once they're with Cosmo." Sona briefly gave the wolf a hug, wishing him further safe travels before bounding off, leaving the wolf and a _very_ jealous and upset Therian behind.

 **~保護者~**

Wave had recovered enough from her battle with the World Eater and subsequent beat down by Zareil that she was able travel again. Word had travelled to her, courtesy of Silver, about Jet's condition… and the reality of what was happening to him. She had moved with great haste to see him on New Babylon. There she had found him unconscious on a couch in a random sitting room. He was in immense pain, he was feverish, he was _suffering_. Throughout it all, his mother stayed fearfully by his side. She looked away from her son in silence as Wave joined her.

The two spoke for a time. They spoke about the attacks. The deaths. Jet's condition. The stolen portal shard. How unlikely it seemed that they could win this war. Ultimately, Wave didn't feel that much of anything of consequence had been said on these topics. It had all been said before… maybe not by them, but by others. She supposed this conversation was good for the purpose of venting, but that was all. Still, she managed a tiny smile after their conversation ended. "You look exhausted," she murmured. "I can watch him for a little while if you want to sleep."

It wasn't only out of concern for her friend that she offered. Her concern extended into outright _fear_ , actually… especially as she was forced to consider the unfathomably damage he could be forced to wreak upon _everything_ when he was finally taken over. How many lives would be lost? How many friends would be forced to fight him? How much of their home would be destroyed? Would he _ever_ recover from the scars, guilt, and worse he would be left with? She couldn't stand to think about it. It was likely Alana couldn't, either. Maybe that was why she refused. "No… I will stay here."

Despite what she said, Alana suddenly stood. Wave looked up at her. "Something wrong?" she asked. _Besides… well, everything._

The older (and yet still young in the timeless way that only Immortals could truly manage) woman walked at a somewhat quick pace out of the room. "I will be back in a moment," was the only response she gave.

Wave blinked a couple of times, but ultimately just shrugged and looked back at Jet. She didn't find herself thinking very deeply about anything in particular in the newfound silence. In fact, she barely managed to conjure up any thoughts at all. She was too tired. Too afraid. Too angry. Too… distracted by Alana's aura, because what in the world was she doing in Jet's room on the top floor?

She didn't have a chance to stretch her senses out and discover what was going on before Alana returned. There was someone in her arms. Someone small. Someone green. Someone _familiar_. Alana said something about him being newly revived and tired, something about Sonic's emotions most likely having something to do with this, but Wave was barely listening. She was too busy staring. Alana set the boy down and, rubbing his eyes, he yawned and mumbled, "...Do you know my dad, too?"

That such an ordinarily moody child could manage to look so cute right now managed to get Wave to smile. Moving to kneel down in front of him, she nodded. "I do," she confirmed. "He and I have known each other for… a very long time."

Lucas took a closer look at her. "You kinda look like a lady in some of his stories."

Unable to help it, Wave chuckled. "And what was this _lovely_ lady's name?"

"Um… Wave, I think?" Lucas mumbled, shrugging.

Her smile grew. "That would be me."

That perked the boy right up. "Really?"

As Alana reclaimed her earlier seat, Wave gave the child a nod. "Really." She watched as he considered that for a second before continuing, "I also know you a bit. I met you a… well, a while ago."

"Really?" Lucas asked again. He frowned. "I don't remember that."

"It's okay if you don't," Wave told him. "We didn't actually talk too much or anything back then… so I think it would be more fun to make some brand _new_ memories instead. How does that sound?"

Just like that, he smiled at her. "Okay," he agreed. "But only you show me your psychic stuff! I've _always_ wanted to see!"

His grinning lifted her spirits a bit more, she had to admit. "They aren't as great as he might have made them sound, but sure," she laughed. "I'll show you as soon as I can."

"Great! Can we go outside so you can show me? Dad's still sleeping, but I don't think he'll mind."

Several thoughts raced through Wave's head. It would do any Babylonian of this age plenty of good to spend time outside, burning their high amounts of energy. It was also be better for him to do that as opposed to sitting around in here and worrying. For that matter, it might do Wave some good herself, too. And not only that, but… _If we're close by when Astra takes over, and Jet's forced to hurt Lucas… he'll never forgive himself._ Her eyes clouding with a fresh surge of sadness, she glanced at Jet while slowly standing up. "I guess we're… going outside, then," she told Alana quietly.

Alana nodded. "I understand," she murmured. Then, forcing a tiny smile, she said to Lucas, "Stay out of trouble, little one."

Oh, his mischievous grin was so much like his father's. It made Wave's heart melt a little, a fondness for their own childhoods washing over her at the sight of it. "I will!" Lucas promised.

Just like that, they were off.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,939 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 12:20 p.m.) 05-26-20.**


	88. Forces Gather

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this time of preparation… especially for the one who is already such a great granddad.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Forces Gather"**

 **~保護者~**

Li and Novei appeared with the latter holding the wolf in her arms and chastising him for something that he had no idea he'd even done, landing on Nier's world and walking toward the home quickly. They had business to do, and Novei was not letting it take forever. Seeing their sudden arrival, Therin (who was outside the building keeping watch) sat up straighter and immediately demanded, "Something obviously happened. What's going on?"

"A lot," Li answered, shifting as he tried to dislodge himself from Novei's grip, ultimately failing and sighing. "I need to fill you all in so we can figure out what to do from here."

With a nod, Therin stood and led the way in. "Come on, then. Hurry up." He disappeared up the stairs and into the room where Cere was so that he could wake her up. Novei carried the wolf inside without hesitation, following behind Therin despite his wishes to be let onto his own two feet.

Soon Therin emerged from the room with Cere in tow and gestured at the pair. "They're over there. I'll fetch Finis." He left again without another word.

Cere blinked a few times at the sight of Novei carrying Li, frowning. "So… what's happening here?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," Li murmured, huffing gently. No one had a chance to say anything more before Therin again returned. Finis followed behind, carefully helping Analia walk with him until he could get her into a seat. She no doubt wanted to be in the loop as well, and she certainly deserved to be.

Once they were settled, Therin looked around. "...Where's that bobcat guy at?"

"I am here," Kial answered, walking up quietly. "It simply took me a moment to realize I was needed."

"On with it, then," Therin told Li with a gesture of his hand. He sat by Analia as he spoke and resumed something he had been very kindly helping her with earlier in the day: gently brushing out the mats in her hair. She accepted the help silently and without outward reaction. Exhaustion and who knew what else left her mostly blank.

Li nodded, quickly beginning the explanation of what had been going on. When the topic shifted to the demoness who attacked them all, Novei took over and forced him to be quiet, only letting him resume when that was finished. He wrapped it up soon enough, despite trying to keep it extremely thorough. "And… yeah. Shit went _bad_."

"No _shit_ ," Therin muttered emphatically, still busy working the brush through various tangles. Analia appeared to be listening to everything, but really didn't react.

Cere frowned deeply. "On the matter of the demoness… I know of her. She is Zareil, the highest ranking general of Kaden's legions. She is nearly as powerful as _Kaden_ , shown especially in some of the more violent attacks they have led together. That demon is a massive threat alone…" _But why send just her? He could have wiped out their whole group with one or two others for sure… What was he doing?_

Sensing her thoughts, Finis used thought-speech to say his piece. _"Perhaps that was not his intention, Cere. And if it was… perhaps his carelessness is proof that Analia's Light is acting within him again, affecting his behavior by altering the levels of corruption within him. We have not seen this in eons, but the signs are nearly the same as they were in the past."_ For her part, Analia said nothing.

"I am more readily willing to believe that killing them wasn't his intention, as shown by the abduction of Espio. What concerns me is that he didn't take the opportunity. Perhaps her Light is affecting him, but there is something that leaves me worried that he was doing something far more important in that time," Cere murmured.

"Like _what_?" Therin demanded.

"...Attacking Malevolence?" Cere posed, a grim frown on her face.

"If you're right, then we would've sensed another massive disruption in the balance, plain and simple," Therin argued.

Finis cut in. _"He did venture into the Twilight Cage,"_ he said slowly, _"but a vast quantity of Light forced him out and has seemingly sealed the realm shut again."_

Eyes inevitably turned to Analia. At this point, she finally reacted by very slowly shaking her head and murmuring, "I had no part in this."

"There was no way you could have," Cere murmured lightly. "You simply are not capable of doing such a thing at this time."

"At all," Analia very softly corrected. "I could never do that at _all_."

Li frowned deeply. "One of the only other exceptionally powerful Light users we know of, at least that's left _alive_ , is Rose. She's not as powerful as you, so that means she couldn't have. Is there someone left that we didn't know about?"

When Analia seemed to retreat back into silence, Finis spoke up a third time. _"This warrants investigation. If there exists someone powerful enough to hold Malevolence - tired though it is - back while driving Kaden away and sealing up the realm, they must be located. We are in dire need of such power in this war._"

Novei raised an eyebrow. "If they got involved in _only_ that, do you really think they're gonna be located easily or join this? It almost seems like they're just keeping shit from _falling_ apart."

"No fucking shit," Therin told her somewhat snappily. "That's the kind of support we _need_. People who can help hold shit together while we fight the arrogant fucks breaking everything apart to begin with."

Before Novei could spout back, Cere exerted her presence once more to keep them quiet. "We will attempt to locate them, regardless. If we can convince them to actively join in the war, we _will_. That is all there is to this."

"We'd be the biggest idiots to _ever_ exist if we didn't just because they _might_ say no," Therin muttered, shooting Novei a pointed glare.

Novei glared back at him almost hatefully. "My _point_ was that they don't seem too bent on being directly involved. Not saying that it's a shitty idea to look for them. Just don't be disappointed if they say _no_."

Li cut in, covering her mouth. " _Anyway_ … there's other things to discuss. Espio, perhaps?"

"I would like to discuss this. It is of great importance, to existence and myself," Kial murmured softly. "You said he was abducted by Zareil, corrupted into following Kaden, and then _regained_ free will by Nyokae's actions causing his Darkness to consume the taint?"

"Yeah… that's… more or less what happened," Li answered.

"Why would Kaden have just _let him go_?" Therin frowned. "It doesn't make _sense_ that he would just sit idly by and _let_ his new acquisition be stolen from him. That's just now how he acts."

Cere set a hand on her chin. "It's confusing, for sure. I doubt he knew all too well what would happen with the Darkness of a chameleon, but that doesn't explain why he let Nyokae do what she was doing…"

 _"He could not have known," F_inis asserted. _"We ourselves barely have any knowledge, and we were alive at the time when chameleon Darkness was at its peak."_ He looked away angrily. _"Such raw, true Darkness straight from the Realm of Darkness itself has not been seen since that era. That it is resurfacing now is something we cannot afford to ignore."_

Therin gritted his teeth. "Based on the stories I've heard, they nearly caused existence to collapse more than once when existence itself was still really young, didn't they?"

Cere closed her eyes and slowly nodded. "Yeah…" she muttered. _It doesn't make sense. He went to the trouble of corrupting Espio, but simply left him be when that happened._

"I _also_ heard," Therin continued, "that they were _the_ first - and _worst_ \- evil force in existence and that when those beings of Light began banding together in unspeakable numbers to purge them, the sudden extreme drop in the Darkness their race was putting into existence _directly_ triggered the birth of Malevolence. You know, for the sake of balance or some shit."

Kial visibly frowned. "Is there a greater point you are getting at?" he asked softly.

"Obviously," Therin huffed. Setting the brush he'd been using aside, he turned to fully face the others. "Chameleon Darkness consumes other Darkness and gets stronger. Kaden may not have had in- _depth_ knowledge about this crap, but what if he knows enough? Enough to want to get Espio corrupted, get his Darkness fully out and active, and then let events play out that would make the guy just _keep_ getting stronger? Especially since being corrupted as a demon even _once_ leaves a person permanently far more vulnerable for the rest of their lives."

"You believe that Kaden wants to let Espio do as he wishes so that he can later take control of a far stronger weapon?" Kial asked, his fingers lightly tapping on his leg.

"Look, this is _Kaden_. He's _done_ shit like this in the past. All I'm saying is that there's no way it wouldn't be possible for this to be his plan." Therin frowned deeper. _And his chances of success… exponentially high._

"I was not here for much of this," Kial admitted, very slowly. "Though… if what you say is true, it seems that it very well could be his plan."

Cere cut in gently, a frown on her face. "Kial. Are you alright?"

The cat nodded gently. "I am alright. It simply hurts to hear that my old friend is being torn between every side to be used as a weapon or kept as a friend," he revealed, letting his head droop.

Therin let out a soft snort. "If it were nearly everyone else, I'd be worried about the effect that'd have on his mental and emotional state. I've met the guy, though. As long as we get this corruption shit under control, he'll be alright."

Li nodded. "His family seemed to be planning their next steps before myself and Novei left. I'm sure we can trust them, but I can get the information of their plan and let you all know." _Provided they actually… tell me._

Looking to Cere, Finis silently asked her, _"The group on Mobius is fairly safe for the moment, but they will be in heightened danger again if we bring Analia to them. At least one of us needs to stay with her here for now."_

 _"One of us in particular?"_ she asked, turning to him.

 _"I should stay,"_ he answered. _"I am not particularly useful in a fight against other beings of Darkness, but my defenses are too strong for nearly any to break through. She will be safe if I remain."_

 _"Who else should stay? Or should only I go?"_

 _"Take the others with you,"_ Finis told her. _"Jet and Wave need every single ally that can be gathered."_

 _"Are you sure about this?"_ Cere asked. _"I do not want there to be an attack that is meant to overwhelm your defenses simply because our presence is gone."_

 _"Unless Kaden himself comes here, that will not happen. And as of now, he appears to have greater concerns than Analia. That he has not attempted to retrieve her yet is proof enough."_

 _"I will trust your judgement, Finis. I will take the others to Mobius and prepare."_ Cere answered softly. He just nodded. Cere turned to the others. "We will all be going to Mobius. Finis will stay with Analia," she explained simply. "Are there any other matters that we need to discuss before we get moving?"

"Doubt it," Therin answered curtly. "Also doubt I'll be very fuckin' useful. I'm not _combat-oriented_ , remember?"

"There is more to combat than fighting," Cere explained. "You will not be on the front line, but we can still use your skills to keep others that are not capable of fighting away from the fray." He just sort of shrugged at her. "Kial, we will help Espio return. Do not let this news hurt your heart," she said gently. "We will do what we can within our power."

Kial nodded, pushing himself to stand. "Then, should we be leaving?"

Cere glanced to Finis, asking if he had anything else to say with a gentle questioning expression. He just looked on in silence, making no further comments. Cere then turned back to the others and nodded. "We should head to Mobius. We'll discuss further plans upon arrival and assessment of the situation."

"Fine by me." Therin teleported away unassisted.

Cere walked over to Li and Novei, motioning for them to follow before gently guiding Kial their way with her magic. "We will be off now as well," she said to them, teleporting the group away to Mobius.

 **~保護者~**

After spending time together on the palace grounds, Wave made a decision. Following her earlier line of thinking that Lucas needed to be kept away from Jet for _both_ of their sakes, she came to the conclusion that getting him off the planet _entirely_ was the best course of action. As it happened, Alana agreed with her. So, without further ado, Wave collected the small boy and teleported with him straight to Sein's position within Hyale. Someone let them through the barriers (she honestly suspected Shei), and they arrived by Sein's side not a full second afterward. After letting Lucas wander off to explore a little and explaining what was going on, she asked, "Would you mind taking the kid for a little while? For his sake _and_ for Jet's, he _can't_ witness what's about to happen."

Sein quickly understood what she meant and nodded, a small smile on his face. "Of course," he answered. "I'd be more than happy to."

"That's great," Wave replied, relaxing slightly. She glanced over at where Silver was sitting. "I already asked him earlier when we were communicating, and he said he'll be willing to take Lucas later so that you can be there when the time actually comes. We assumed that you wouldn't be able to stand being sidelined."

The hawk shook his head. "No matter what happens, I want to be there to help out with him. He's my son," Sein murmured softly.

"I understand. I'll be sure to contact you when the moment hits." Wave glanced to where Lucas was and managed a weak smile. "...Fair warning… he's a _lot_ like how his dad used to be. And, from what I gather, that means he's also a lot like how _you_ used to be. Make of that what you will." With that slightly lighthearted warning given, she teleported away.

Sein chuckled nervously. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Despite this thought, he was quick to get moving and walk over to where Lucas was. The child was currently keeping busy by climbing trees, getting much too high up in the massive branches for his own safety but seeming entirely unfazed by it. In fact, judging by his triumphant grin, he was quite happy with himself. Sein shook his head, amused. "Lucas, you should come down from there!"

"I don't wanna!" Lucas called back immediately. "This is _awesome_!"

"You _do_ realize it's dangerous, right?"

"That's what makes it fun!"

Sein smiled, then made a somewhat startling realization. _Damn. I was actually like this as a kid. Still kinda am, sometimes._ "C'mon, Lucas. There's a lot around here to explore."

His attention caught, Lucas peered down at him. "Like what?"

"Have you ever seen a chameleon village?"

"...A… A what?" Lucas eventually replied.

"That's _exactly_ why we should go exploring! There's a bunch of stuff around here you would have never even heard of."

"Like what?" Lucas asked again. This time he started enthusiastically climbing down while he spoke.

"We'll just have to see. I haven't seen everything around here yet!"

Eager to see these promised treasures, Lucas joined him on the ground and ran over. "Let's _go_ , then!" he exclaimed, tugging hard on Sein's hand and arm.

Sein laughed and followed along with the younger hawk, a bright smile on his face. "Well, you're enthusiastic."

Lucas grinned up at him. "Guess so, yeah. But Dad told me it can be a good thing."

"Oh, definitely. You just didn't seem to want to look around until I told you there was other stuff to explore," Sein teased lightly, still smiling.

"Dad lets us explore the palace by ourselves sometimes," Lucas happily declared. "Me and sissy have seen a lot of rooms, but she thinks there are tons more!"

"Maybe there are," Sein answered.

"Are there palaces here, too?" Lucas asked, looking around. However, he quickly amended, "There aren't _any_ big houses and stuff here. Why's everything so small even though the trees are so big?"

Sein smiled. "That's their culture. They don't need a big palace, since they have lived in small places like this for a long time. They much prefer nature, as far as I can tell."

"But how come they live in trees and not on the ground?" Lucas asked him.

"I suppose that's another thing for their culture. Maybe because they're shinobi?"

"What's _that_ word mean?"

"They're like ninja. They're really strong and skilled fighters, but they use more stealth much of the time unlike me and your dad who fight more directly."

Lucas thought this over for a time. "What are ninja? And what does stealth mean? And why do they fight people?"

"Ninja are stealthy fighters. They fight from the shadows, taking down their targets without anyone knowing they're there. Stealth means that they're really hard to see or find, which makes it hard to fight them. They may fight for honor, or for their people to protect themselves and those they care about."

After a small pause, Lucas looked at him again. "You know a _lot_ ," he said, amazed. "Just like my dad."

"I've been around a while. You learn a lot as you grow up. One day, maybe you'll be able to know as much, or even more than him," Sein said gently.

" _Really_?" Lucas asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah! If you work at it, you can do whatever you put your mind to!" This made the child beam. Sein beamed right back at him.

Happy as could be, the pair continued on their way.

 **~保護者~**

Sword in hand, Kaden stepped through his portal. After so many eons of war and struggle, he slipped seamlessly from his realm into the realm known as the Twilight Cage. Once upon a time, a uniquely powerful being of Light had sealed Malevolence here… until Lia and Kimmy had unwittingly freed it. It was here where the beast now so willingly hid itself away, cowering in one of the furthest recesses of existence… fearing the day when it was finally slain by Jet, Nareish, or Kaden.

Kaden intended that day to be _today_.

And _he_ would be the one to deal the final blow.

As he had anticipated, Malevolence had had its sleep interrupted too soon. After its latest exploits prior to going to sleep, it was left too weak to keep Kaden out. He entered the realm unimpeded. Not even Malevolence's spawn, all of which drew strength from their creator, could do anything more than watch him come. Still, he was _more_ than happy to kill them off in droves with vast shockwaves of energy unleashed from his sword as he walked.

Drawn out by the chaos, Malevolence reared its head deeper into the black abyss that was this realm. Spying it ahead of him, Kaden gained a dark smirk. "Still hiding, are we…?" he murmured, drawing closer. Predictably, though the creature _could_ speak, it didn't respond. It seldom did. He didn't care. This would be faster without his prey wasting breath _talking_.

Malevolence appeared fully, though too weak to assume its truest form. It remained in one of its smaller forms, one that it had taken a liking to after its ancient exploits on Mobius. As it was now, it looked like a hedgehog. It was a memento. A trophy. A permanent reminder of the murders it had carried out… ending on when Kaden's own father had also been slain. He allowed that old anger to fuel his strength now, gathering it into a concentrated energy around his sword. His target readied itself as well, ready to fight however powerfully as it could manage, but just as they both started to move…

Light _exploded_ outward from an indeterminate point in between them. Searing pain tore through Kaden as he was launched backward. The sheer power he had just been confronted with… that normally only ever happened when he fought with Jet. It certainly didn't happen with beings of _Light_. They weren't strong enough. After her many eons of imprisonment, even Analia couldn't conjure up enough power to damage him to this degree. So who the _fucking_ hell _could_ have done it, then?

Hissing softly between clenched teeth, Kaden cracked his eyes open. They _burned_ just as the rest of his body did, and his vision had blurred severely. The stress he suddenly felt over it was… unwelcome. Familiar, though. His eyes had always been fucking _sensitive_ , just like his ears. Only, his ears were that way due to his race. Conversely, his eyes were sensitive because of his sensory issues, which tied into his autism. Autism that he _detested_ because it was a goddamn weakness. Demons did not show _weakness_. And yet, he couldn't stop the spike of stress rising from deep within, speeding up his pulse and breathing and making it hard for him to catch himself.

Catch himself he did, however, roughly a second or two after he had been thrown. He landed on his feet in a crouch, wincing subtly at the wall of Light that now barred him from returning to where he had been earlier standing. In fact, he couldn't progress forward at all. He was trapped in the entrance to this realm, with his only options being to stay put or leave. If he dared to go _into_ that Light, he would die. He could sense the truth of that fact intrinsically, feel it deep within his very _soul_.

For several long moments, nothing much happened. All he could hear was his own somewhat racing heart and slightly shaky breaths. No one and no _thing_ seemed to move. Then the wall _did_ , surging forth so suddenly that it was almost startling. It came roaring toward him, sending spawn all of shapes and sizes fleeing for their meager lives. The sight caused it to occur to him that he likely had no choice but to follow suit if he also wanted to remain alive. So, with a furious curse, he did something he hadn't been forced to do since before his corruption.

He turned and ran away.

With precious seconds to spare, he emerged from the portal and lunged away from it. There was _just_ enough time for him to dodge, allowing the shockwaves to rocket past him and tear their way through the catacombs where the portal had long been concealed. Fire and stone rained down upon him as the tunnels collapsed, but through the dust he was able to witness it as the demons who inhabited this area all turned to Light-filled dust and became scattered by the debris until the dust vanished entirely. Back the way he'd come, the portal rapidly melted into the floor, pooling and trickling away like water… virtually purified into nonexistence.

Swearing heatedly under his breath, Kaden raised his palm and blasted a hole from his current position to the world above ground. He leapt through it and teleported a short distance away, having again acted just in time. The ground caved in fully. Any demons fortunate enough to escape purification were now buried. He made no move to help them in any way, too focused on his own issues. His ears were ringing fiercely. His eyes stung. His heart was hammering much harder than it had been before. It was difficult, though not impossible, to keep his breathing in check.

Due to the overwhelming stimulation they had just received, his ears struggled to cope. Normally he could have guarded his ears via a spell or two, but there had been no time… hence his pain. He barely heard it when several generals rushed over to him, questioning what had just happened. He ignored them, opted to keep them busy by sending them to assess the damage to the catacombs. Meanwhile, he turned and started walking back toward the citadel. Now more than ever, he needed the dark… and the _quiet_.

Zareil landed by him and very carefully teleported the two into the citadel, making sure to keep any demons out with her presence alone. "Kaden… _what_ happened?" she demanded softly, kneeling down in front of him.

Softly growling, Kaden stalked over to his chair and sat in it. He flung Saika so that it stabbed deeply into one of the walls in an expression of anger before muttering, "The realm is sealed and the portal melted by Light."

" _What_?" she demanded, a bit more harshly. "Who the _fuck_ could have done that? Kath and Rose are a bit preoccupied, while Analia is _entirely_ too exhausted for something that big."

"They are _incapable_ ," Kaden snarled. " _All_ of them."

"Then who did it?" Zareil questioned, a deep frown on her face. "Do you know _who_?"

"No," was the exceptionally curt response. His ears were badly protesting the sound of them talking and reflexively lowered themselves to try to dampen the impact of the sound upon them.

When she received this _horrendous_ news, the demon stood and walked closer, sitting carefully on the armrest to be by him. "What did they do to you?" she whispered. "You look awful."

This assertion earned a soft snarl. " _Nothing_ happened."

"Light hit you, but _how_? Those burns are horrid to see on someone like you," she murmured, frowning.

Baring his teeth in agitation, Kaden relented and said, "An explosion of Light forced myself and Malevolence apart, striking both of us and later forcing me to leave."

Zareil sighed gently, shaking her head. "We will find and deal with them later, for now, rest. I'll tend to your wounds so they can heal properly." With that, she pushed herself off the armrest and leaned against the throne with her upper body. "Please stay still, okay?" He only closed his eyes, hoping to alleviate the pain that they were also in. They weren't as painful as they had been, thankfully, but the stinging sensation remained - as did his abnormally high pulse rate. The demoness began applying large amounts of her own Darkness to each individual burn by coating her hand in the energy. "I am sorry you were made to go through this. The Light being who did this to you will pay dearly," she murmured softly.

A nearly inaudible, "Hn," was his only response. Given her increased proximity, he flattened his ears further on reflex.

"I am here," she murmured. "No others will come near us at this time. You can relax and rest."

If he could have muffled sound any further. he swore he would have. As it stood, though, he only had one option left to him. "Stop talking," he mumbled.

"Yes, Kaden," she murmured ever so softly, immediately falling into silence as she continued healing his wounds. They two drifted off into silence. For now, there was nothing left to say.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,707 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed. Sorry I took so long to post this. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 6:20 p.m.) 06-02-20.**


	89. Formation

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this ancient rendezvous… especially for the one who was sleeping.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Formation"**

 **~保護者~**

Seated in a chair on a balcony of the religious temple where his mother apparently lived for now (and where he and Steam had been graciously allowed to stay for now), Sonic sighed and mumbled, "I wonder when Dad'll be back. We haven't seen him since we left for the Highlands, and that was… at least a few days ago by now."

Steam sighed, leaned up against the balcony and gazing over the edge. "Not sure, honestly. I'm willing to bet he'll be back soon, but we have no way of knowing what he's planning."

"All he said was that he needed time to try to figure this mess out," Sonic shrugged. "And Mom is basically just letting him do whatever, it looks like. She's just been doing her usual thing around here, so far as I can tell."

"Which means she trusts him to either not be getting into too much trouble, or she trusts him to be able to get himself out of it if it comes up. Knowing Kaden… probably a bit of both." He managed a faint smile. "But honestly, we can't do much more than wait around, sadly."

Sonic chuckled softly. "From what I understand, he used to get into all _kinds_ of crazy trouble in this era." He shook his head. "I don't like the idea of just waiting around here, though. I hate not _doing_ anything."

Steam shrugged. "If we roam around too much, chances are that trouble will come our way. Or at least come _my_ way. People happen to like giving me problems."

"It's pretty common among the people I associate with, I'm noticing," Sonic commented with a wry grin. "I mean, just look at me, Jet, and probably others."

"Yeah. When I was younger, having just met you guys, we got into a lot of shit. Armaris picked fights with people on the streets, I had a gang or two after me every now and then, Jet and the other babylonians were thieves, as you know, and you most of the time just got caught in between it all."

"Sounds about right." Sonic was quiet for a moment, then sighed and stood up. "I think I'm gonna go out and try to find Dad. It was nice of these ladies to let us stay here, but I can't stand sitting around."

The green hedgehog thought this over before sighing as well and nodding. "Fine, I'll come with you."

Sonic smirked slightly. "What happened to avoiding trouble?"

"I'd rather not hear about some random punks kicking your ass on my watch," Steam huffed, crossing his arms. "Don't forget I can launch you into the stratosphere."

"And I can survive the landing," Sonic reminded him easily, heading back inside. "Oh, and I _highly_ doubt that random people are going to be picking fights here. Pretty sure the guards don't allow that. ...Not that it stops Dad but, you know, he's _Dad_."

Steam snorted at him, following Sonic inside. "We just have a penchant for drawing trouble to us. That's all."

"Eh, that's nothing new." Sonic headed to the door leading out of the room and exited it, then headed for the stairs leading down to the ground floor. "Anyway, I don't suppose you have an idea of where he _might_ have gone while dealing with our issue."

The green hedgehog shook his head. "Nothing that I can think of that sounds likely, no."

"Well, that's a bit of a problem. 'Cause I don't know, either." Sonic crossed his arms as they descended the stone steps. "Locke would know Dad's usual haunts, but he's not here anymore. I know a few of the places Dad's mentioned spending time in, but beyond that I've got nothing." He paused, thinking, then turned his head to look at Steam. "Actually… in this era, he owned a small, cheap home in one of the residential districts. Think he might've gone there?"

"It's worth a look, regardless," Steam answered, shrugging to Sonic. "You remember where it is?"

"I think I might, yeah. I… don't know how he'll react to us showing up on his doorstep, though." Sonic cringed a little at the thought. "He might not take too kindly to it."

"You're wanting to find him, right?"

"Yes, but I'm also wanting to _not_ upset him. He doesn't always do well with unanticipated things happening, such as guests randomly showing up at his home. It can stress him out."

Steam frowned, sighing. "It's your call. You know him better than I would."

They reached the bottom of the stairs as Sonic said, "I don't know, is the issue. What do _you_ think?"

"There's risk in it regardless, since we're heading out. Why do you even want to find him?"

"Because we need to know what's going on, and if he's got any sort of plan. If not, we need to help _make_ one. We can't just sit on our asses like this." _And because it may be one of the only chances I'll have to ever see him normal again._

Steam lightly pushed him along. "Then let's get _moving_. If he gets upset, we can make sure to help him calm down and then leave him alone so he can work in peace."

"...Yeah. Alright." Saying nothing more about it, Sonic stepped outside and hurried out toward the streets. They weren't anywhere near as crowded here as they had been near the marketplace, but naturally people still milled about all around. Still, he hoped Steam would be fine, due to the more hushed atmosphere of this particular area. _Guess people are respectful of the temples even when they're not 'em._ Steam seemed more than content to follow behind Sonic quietly, sticking close to him with his arms crossed for now. The two travelled in silence for a while as Sonic gathered his bearings. Eventually, he felt confident enough to say, "If I'm not mistaken, his house was located on the far western side of the city, in the last residential area before you run into the wall. So, we'll have to pick up the pace to get there in any decent time. We're not very close to it."

"Think we can run at any relatively good speed without running through too densely populated areas?" Steam asked, a small frown on his face.

"There are rooftops, remember?" Sonic answered. Then he thought about it and laughed. "Actually, there's a funnier way, too. Though, I don't recommend it. See, I saw a memory of Dad's once when I was getting Caliburn from the ruins of this place a long time ago. Turns out, as I learned from that, that kid-him's method of running through the streets was pretty simple: just shout at people to move their asses and hope for their sakes that they do."

Steam managed a small smirk at this, shaking his head. "Of course he did. Well, are we going to the rooftops, then? I can't imagine you being the type to barrel through people."

"Absolutely not." Sonic jumped atop the nearest building and took off without further ado.

The green hedgehog launched himself up after Sonic, quickly keeping the same pace as the other. "Glad to know you're still far nicer than me."

Sonic glanced at him, "Meaning…?"

"I _would_ barrel through people if I felt the need," Steam answered. "I'm not always the kindest with people I don't know, sadly."

"Well, maybe that's something you can work on if you don't like that part of yourself," Sonic said. "People can change themselves if they want to."

Steam thought it over and sighed. "It's something I sometimes view as necessary. Not something I can really justify changing since it's saved my ass in the past."

"I get it." Sonic hurried over some more roofs and then stopped to look around real quick. Once he was sure of where he was and where he needed to go, he resumed travelling. He also decided to change the subject. "On another note, I have a question for you. But it's nothing serious, honestly."

"Well, just ask it," Steam said, a faint smile on his face as he kept up with the other hedgehog. "If a question is serious, give me a warning, though. I don't do well with some kinds of surprises."

"Trust me, I understand," Sonic assured. "I won't spring something like that on you. This question seems benign to _me_ , but if you don't want to answer you don't have to." Making another quick jump across a narrow alleyway, he continued, "I was just wondering, in your timeline… how are things _going_ after the war? As in, what _good_ things have managed to come out of this mess? There has to be _something_ , right?"

"I'm not at liberty to explain some things, altering timelines and all with information, but plenty of good things happen," Steam explained vaguely, thinking over it all. "Things definitely… calmed down. A lot. Jet and his parents… it's amazing how close they are. Sein is everything Jet ever _needed_ in a dad during his life, and his mother is just as great. Jet gets to live happily with the person he's with, which is really good for someone like him. Same for Espio, Cyril, and Armaris."

Sonic's eyebrows raised, but he smiled. Addressing the first part of all of this, he said, "I'm really happy to hear it. I remember as kids… Jet wanted a dad, a _real_ dad, _so_ badly. I understand now that some of it is due to basic Babylonian instincts and all, but even still. And the fact that he never even knew his adoptive mom… It could get pretty heartbreaking, seeing how sad he was." He shook his head, banishing the old upset and continuing, "It's _great_ to hear he finds happiness with Sein and Alana, _plus_ with whoever he's apparently dating or married to there."

Steam nodded. "Yeah. We also managed to work through some problems we had with the help of Sein. That was… _interesting_ , to say the least."

"Problems?" Sonic questioned, made curious by Steam's wording.

The other hedgehog frowned faintly and sighed. "Well… stemming back from when we were kids, I had some… _serious_ anger problems, and some other issues that took a long time to work through. Somehow, I got this bad image in my mind regarding Jet and it all coalesced into something _awful_ during this war. Sein suggested that we fight, without using our powers as an Immortal or Balancer respectively, and well… He kicked my _ass_."

This caused Sonic's eyebrows to raise again. "...I hate to break it to you, but that's not surprising to me in the slightest."

"Yeah, I _know_ , asshole," Steam huffed. "I kinda figured that out _pretty_ quickly." He paused momentarily before sighing again. "To this day, I'm _really_ glad that Sein could read me well enough to know that I just needed to get my ass handed to me on equal ground so I could accept Jet and who he was."

"'Who he was'?" Sonic echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

"I hate authority. I hate people telling me what to do, and I will almost always buck against anyone who tries unless they've gained my respect. For some reason, I never respected Jet that way, and him being an Immortal _automatically_ made him an authority figure. I hated it, and that somehow morphed into me hating _him_."

Sonic blinked. "Oh. Well then."

Steam nodded. "I'm not proud of what I did throughout most of my life. So much of it was centered around hating people and trying to protect whoever I felt close to, and sometimes _both_. It was confusing," he admitted slowly, frowning more than he intended to.

"I bet it was." There was a very brief silence before Sonic reached out and gave Steam a light nudge. By now, he had slowed his pace to a brisk walk so that they could talk longer and without having to raise their voices. "So we'll get into the questions about the others in a second, but what about you? What good things happened in your life?"

"Well…" Steam frowned a bit more. "I'm blessed to have an amazing wife who can handle me at my worst. I've got great friends, but I still don't know what I want to do with myself," he answered slowly.

"It's okay not to know," Sonic told him. "Sometimes just taking life day by day and _letting_ things be slow and quiet is good for a person. When peace comes, it's liberating to embrace it, in my opinion."

Steam gave a faint sigh. "I became a professional boxer when I was young for a reason. Peace and quiet leaves me _very_ anxious and sometimes stresses me out."

"Well, how about this, then. I don't know if boxing is even still a thing in this day and age - or, well, the _modern_ day and age - but why not check it out?" Sonic tossed him a smile. "It'd be worth a look if that was something you enjoyed doing."

"Tails had to implant something into me to inhibit my strength and other abilities so I couldn't use them in reaction or accidentally _kill_ someone. As much as I hate to say it, I might be too strong naturally at this point," Steam explained, rolling his shoulders.

Sonic laughed a little at the notion that their mutual friend might not be able to lend a hand. "I'm sure he can work out some way to help you. He's _Tails_."

"Hm… maybe," Steam shrugged. "I'm just not a fan of killing someone trying to make an honest living, though. That's my main concern."

"Talk to Tails. I'm serious. If anyone can help you avoid that, it'd be him. And he'd make _certain_ whatever he builds for you is functional before he promises you any sort of success."

The green hedgehog flashed a faint smile. "I'll look into it."

"Good." Sonic smiled again as well. "Now, what's this about Cyril? I can't say I'm surprised that a guy like him found someone, but who is it? Anyone I know?"

Steam winked softly. "Not gonna get too deep into details, but yes. You know this person."

This earned a soft chuckle. "Fair enough. New question, then." Sonic lightly jumped from this rooftop to a different one as he asked, "What's this about Armaris and Espio? Seemed to me, in this timeline at least, that they end up with each other. Not in your timeline, though, huh?"

"I can't say for sure they'll actually end up together in your timeline, because things are just uncertain. Though, she definitely didn't end up with Espio in my timeline. She doesn't get close enough to him early on for that to really happen before someone else does," Steam explained.

Sonic tilted his head a little. "So, did they not grow up around each other there like they apparently did here?"

"They did," Steam answered. "However, I think Espio was gone a lot more and Armaris was never able to get all that close to him."

"That makes sense, then." Sonic crossed his arms lightly. "On another note… do things turn out alright with him? Like, in general. Regarding _everything_ , you know?"

Steam nodded. "He returned to normal, more or less, but the possibility of him losing himself to his Darkness again is always a thing."

"Yeah… I get it." After a pause, he asked a more lighthearted question. "How's he do with Sako? I know he's not taking super well to the idea of parenting so far."

"He does pretty good once he's back to normal," Steam admitted easily. "It's really nice to see."

Sonic's earlier smile widened. "That's good to hear. That's _really_ good to hear."

"Oh, absolutely," Steam answered, smiling as well. "Any other questions?"

"Well, even if there were, I think we're about where we need to be," Sonic answered him. He pointed ahead of them to an inconspicuous home of traditional build situated amidst many others. It was small and lacked any sort of yard, with its entrance being right off the side of the road. Sonic was _decently_ sure he recognized it. "I think that's his house there."

Steam blinked a few times before nodding. "Seems like it could be. Worth a shot to knock."

Jumping down to the road, Sonic approached the house with Steam at his heels. "...Real quick, what's our back up plan if this somehow manages to go south?"

The green hedgehog blinked a few times. "Uh, fuck, I don't know."

"Helpful," Sonic huffed, although he meant it jokingly. Lacking a better plan, he walked up to the door and gave it a couple quiet knocks. "For the record, if we have to bail I'm _totally_ telling everyone this was your idea."

"Oh, _thanks_ ," Steam huffed in return, flicking Sonic in the back of the head. "I'll put you through the nearest hard object," he joked lightly.

"Overreaction, much?" Sonic chuckled. His ears straightened when he heard very faint movement from inside the house. _Someone's definitely home. Here's hoping this is the right home._

Steam shrugged. "Maybe it is." His own ears straightened as well at the sound, a mild, thoughtful frown appearing on his face."

When it took longer than roughly thirty seconds for the door to be answered, something occurred to Sonic. "...You know, it's about one right now. He might actually be asleep. He usually needs to take a nap for his own sake from noon to about this time, or sometimes even two." There was another faint movement, and he cringed and then sighed. "...Wish I'd remembered that sooner. Sounds like he's getting up. He definitely heard the knock."

The green hedgehog clicked his tongue lightly, sighing as well. "Too late now, sadly. Let's just go with it for now."

Sonic only had time to shrug a little before the sound of a lock being unlatched met their ears, then the door opened. Thankfully, Sonic was proven right about their location when he saw Kaden standing there. Kaden frowned at them both for about half a second before saying, "How did- ...You know what, never mind. I don't care." Turning on his heel, he simply walked back inside. Tellingly, he left the door wide open for them to follow if they so chose. Steam lightly nudged Sonic, indicating he should follow.

Shrugging, Sonic walked inside. Kaden, meanwhile, moved several heavy piles of thick books off of his tiny couch and set them beside an already full table before taking a seat. The room was _filled_ with books, unsurprisingly, but some were open and sort of left scattered about as though they had been hastily read through not that long ago. Sonic refrained from asking just yet, though, as he watched his father rub tiredly at his eyes in an effort to wake up more. Steam frowned lightly as he glanced over the room, unsurprised by the disarray it was in considering that Kaden had most likely been working on something.

Deciding they had permission enough to do so, Sonic slowly walked further into the front room and looked at the various books and papers that were laying about. He couldn't make sense of any of them, given that he only had the _faintest_ grasp of how to read the ancient language spoken by their race, so he asked, "Have you found anything helpful, at all?"

With a nearly inaudible sigh, Kaden shook his head. "Not completely. Bits and pieces of useful information were there to be found, but not yet enough. Nothing substantial enough for me to work with."

"Anything noteworthy that stands out?" Steam dared to ask, frowning lightly. "Maybe we can help somehow."

Kaden, without warning, used his foot to lightly kick up a book and send it flying toward Steam's hands for him to catch. "In there. There's a marked page with a picture."

Steam was quick to catch the book and flip through the pages to the marked one, glancing over the picture Kaden mentioned. The picture in question was an _incredibly_ old (even by this era's standards) drawing of what looked for all the world to be the Chaos Emeralds and the accompanying Master Emerald. "The Chaos Emeralds?" Steam asked aloud, motioning for Sonic to walk over. "Come and look at this." Sonic hurried over with wide eyes and looked at the page.

With a vaguely confused look betraying itself in his eyes, Kaden looked at Steam. Eventually he said, "...We do not call them that. But they were mentioned in several separate tomes as having the ability to channel, or even outright contain, vast quantities of energy. Using them as a conduit, supposedly, can open brief windows or even doors between realities."

"That sounds about right, honestly," Steam murmured in reply. "They're _certainly_ capable of channeling a lot of energy, but more so a specific _kind_ of energy. Though… what do they look like in this era?"

"They are black," Kaden answered briefly. "If not for their shimmer, most would think them to be merely carved stones."

"This means that _someone_ hasn't been born yet, which I suspected entirely, but that complicates things if we intend to use them," Steam answered. "They're essentially inactive at the moment."

Sonic finally spoke up. "No, this… this is actually good," he said to neither of them in particular. "If they're inactive, it means there won't be any sort of conflict if we try to briefly channel energy through them. The issue is working out _how_."

Kaden was quiet for a short time before looking again at Steam. "You called them _Chaos_ Emeralds. That is an energy where you are come from?"

Steam nodded. "It exists where we're from and it's _also_ here. You just haven't seen it. ...Yet."

Sighing, Kaden rubbed at his eyes again. "Explain its nature. Is it existential?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Sonic nodded. He paused, then asked, "What do you know about existential energies right now?"

"Aura energy birthed everything," Kaden answered without delay. "We know Darkness and Light come sometime later. As of now, we have been incapable of learning anything further. We are too limited in our resources and skills."

Sonic inclined his head. "Okay. So, you're completely correct about the aura bit. That energy came first. I don't know all the details or anything, but somehow Chaos was born directly from that sometime later on. Chaos is basically what it sounds like, but it also embodies things that both work together and in opposition of one another. Hence, Light and Darkness came from it."

With a slow frown, Kaden responded, "And one of you has access to it?"

"I do, yeah," Sonic confirmed. "I was born with it, actually. The issue is, though, that I never exactly… had much training." He hesitated, then admitted, "Or _any_ , really. Mostly, that's because I've never met anyone else with these powers. I've basically just been winging it my whole life, and therein lies the issue here. We might have the _opportunity_ to use the emeralds to help channel Chaos right now, but I don't know how. And I certainly don't know how to use it to _deliberately_ travel between timelines. It happened once, but that was a _complete_ accident and not even fully my doing."

As was common with him, Kaden grew utterly silent for a time as he thought. Sonic left him be to do that, waiting patiently for the older man to speak again. When Kaden did, he said, "...There may be some who can guide us, but reaching them is not easy to do. Because of where they exist, simply _going_ there whenever one pleases is not possible."

"Who do you mean?" Steam asked, a deep frown on his face. "And where do they exist?"

Though Kaden shrugged, he said, "They exist within this realm, but in a place they have sealed off from outsiders. I was only able to gain entry through… much _persuasion_ , you could say." He seemed to visibly shy away from the memory, but nevertheless continued. "They call themselves Immortals. I have only encountered them once, but they are a knowledgeable sort, and powerful. They may be able to lend you their aid. Or at least guide you to someone who can."

There was a flicker of distaste in his eyes, the green hedgehog tightly crossing his arms. "I _might_ have a shot at persuading them. My role is meant to be a sort of buffer for them so that they can respond to things adequately."

"They have sealed themselves away from others," Kaden reiterated, his demeanor suddenly dulled by old memories and wounds, "after an… incident where one of their own grew too out of control, forcing them to end him by their own hands. They seek to avoid contact with others after that day. They will not allow you to approach." Sonic noted the change in him with great worry, but stayed quiet for now. He didn't know what to say that would help, and just hoped that Steam might be able to come up with an idea for what they could do.

Steam was quiet for a moment before glancing to Kaden. He wasn't sure how to help, so his only plan was to keep Kaden's mind from dwelling on those memories. "Do you know a way we can _attempt_ to contact them?"

Kaden shook his head a little. "No." Initially he said nothing more, but eventually he continued. "I only made contact by travelling to them. But that was before they hid themselves."

"Do you think someone they work closely with would be able to get through to them?" Steam asked, frowning.

Sonic clued in pretty quickly to the fact that Kaden didn't seem to know what Steam was talking about. _Maybe, in this time, he, Mom, and Locke didn't know that Gods and Goddesses had ties to the Immortals. It would make sense. They were all pretty isolated, growing up, and no one living here would've had the knowledge to teach them this stuff._ "I have a different question," he murmured. "You know about Gods and Goddesses, right? At least a bit?" That earned him a slow nod. "Do you have contact with any of them, to your knowledge?"

After a short pause, Kaden shook his head again. "No."

"I _do_ know that there's someone that does have contact with them that's on the planet during this time period," Steam answered slowly. "Finding him will be a… _chore_ , though."

"Who?" Kaden eventually asked.

"His name is Ylden. You and him work pretty closely by nature in the future, but I don't know how much you'd know of him right now," Steam explained.

"...I've met him," Kaden answered slowly. "But only a couple of times."

Steam blinked a few times, nodding. "Do… you have any clue where he might be?"

"No," Kaden said yet again.

The green hedgehog clicked his tongue. "Damn. I have some ideas, but nothing concrete enough to spend a serious amount of time just searching for where he might be."

"What should we do, then?" Sonic asked him, resisting the urge to bite on his lower lip.

"There's… the possibility of two others that I know of," Steam murmured. "Though, one of them doesn't exactly get along with me 'cause we don't agree on a lot of things."

"Well, we have to try _something_ ," Sonic told him.

Steam sighed. "I guess I can seek them out. There's a decent chance that they've got some form of contact with someone who can help out," he said, shrugging. "Best I can think of at the moment."

"It's better than nothing," Sonic responded.

The green hedgehog turned to Kaden. "Thank you for the help, seriously. Means a lot." Kaden just offered a vague nod. He was still distant, and growing more so before their eyes. Sonic didn't like that at all, but he was at a loss for how to help. "Hey, you wanna head back with us to the temple so you can see Analia? I'm sure she'd enjoy your company, even if only for a few minutes."

That pulled Kaden back to reality a bit, away from his recent memories of hell, and he blinked a couple of times as he somewhat refocused. "...What?" he eventually asked, looking back over at them. It seemed like he hadn't entirely heard what was just said.

"You should head back toward the temple with us. Analia may like seeing you for a bit," Steam gently reiterated, a smile on his face. "Thought you could use a break from all the research you've done as well."

Taking a chance, Sonic smiled and said, "I'm _certain_ she'd like to see you, honestly. And the fresh air would do you some good." After a long moment of silence and wavering back and forth between memory and present reality, Kaden seemed to just force himself to stand. He walked outside without another word. Sonic's smile faded and he winced. "I forgot how _recent_ his experience with Kathros would have been at this time," he whispered in undertone to Steam. "I wasn't expecting it, or for him to suddenly start getting a bit catatonic on us."

Steam sighed faintly. "I figured that it had to be recent given his initial reaction, sadly. I heard about how bad it was, so… I just hate it," the green hedgehog whispered in reply, moving along. "Let's not continue on about it."

"One more thing," Sonic insisted as he followed. "We need to make sure he doesn't completely blank out on us before we get him to Mom. From what I gather, when he gets like that it's _really_ hard to ease him out of it."

"Then let's move along," Steam answered, giving an affirmative nod and catching up to Kaden. Sonic hurried after him. "Hey, mind if I ask some questions?" he asked the darker hedgehog.

Kaden looked at him vaguely for a second or two before murmuring a simple, "What?"

"I was curious about how you make your swords. From how you gather materials to the actual forging, if you don't mind sharing a few details," Steam answered, smiling. "You make _beautiful_ weapons, and they're absolutely amazing to see in action."

Something to focus on, something that mattered to him, seemed to help drown out the bad memories for the moment and Kaden managed to ground himself and reality a bit more. His _demeanor_ was still slightly vacant, but his responses were clearer and came more readily now. "How do you know about them?" he asked after a moment. "I took care to hide them."

Sonic smiled again. _That you did. I still haven't seen the rest of your creations, even after all these years._

"Your blade, Saika. You use that one in battle in our timeline, as well as the sword that Sonic has, Caliburn. Both manage to last through several wars without showing any signs of wear which is _incredible_."

"...The magic," Kaden eventually answered. "They were forged with magic to keep them strong and sharp. I could not have them break as so many others I'd used had done."

"Is that why you made Caliburn?" Sonic asked. "It was your first, right?"

"I forged that blade because someone certain said I would _never_ be capable," Kaden muttered, frowning. "I set out to prove him wrong."

Steam managed a smirk. "You did a damn good job at it, too."

Kaden shrugged. "Perhaps."

"Regardless, what kind of metal did you use for them? Anything in particular, or did you go and make your own to further prove your point?"

"I made use of a material that does not originate from this world," Kaden answered. "A rock was found in an ancient crater that was determined to be from deep space. I lay claim to the metals within, whatever they were." After a short pause, he added, "There were two. One lighter and closer to silver in color, and the other black as night. One was used for the Caliburn. The other eventually was used for Saika."

Steam blinked a few times at this before nodding. "That's incredible, honestly. How'd you come across the crater?"

"I was travelling with a troop of soldiers on a patrol," Kaden shrugged. "We were scouting out an area to see if it would be safe to make camp there for the night. We found the crater then."

"Well, I'm glad you happened across it," Steam answered with a shrug. "Turned out to be an excellent choice for both." Kaden nodded faintly. The group traveled in silence after that toward the temple, where Analia waited with open arms for them all.

For at least a _moment_ , Sonic found he again knew happiness.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,649 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 8:25) 06-03-20.**


	90. Hidden Potential

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this necessary information dump… especially for the one who always had so much potential locked away.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Hidden Potential"**

 **~保護者~**

Shadow took a seat in a random chair and idly watched as Tails disappeared into the depths of his underground lab in search of the equipment he needed. Seeing that he was still standing, he huffed slightly and said, "There are chairs. He will not object to you using one."

Toru waved this off. "I'd prefer to stand for now, and I saw the chairs." He smirked faintly, chuckling.

Before Shadow could do more than faintly roll his eyes, Tails returned with a specialized computer in his arms. It was one he'd built based very closely on the sort of device Gerald would have used to access and program Shadow's various implants and whatnot, and he needed it for his current task. As he set about setting it up on the table Shadow was beside he said, "My name is Tails, by the way. Sorry I didn't mention that before. I know that can be seen as rude for your people, but I promise I didn't mean it that way."

The chameleon shrugged. "I'm not bothered by it, but thanks for the thought." Toru smiled gently to the fox. "I'm Soul, or Toru as some know me." Shadow's ears perked at the second name that was given and he silently committed it to memory.

Tails smiled back briefly and went back to focusing on the wires. "Got it." Soon, he was turning his computer on and opening up connections and files, none of which evoked any sort of outward reaction from Shadow. "Hey, unless Shadow has any objections, I'd be open to answering any questions you might have as we do this." He looked questioningly at Shadow, who merely raised an eyebrow. His lack of comment was permission enough.

"My first question, then, is how this all works. Surely you can't just put those components into something and it work?"

"Well, in his case, it helps that all of these were put into him when he was still growing," Tails answered carefully. "Some, like various chips in his brain, were implanted before he was even 'born', so his brain can't function without them anymore. So, things like that definitely help these components function. But, that's admittedly one of the _simplest_ explanations I could give."

"Do you think I'm dumb or ignorant?" Toru asked, blinking once. A _faint_ light in his eyes would tell that he was intending this to be a joke, but he definitely wanted to see the reaction.

As he was looking away, Tails failed to see this and he cringed. "No, not at _all_ ," he was quick to assure. "But I know that sometimes I get too in depth with explanations and I didn't want to seem like I was talking nonsense."

Toru gave a wide smile at him. "Don't worry about it, Tails. I'm messing with you. I'm glad you made it simple, in any case."

The fox heaved a sigh of relief. "Chameleon humor is _scary_ , for the record," he said as his fingers began rapidly typing on the keyboard.

The chameleon shrugged. "I'm tame, by chameleon standards. There are far worse."

"No shit," Shadow muttered, looking away.

Tails hummed softly under his breath before saying, "Okay, I'm gonna start activating the first function, Shadow. Can you see the descriptions for what they are, or is your access barred?"

"I never had access to any of the files," Shadow answered shortly, "or anything else he directly controlled."

"I can explain, then, if you want to know before I give you access."

"Fine."

With a nod, Tails said, "Okay. So, I'm actually going to back track a bit and go over what you _already_ have and make sure everything's functioning properly. Alright?" Shadow waved him on, so Tails continued. "Right, so this file documents how you had special surgeries and experiments done on you when you were about two. Specifically, they were on your lungs and heart and make it so that you can survive in environments where most can't without protective gear. Has all of that been functioning normally, to your knowledge? I can't really test that right now, much less _here_."

"It has," Shadow answered.

"Glad to hear it. Next up: 'Subject can withstand severe blood loss due to work done on the heart, forever altering how much blood needs to be flowing through the subject's body at any given time for the subject to remain alive. A newly installed chip in the heart keeps it beating slower than normal while perfectly sustaining the subject, and blood can be redirected from damaged areas if need be.'" Tails glanced at Shadow. "Unless I'm mistaken, these functions are all working perfectly fine. I've not noticed anything that would indicate otherwise, and we saw you redirect blood flow after that fight with Tein left you so badly damaged."

"Things are functioning properly," Shadow confirmed simply.

Toru raised an eyebrow. "Tein?"

"Erm… an evil Immortal," Tails said. "He's dead now."

The chameleon nodded. "Gotcha."

Tails returned his attention to Shadow. "Moving on… the chips in your brain. We haven't checked on them too in depth since that attack, so, I want to make sure they're working properly as well."

"Fine," Shadow replied again.

"Right. First one, responsible for the almost impossibly computer-like understanding of guns and explosives that you have, how to use them, build them, repair them, and so on. Functioning normally I would _assume_ , but I have to ask."

"Yes."

"I can attest to that," Toru said, smirking. Shadow glanced at him. "Shot that demon several times, in fact."

Tails smiled. "Actually, the second chip plays a big role in that ability as well. It ensures his aim is always perfect, the exception being in extreme cases only - such as when his vision manages to become blurred due to serious injury, illness, or so on. Even in those situations, it should always be _close_ to perfect." He looked at Shadow again. "Shadow, did every bullet hit where you intended?"

"Yes."

"Was the image produced on your eyes blurred at all, or was everything as it should be?"

"Everything was fine."

With a nod, Tails turned to Toru. "A question for you now, since you were there. He's meant to be able to aim and fire in an instant once he chooses to do so. Did you observe any delays between these two actions, or was the transition between 'aim' and 'shoot' seamless and instant?"

Toru shrugged. "To the best of my knowledge on seamless shooting of guns, yeah. Pretty instant."

"Got it." Tails typed some more before stopping. "Okay, third chip. This one allows you to connect to all manner of computers and other forms of tech, and we _know_ that's functioning." He gestured meaningfully to the computer with a small grin, and Shadow huffed in slight amusement.

"The next one?" Shadow prompted, as he had no idea which chips Tails was reading about in which order and therefore was helpless to guess.

"Right, the fourth one. It messes with the pain signals your brain would otherwise naturally send out when you're injured, the one exception being in the case of very large and/or serious wounds." He looked Shadow over. "...No wounds of such kind, so I'm guessing you didn't feel anything."

"No."

"Were you hit at all, though?"

"Yes."

Tails again turned to Toru. "Did you happen to see that?"

The chameleon nodded. "He was thrown into the air by a punch from that demon. Landed in a tree as he came down."

"Okay. He didn't feel anything consciously, but were there any signs of _subconscious_ pain you could see?"

"Didn't seem fazed at all by it. He went straight to shooting her."

"That's good," Tails murmured. He scrolled down within the file and sighed. "Shadow, do you remember the side effect that goes along with this one?"

Shadow frowned. "Yes."

The fox nodded, then looked at Toru. "This might seem out of the blue, but… are you planning on travelling with Shadow a lot? If you are, I want you to be aware of this _just_ in case."

"I suppose so," Toru shrugged. "I enjoy being around him enough." Shadow's right ear flicked and he looked at Toru silently.

Tails seemingly missed what Toru had just said or, else, he ignored it for the moment. "Okay. So this is something Gerald (the guy who 'made' him) classified as a 'weakness', one he never found out how to fix before he died. Basically, for some reason, while Shadow's sense of pain is _normally_ close to nonexistent, cold water registers to him as _severe_ pain. Suddenly being touched by it, splashed, or whatever else acts like a sort of 'shock' to his entire system. It makes him freeze up, his thoughts typically blank out, and he's left vulnerable and unresponsive for up to twenty or thirty seconds." He looked sympathetically at his friend, who just crossed his arms. "He'll always snap back out of it on his own and be fine, though. Most of the time he won't even realize that he blanked out. It can be dangerous for him in combat situations, though."

Toru nodded slowly. "Overloads him with pain, essentially, then? That's what it sounds like."

"That's basically it, yeah," Tails agreed.

"Got it. I'll keep it in mind."

"Especially when we're in your homelands," Tails cautioned. "He usually makes a point to not stick around during your guys' many storms, or at least shelter in Espio's house, but it's possible that staying away isn't an option right now. And the house… well. You know."

"I'll figure something out should that come to be an issue," Toru answered.

"Thanks," Tails smiled. He returned his attention to the screen. "Moving on… the fifth chip, Shadow, is what makes you have such a hard time experiencing fear. Judging by earlier," Shadow scowled slightly and looked away, earning a sympathetic glance, "it's either doing its job and your emotions really peaked earlier, or their effect on you is lessening. Either way. I can't honestly say it's a _bad_ thing. Experiencing fear is healthy for a variety of reasons, after all."

Shadow's scowl deepened a little, but all he said was, "The next one."

Shrugging, Tails did as he was indirectly asked and continued. "The sixth one is what allows your mind to handle scanning things and gathering high levels of data and knowledge within a matter of seconds, then from there allowing you to instantly understand what was uncovered. I assume that everything's been fine in that department, since you've been utilizing this ability a fair bit lately."

"It is functioning fine," Shadow nodded.

"Alright. Last one, which gives you robotic reflexes. Any dip in performance there, or no?"

"No."

"Great." Tails started opening different files, but then paused and leaned past the computer to look at Shadow again. "Oh, hey, your hand. Is it doing alright?"

Blinking, Shadow silently lifted his hand (the very same one Tails had worked on the day Sonic had been revived) and showed he could easily move it without any grinding of metal, stiffness, and so on. All the bones, ligaments, and so on had been replaced many years ago by Tails himself with robotic parts as the only means of repairing the appendage from an unprecedented attack that had done otherwise irreversible damage. As things were currently, everything was functioning as it should have been.

Pleased with this, Tails nodded. "And you can still feel just fine with it as well?" Shadow returned the nod. "Good. Glad to hear it."

"Your hand is entirely metal?" Toru asked, blinking once.

Crimson eyes glanced his way. "Unfortunately," was the bland response.

Toru nodded slowly. "Pretty badass, if you ask me."

This evoked a small laugh from Tails. "That's one way of looking at it." Shadow glanced at Tails with a disapproving frown over the laughter, then just huffed. Toru smiled, shrugging. Tails moved on. "Right, anyway… time to start turning things on now. You ready, Shadow? We can take it slow if you need. We'll be taking our time a bit, regardless, but-"

Shadow cut him off, but not meanly. "I would prefer it be done as quickly as possible."

"I understand that," Tails assured. His eyes roved the screen. "Okay… so let's start with really basic functions. Heat sensors and trackers, facial and voice recognition software - only effective on faces and voices you've encountered before -, that sort of thing." As he spoke, his fingers never stopped typing. "Everything okay so far?"

As he adjusted to everything that was happening, Shadow blinked multiple times and even frowned vaguely to himself. "...Yes."

Tails moved on as quickly as he dared so as not to delay things too much. "The next one is a function that allows you to analyze, memorize, and get data about DNA from blood samples. Such data being things like what species the DNA is from, if known, and exactly which individual of that species it came from. Again, if known. This data can be gathered by scans at times, but also through you making physical contact - even just lightly touching a finger to - the blood in question."

That all sounded familiar. In fact, Shadow was pretty sure he'd done that before more than a few times. Tails activating the ability again seemed to dredge up distant memories that furthered his suspicions. "...Alright."

"Sounds interesting. Enables you to figure out the identity of someone you were fighting if you have access to any of their blood for some reason, among other situations," Toru commented easily. "Useful against those who try to keep their identity hidden."

"Very," Tails agreed. He typed a little and soon was saying, "Next up is a biofluid recognition software. It works the same as the previous function, essentially, but this one is only effective when you're dealing with the biofluids that work to keep androids and certain cyborgs alive." He paused, then added, " _Pretty_ sure this only works with the biofluids present in Gerald's lifetime, so we'll definitely have to upgrade this later on since there are a higher number of biofluid types these days."

"There are more like him?" Toru dared to ask, frowning faintly.

"There did not used to be," Shadow answered after a long moment. "The rest that Gerald created could not… survive without the aid of then highly advanced equipment. They died off. In more recent centuries, others have taken up the work of creating life in these manners, and they were more successful. Though, their creations were seldom built with combat in mind."

"Generally, people built these androids and cyborgs for the sake of having servants and the like," Tails sighed. "I'm not surprised word never reached the Highlands and other remote areas, but within the modernized parts of Mobius there was a whole revolution carried out to earn these people their rights and freedoms. It was a huge to-do, but one that ended well ultimately." He smiled in Shadow's direction. "Actually, he was the one that led those people to their freedom. I don't think I've ever seen you get so passionate about something, Shadow, before or since."

Shadow looked away and was silent for a long moment. Eventually, he murmured a very simple explanation for his actions back then. "...It mattered. That was all."

"If you got involved, I'm sure it mattered a lot," Toru said, smiling.

When Shadow didn't respond, Tails thought it best to carry on. "Okay, so the last recognition system I'm seeing so far is fluid recognition. It's _basically_ the same as the two before and you carry out the function in the same manner, but this one only pertains to the fluids involved in keeping certain kinds of robots and machinery functioning. We'll need to update this later on as well, but like with the biofluid one it's not imperative right now." As he spoke, he activated the system in question and Shadow merely nodded.

Once that was done, Tails said, "This one's an upgrade to your current scanners. It's specifically an environmental scanner that lets you check on the health of plants and animals in an area, determine how safe or not an area and its inhabitants are, if there are any hazardous materials nearby or in the air, and so on. These scans are carried out instantaneously, like a normal scan, and understanding the data should be just as fast." Just like before, he talked while actively turning the system on. Shadow made no immediate comment and didn't even bother to nod this time.

Seeing as how Shadow was staying quiet, Tails continued. "Next up, memory storage system." His eyes quickly scanned the screen. "It says here that this is so powerful that so long as you don't _willingly_ purge any memories you'll be fully capable of retaining them with perfect clarity forever." His ears soon lowered and he added more softly, "...And it being switched off long before you escaped from the ARK, by the looks of it, probably played a role in why you remember so little back then. With this, the experiments and various traumas and whatnot wouldn't have been able to make you forget so much."

A long moment passed, but eventually Shadow just offered a tiny shrug. "It does not matter. I see no point in agonizing over what was lost when I do not _want_ it to begin with."

Somehow, Tails managed to perk up slightly. "You know, since it's coming from you… I think I can be made to agree with that." He switched it on without further ado. He typed some more. "Alright… so preconstruction of actions and movements is the next one.'

Shadow frowned and looked at him. "What?"

"Getting to that," Tails said patiently. He patiently explained, "It allows you to determine all potential paths through an area and see what paths would take longest or be safest and so on. It also lets you plan any and all movements and actions you're about to take, if you choose to, in order to achieve a certain goal. Such as, for example, planning exactly where to place each foot in order to run up the side of a building _before_ ever setting foot on the wall. It may not sound like much, but being able to perceive time as standing still so that you can plan is _insane_."

Though briefly silent, Shadow noted that Tails was reading still and asked, "What else?"

"It'll also let you preconstruct entire fights, planning your movements and anticipating every possible reaction as well as any supercomputer with a body could," Tails grinned. He set about activating this function. "Of course, getting used to being able to _do_ that will take time and training. It's noted in the files that you never got started on training with preconstruction before your escape." Shadow only gave a single slow nod.

"How deeply can it preconstruct? Surely since there's data he'd be lacking about how people fight and all, he wouldn't be able to _fully_ predict the whole fight."

"That's where all the scanning abilities come in," Tails answered. "Fight for even a short while, and people like him, his brother, or his dad can learn a _crazy_ amount about a person. It's not too different from your own people, actually. At least, by Espio's telling. So, things like that will help. I don't have any specific knowledge, though. Nothing else about this was really noted here."

"I'd be down to help with the training on that, in any case," Toru shrugged. The idea of that being one of Shadow's abilities deeply interested him.

Though Shadow said nothing, Tails was smiling still. "Somehow, I don't think he'd be opposed to that." He opened the next file. "Okay… so this one is called 'tagging'. It'll let you place a digital 'tag' on anyone or anything that you're tracking, allowing you to keep track of them with your eyes. Think of it like having a holographic arrow over a person's head that only you can see. And even when the person moves out of sight, that little arrow will still be there to let you know they _are_ there."

That certainly had many potential uses. Shadow was already thinking of some ways he might like to utilize that feature in various combat situations while Tails activated it. "The next?" he found himself asking barely a second after Tails finished.

"Weak point scanners," Tails said. "In a nutshell, this lets you scan people, animals, structures, or whatever else for any and all weak points, which are then 'highlighted' faintly to show you where best to aim to maximize damage." He read a little more. "It also says that these scanners will give you constant feedback on the strength or structural integrity of any given weak point. So, if you're blasting away at some huge robot's ankle or something, it'll tell you how much more damage that ankle can take before it breaks. You do have to deliberately carry out these scans, but like with all the others it's linked to your thought processes, meaning a simple thought that you want to do that will be enough." He activated it without waiting for a reply, not that Shadow gave one this time.

"Interesting. The ability to locate a weak point is… crucial in many fights," Toru thought aloud.

"It is," Shadow agreed quietly.

Things fell silent, but Tails was soon talking again, anyway. "Looks like you have some self-sustaining components. That is, they allow you to sustain _yourself_ , it's not the components… Anyway-" He read the screen quickly. "Anyway, it looks like this is the reason why you don't need to sleep and eat as much as normal people. Aside from… well, the influence of you-know-what." He tossed Shadow a sympathetic look, but Shadow didn't react to it. "This are active already, so I'll just leave them be. That fine with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Close to a full minute passed as Tails opened a new file and read it over, then his eyes swung around to Shadow again. "I can't say I'm _surprised_ , but you managed to break through your programming?"

Blinking, Shadow looked over at him. "...What?"

"This software literally just acts to suppress the emotions you, like anyone else, were born with. Except, at _some_ point, you forcibly broke out of that programming. Like, to the point where it can't be turned back _on_ , even assuming I _wanted_ to." Shadow just sort of stared. He had no recollection of this _whatsoever_.

Toru blinked. "So, something that should've been commanding him, essentially… he broke through that?"

"Yeah," Tails confirmed. "Yeah, he did."

"Badass."

Upon hearing this, Shadow looked over at him. "You say that frequently," he observed with a slight frown, though not one of upset. He was more… confused, he supposed. Curious, even.

Toru shrugged. "I reserve it for the people that deserve it." With no comment to make on that, Shadow again fell silent.

Tails moved on. "Okay, so there are a few less intensive ones I'll be activating together. First there's memory imprinting, which allows you to imprint any or all of your memories onto any hard drive, computer, robot, or whatever if you so choose. Next are hacking and systems checks, which you already know about and have - these are just upgrades is all. There's also language conversion, which lets you instantly convert any language you see, hear, or otherwise encounter into a language you understand. Essentially, a flawless translator."

He activated these one by one before continuing. "Next up is reconstruction/simulation of events. With this, you can reconstruct events that took place in the past by taking in whatever data is leftover. So, say you were at a crime scene. You could use traces of DNA, footprints, bodies, broken doors, whatever was there and use that to visually reconstruct what happened within your mind and see the crime that took place."

"Do you know how far back it can go, or does it only do it for a select period of time?" Toru asked.

"It seems like so long as he has enough data to work with, he can more or less reconstruct anything," Tails answered. "Though, the longer ago an event was, the less likely it'll be that he can get a full picture or, say, know the identities of participants. But he'll still be able to gather a lot more than others, especially when he uses this in tandem with other abilities of his." Toru nodded, but didn't respond further.

Shadow again stayed silent, so Tails pressed on. "Okay, so earlier we introduced a weakness, so I'm happy to say that there's one system in here that appears to exist for the purpose of _helping_ with a different weakness."

His attention sharpening, Shadow said, "Explain."

"I will." Tails turned to Toru. "Really quick, just so you understand, electricity to _any_ degree is dangerous for him. A shock can do a _lot_ of damage to a cyborg, especially one with so much metal coating their very bones and the like. It's dangerous to the point where an electric shock too severe _can_ kill him."

"Tch," Toru frowned. "What are the chances of us running into an enemy with powers like that, aside from demons?"

"Not sure," Tails admitted. "We haven't so far, but that doesn't mean he's never in danger. I mean, for example, he can't even be around me when I'm building sometimes since the risk of electricity arcing from my work subjects to him and severely harming him is so great."

"Shouldn't run into it much within the highlands, at the least," Toru murmured. "That much I can assure."

"Good to hear. And even if something does happen somewhere, this should help." Tails turned his attention back to Shadow, who was listening intently. "This is literally just shock absorption. It _really_ needs more detail on it about how it functions and whatnot, but the gist of it is that it'll help you be able to take minor shocks and even slightly serious ones without serious damage - assuming the shocks don't last too long. Oh, and it's active already, so we're good there." Shadow nodded once.

"Would there be a way to expand the capability of the absorption?" Toru asked, tilting his head.

"I'm not too sure without being able to gather more data," Tails replied, "but if it's possible I definitely _will_ be improving this in the future."

"If you can, it sounds like that would be very important," Toru shrugged. "Though, I suppose we wouldn't have much time as of now."

 _Gerald actually did something good. Who would have thought. ...Well, except, he's the reason why Shadow's weak to this to begin with… so maybe not._ "Not now, no. But I'll get on it as soon as I can," Tails promised. He moved on after that. "Next up is the system… oh, wait, this is already on. Duh." He laughed a little. "I was looking at the Black Blood circulation system, but _obviously_ it's on already." Shadow huffed, maybe amused.

"Er, 'Black Blood'?" Toru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, right." Tails smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. That's the… not at all _creative_ name for the blood that circulates through the blood of his ancestors from one of his parent's species. Normally it's toxic to other living beings and even so-called 'halflings' will slowly die from it, but this helps him not suffer that fate." _Good thing the blood was more diluted in Lia, or else we might have one day been forced to implement such a thing in her._

Shadow thought for a moment. "...There was something more to it," he recalled slowly.

"Yeah, actually," Tails confirmed. "See, this blood actually acts as a strange biological defense mechanism as well. For one thing, it can obviously kill any enemies who come into contact with it, resulting in their own blood becoming poisoned. But, more uniquely, it can harden the skin in any desired location, acting like natural armor that'd actually be pretty hard to penetrate for a lot of people."

Toru blinked a few times. "Wow. That's… _interesting_ , to say the least."

"Mm-hm," Tails agreed. A bit of quiet fell over them, but it was brief. "Okay, so the next one's a scanner which lets you gather data such as individual and species temperaments, natural weaponry, and so on of animals, so-called 'monsters' like demons, and other beasts. So, that'll be useful."

"Hn," Shadow murmured.

Tails barely acknowledged the sound. "This one is… a big upgrade to your general scanners and the like. Looks like, with it, you'll be able to determine whether there are valuable - be they valuable for the sake of a task you're performing or monetarily - resources in the area, a person's likely blood-alcohol level, an individual's likely heritage, and so on. Plus it'll let you pull off feats like tracking samples of DNA or specific foot or fingerprints and the like when tracking someone."

Toru blinked a few times. "Well, you won't need most of that around chameleons, certainly," he joked lightly.

Shadow let out an indelicate snort. "The hell I won't," he lightly shot back. "How else am I meant to find your stab-happy asses when I need to?" Tails grinned and laughed a bit.

A small smirk found itself a place on the chameleon's face. "Good luck."

Stifling another laugh, Tails teased, "Alright, guys, no bickering in my workshop. We're almost done, anyway, so you can take it outside if you want to do it that badly."

With a huff, Shadow asked, "How many are left?"

"Just one," Tails answered him. "It's labelled as 'Overclock'. The details are sparse and stuff seems to be missing, but basically it says that it allows you to push yourself and all your abilities to perform well beyond their normal limits for a time, at risk of _severely_ damaging things or yourself as a whole from excessive heat and more. You could, for example, increase your reaction time to as much a one-thousandth of a second or less so as to help increase your ability to move faster by some ungodly degree."

"How severe could the damage be?" Toru asked.

Ears now a bit low, Tails was forced to admit, "I have no idea. But… at the same time, his body does _really_ well with heat due in part to his family's affinity for fire, so damage to any living tissue isn't as likely as it is for everything else. So it seems to me that this was _fully_ intended for use but was never perfected." He pursed his lips. "...And I have no idea whether or not we should risk activating it." Shadow, for his part, stayed silent for the moment.

"He has to consciously make use of it, right?"

"Yeah, it's not automatic or anything."

"It… _could_ be useful, and since he's got that affinity for fire, we do know he'd handle the heat well," Toru shrugged. "I see it as more of a pro than a con, having it on, but my opinion doesn't matter as much as Shadow's. His body and all."

At that point, Shadow let out a breath. "Just activate it. If I need it later and I do not have access to it, it could be a death sentence."

"...I guess you're right," Tails reluctantly agreed. He did what he needed to do, then sighed. "Just be careful, okay? Especially since you were never trained on how to utilize this, and it's not like you can work it out for yourself right now." Shadow merely nodded and stood while Tails disconnected from the hedgehog's systems and unplugged everything.

"So, that's actually everything?" Toru asked, curious.

"Everything that's not already active," Tails said. "Or, rather, _wasn't_."

" _Damn_ ," Toru murmured. "There's a lot."

"Definitely." As Tails spoke, Shadow started to head toward the stairs leading to the exit.

Toru moved after Shadow without hesitation while Tails finished cleaning up, crossing his arms lightly. "So, you're still full of surprises, eh?"

Shadow offered a vague shrug. "Not necessarily."

"I mean, some of that surprised me, so I'm betting that there's more to you that would continue to surprise me."

"...Perhaps."

Toru smiled. "Keep it up. I enjoy being caught off guard sometimes."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at him. "An unusual statement," he commented. But, as with earlier, he wasn't remotely upset. Away from the stairs but slowly following behind, Tails just smiled.

Toru shrugged. "I'm not like all of my people in many ways. You'd be hard strapped to find someone similar enough to me to make a proper comparison."

"So I have gathered," Shadow answered. Then he said, "Being different has… uses, in some ways."

"It is. Warrants some respect from some that I know. At times," Toru explained. "Sometimes it leaves others less… willing to agree. Oh well."

They stepped outside, and Shadow's response fell by the wayside when he realized he could sense someone in the woods a short distance away. His eyes glowed faintly as he conducted several scans, and he frowned. "...Someone is out there." He paused, then felt the need to clarify, "No one threatening, but they do not belong."

Tails caught up right about then and looked on in confusion. "Wait, someone's in the woods?" Shadow just nodded.

Toru immediately reached for his tachi, frowning. "Lead the way."

"Leave it sheathed," was all Shadow said as he began walking at a brisk pace into the trees. Shrugging slightly, Tails hurried after him with Toru not far behind.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,780 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for his help and support. Posted (at about _) 06-04-20.**


	91. Homecoming

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this important meeting… especially for the one who had such a rough start.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Homecoming"**

 **~保護者~**

Blood streamed down Espio's blade as he entered the lone building he had seen since arriving within the outer reaches of the Trokkelar Army's territory. He sensed an energy within, a small one. Young. Frail. Weak. _Dying_. He scowled deeply and drove his sword deep into the heart of the first enemy that rushed him, then tore it free so that the person was nearly beheaded in the process. The person's companions soon met the very same fate. That these people were apparently meant to be _guarding_ the fragile life deeper within this building was… fucking _ridiculous_. They couldn't have guarded anything if they _tried_.

He continued on his way without a word, but allowed his sword to disappear. As amped up as he was by all the bloodshed and fighting, intimidating and appearing threatening to _this_ person was not his intention. Retrieving her from this hell hole and removing her from it was all he was here to do. Nothing more. It would not do to have her afraid. As such, he took care to calm himself as much as possible while he approached the locked chamber where the energy he had been tracking emanated from. A hard kick broke the heavy locks and forced the door open, and he stepped inside without further ado.

Inside, he found a space that was less a person's room and more a prisoner's cell. There was nothing in the room that a child would need aside from a thin mat and blanket to be used for sleeping. That was _it_. Weapons, however, lined the dingy stone walls. They were present in abundance. Many had clearly been used. By who and _on_ who, there was no telling. The child laying on that mat wasn't harmed, at least. However… she was _painfully_ thin. There were thick, dark circles under her closed eyes. She was _filthy_. Gritting his teeth, he approached and knelt down beside her.

From sensing her energies, his instincts were screaming at him that this child was _his_. Her resemblance to Nyokae helped further prove that point. She had her mother's deep purple skin color and slim, elegant build. And the eyes that opened when he gently touched her cheek… they were amber. There was no doubt. There could be no other conclusion. And just as he knew from energy alone who she was, she also appeared to know him.

Reaching up with one hand, she very weakly took hold of two of his fingers. If he had to guess, she was maybe five. For a chameleon, children of up to four in their years were still _very_ much babies. Babies capable of walking, running, climbing, somewhat fighting, and so on, certainly, but babies nevertheless. She shouldn't have had any advanced speech yet, but somehow she managed to speak as well as an older child regardless when she whispered a tiny confession. "I always wished you would come."

His Darkness had been waning for the past several hours. As he was now, he couldn't sustain such immense energy for as long as people like Nyokae and Kaden had wanted him to. That it was fading like it was perhaps played a part in why his response was so soft… so gentle. "I am here," he assured quietly. "And we are leaving."

"Where else is there?" she asked him as she shakily pushed herself up. "I have never… been away from this place."

Whether she meant the building or this dark realm as a whole, he had no idea. Either way, it fueled his desire to continue slaughtering each and every soldier within this Army until there were none left. However… this instinct to get her away and ensure her safety was far stronger than his desire for bloodshed right now. Mere hours ago, that would not have been the case. He didn't allow himself to think about that for long. "There are many places," he answered her simply as he moved to take her gently into his arms.

She accepted being held without complaint. In fact, the sigh she let out sounded nothing if not content. That she sagged against him, her small body loose and relaxed as she looped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder was further proof. "Okay."

There was one last thing he needed to know before they left this chamber and returned to more dangerous areas. "Your name?" he asked her.

Quiet answered him initially, but after a lengthy pause she asked, "Can I know yours?"

He tilted his head slightly, contemplating her tactful effort to skirt around the issue he had presented her with, but ultimately obliged. "Mine is Espio."

With little more than an exhausted nod, she closed her eyes and buried her face in the side of his throat. Now was not the time to question her further, he decided. And so, instead, he turned and began making his way outside, calling his sword back into his hand as he went. It was time to get this girl home.

 **~保護者~**

 _It won't be much longer now._

Staring at Jet's face, Wave took in his condition for at least the hundredth time in the last hour. His fever remained as high as it had been and he remained in incredible pain… but what she focused on his responses to these. Or, rather, his lack of responses. That he was slowly ceasing to react to the pain and heat was proof beyond proof that he was slipping further and further away. Astras efforts to gain control over him were ongoing and nothing could be done to stop her. All they could do was wait… and they weren't going to have to do that for much longer.

 _Damn you, Astra… Damn you._

 **~保護者~**

Armaris glanced over herself, noting that she did indeed have her swords on her. She didn't enjoy needing to check for that to go talk to Espio of all people, but it was a necessary precaution. Being in the territory of the Trokkelar Army didn't help much with that necessity, something she had to remind herself of multiple times as she traveled along. At least, until she could get to Espio. And actually, he seemed to be close. The fact that the bodies littering this particular area were distinctly fresher than the rest lent credence to that idea. She was able to catch up to him in short order by simply following the bloody trail he left behind, and he immediately stopped and turned halfway around to look at her with a cold and emotionless expression.

The cat looked over Espio quietly, glancing over the young child that he was carrying. "She had another kid and never told you…?"

As seemed especially common when he was in this sort of state, Espio's response was excessively brief and unemotional. "No."

"I'm sorry," Armaris murmured softly under her breath, looking around at all of the bodies. "You got pretty upset about it, didn't you?"

He turned slightly more toward her, but did nothing actively threatening for the moment. "It does not matter," was all he said. The child in his arms lifted her head from his shoulder and stared tiredly at Armaris, then weakly laid her head back down and closed her eyes.

"Where are you going to take her?" Armaris asked, taking a slow step forward. "I would be more than happy to take care of her, but that's up to you."

The little girl herself actually responded this time, visibly clutching tighter to him as her face scrunched up in distress. "No," she almost whimpered. "No, no, no." He glanced down to her with a slight frown.

Armaris carefully raised her hands, nodding. "I won't separate you from him. I could… never do that knowingly." Her gaze raised to Espio, almost pleadingly. "Espio. I know that you've got your Darkness influencing you. It's messing with you, making you feel things you've never felt before, or maybe just not in the same way. I know what that's like, and I don't want you to be alone in this. Me, Sonic, Tails, Shadow… all of us want to help you."

His grip somewhat loose on the sword (another one comprised of Darkness) that he was holding, Espio told her blandly, "I do not want help." Whether or not he meant it, there was no way of telling. He gave no indication of what the actual truth was.

"I don't want to be rude, and I really don't want to upset you, but do you trust yourself to take care of your kid? You left Sako with your mother before… _Do_ you trust yourself to keep her safe and raise her?" Armaris asked slowly, taking one more careful step forward. He said nothing this time, merely watching and listening. But, tellingly, he _also_ never once tightened his hold on his weapon or made _any_ move to harm her in any way. "I want to help you raise them, to keep them safe from Kaden and that woman in the Trokkelar Army. I don't want to see you or them harmed, or worse. I _want_ you back, and I want to help. I care about you, more than I can fully comprehend at this point…" Her gaze lowered for a moment as she tried to recollect herself before rising back to his.

Just like that, his sword was pointed at her throat. However, his grip on it remained as loose as before, and nothing about his demeanor seemed to indicate any genuine intent to do her harm just yet. Actually, this motion seemed idle, as if it had been performed purely because it _could_ be. "And if I have no interest in _going_ back?" he questioned coolly, still giving no hints about what he was really thinking or feeling.

"I won't and can't make you," Armaris answered calmly, staring directly at his eyes. His sword actually lowered very slightly. "But I just want to be there for you. If I can help you in any way, whether you come back with us or stay away, I want to know. I'll do whatever I can."

"You have no reason to care so much," Espio told her after a long moment. He very much still remembered her confession regarding her feelings, but it wasn't something he _understood_. Especially not after finally breaking out of Nyokae's hold. Whatever love _actually_ was, surely it wasn't worth people taking the sort of risks Armaris was right now.

Armaris sighed. "Maybe I don't, and maybe I'm just letting my emotions control me like I did before, but I _do_ care, and I do care enough to do this. I want to do whatever it takes to help you, no matter what."

He huffed, almost derisively, but then lowered his arm (and thus his weapon) again as he looked away and muttered, "Ridiculous."

"I am," Armaris murmured, looking away. "I've always been ridiculous. My younger years outside of the highlands were spent causing mischief, stealing from people and being obnoxious. Somehow, a goddess decided I was worth something despite never showing any real promise in anything worthwhile. But maybe ridiculous is something more than either of us really… see." The cat looked back to Espio, frowning. "You cared about me, someone so ridiculous that I shouldn't be considerable. You still did, though, and it brought me here. Back to you so that I can show that same care in return."

He frowned again, a bit more noticeably this time. "I did not ask for your _care_."

"And I still want to show it. I _want_ to care about you. I want to be there for you, even if you consider me an enemy," Armaris responded. "Forgive me for bringing it up, but you cared about Nyokae enough to not kill her before. She may have cared about you, but she wanted to use you for her own purposes. I'm just here because I want to be. I don't want anything other than _you_ and who you are, whatever it is that _you_ choose to be."

His eyes narrowed subtly at the mention of her name, but he seemed to let go of the anger with surprising speed. The expression he was left with was mostly unreadable again, but faint hints of conflict were beginning to show themselves in his eyes. Being unused to supporting so much Darkness and the state it had left him in, he had burned through much of the energy by now and was, perhaps, more able to listen to reason than he otherwise would have been. Whether or not this was the case, he said nothing about it, choosing instead to again murmur a simple, "Ridiculous."

Armaris took a calculated risk and walked toward him slowly. "Maybe it is ridiculous, but you're still listening to me, despite how ridiculous it all sounds, how ridiculous _I_ sound. You don't know how much that means to me."

"And I don't _care_ ," he was quick to remind her, but without any real conviction.

"I know you don't, but I wanted to say it." Armaris stopped when she was close to him, holding out a hand to him. "You don't have to do anything that I'm asking of you, but can you let me do just one thing before you make a decision?" He glanced at her in silence, saying nothing. Armaris slowly stepped forward once more, closing the distance between the two of them before wrapping an arm around him and gently kissing his cheek before gently burying her face in his neck.

Almost sort of startled, in a way, Espio was silent for a time before daring to ask, "...Why did you…?" In this short moment, his already faint Darkness somehow receded even further, something which managed to ease the frazzled nerves of the child he was still holding. She relaxed bit by bit and almost started to doze.

Armaris held him slightly tighter, as if afraid he would leave her once more. "You're worth the risk, and I don't want to lose you to these people who want to use you. Please, Espio… come home…" she murmured, her body trembling lightly.

The little girl tried to lift her head again. "Home…?" she whispered. "We have a home?"

After another silence, Espio nodded slowly. "...Yes."

Armaris pulled back slowly, trying to give him space and looking down. "I'm sorry for doing that so suddenly…" she murmured in apology. "I just… couldn't help myself." He didn't say anything initially. The conflict that had before been visible in his eyes had faded away, but it was clear that he was thinking… and maybe even somewhat fighting, judging by how further faint traces of Darkness continually faded away bit by bit. After a few moments passed, she lifted her gaze back to his. "Would… you come back with me?" There was a very long moment where he didn't respond, but the sword in his hand vanished. Eventually, he looked away from her again and offered a very slow nod. A smile broke onto her face and she held out a hand to him. "Come on. I can teleport us both back… or we could take the longer way if you'd like."

It made more sense to just get it over with. Dragging this out didn't sound… ideal. As much as he didn't want to deal with all the repercussions he'd be forced to face once they arrived back on Mobius, Espio hated the idea of making it take longer even more. "...Just go," he eventually said, almost sighing. Armaris nodded in response, gently taking his hand in her own and teleporting them away, back to Mobius.

The three landed back within Hyale and immediately Aniko was before them, a few tears forming in her eyes at the sight of Espio having returned. He couldn't bring himself to look directly at her, hit with a sudden sense of shame the likes of which he had been unprepared to experience. He internally sort of cursed himself, but was mindful _not_ to let himself grow irritated or worse. It felt like his head was _finally_ clearing bit by bit and he was back in control again. He could _not_ let that newly rediscovered control slip away, and certainly not so soon. Aniko stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Espio, pulling him into a loving and surprisingly not crushing hug. "I have missed you, my son…" He was unsure how to respond, felt undeserving of the affection, and just offered a tiny nod. "You have done nothing to earn ire or shame in my eyes, Espio," Aniko murmured gently. "You are still just as loved and cared for as you always have been."

Though he hadn't intended to, Espio immediately found himself reflexively taking a step back in response to his sudden upset and muttering, " _Why_? That does not make _sense_."

"Can you tell me one thing that you did to me that would be worth me losing my love and respect for you?" Aniko questioned, standing up straight. His gaze dropped again and he fell silent once more. "If you cannot, then there is nothing that would take those feelings away, Espio. Even if you had, I am your _mother_. I would be damned if anything would stop me from loving you as my son."

Her voice seemed to rouse the child, inadvertently saving Espio from having to try and come up with some sort of response. The little girl shifted and then weakly opened her eyes. She looked at Aniko briefly before whispering in a tiny voice, "Who are you?"

Aniko smiled gently to the girl. "I am your father's mother," she answered softly. "My name is Aniko."

This seemed to intrigue the girl, who made the effort to lift her head. "...Name?" she asked after a pause. "You have a name?"

The older chameleon nodded. "I do indeed, young one," she replied before glancing to Espio. "They did not care to give her a name… did they?"

"I do not know," Espio admitted. Glancing to the girl, he added, "She would not tell me."

At that point, the girl looked up at him. "...Mother said I'm a weapon. Weapons don't need names." Espio frowned deeply upon hearing this.

Aniko kept her _intense_ hatred from showing in the presence of this small child before she gave a sigh. "Your mother… is a fool. You are not a weapon. You are a person, like myself and your father. You _deserve_ a name," she murmured. _It is part of you. To take that away is… preposterous._

The little girl sighed, almost too tired to keep her eyes open, and laid her head back down. "What kind of name would I have?" she asked no one in particular. At a loss, just as he had been with Sako, Espio stayed silent.

"We will think of one for you," Aniko murmured softly. "For now, you should rest. You are tired."

"Hungry," she added softly. "'nd thirsty."

It was only then that Espio finally turned to look at his house… only to discover that it was no longer _there_. "Tch."

"I will make sure to tend to that as quickly as possible," Aniko told the child. Her eyes scanned the area for Shei, immediately calling him over by name. Despite having been seated elsewhere away from all the people so that Sako could more easily nap, Shei was by her side in a flash. Somehow, he managed to accomplish this swift arrival without disturbing the baby. The relief Espio found himself feeling upon seeing said baby unharmed and so at ease managed to make him relax somewhat. "Could you aid Espio for the moment while I go figure out what to do for food and drink for the child?" she asked softly.

Shei carefully shifted Sako in his arms and signed, _"See if any nearby trees survived the assault. Some were bearing ripe fruit, perfectly suitable for food and for juice."_ Aniko nodded briefly and vanished in a blur, leaving Shei and Espio together for the moment. Once she was gone, he turned his attention to their son. He thought better of directly addressing what was so clearly upsetting Espio right now, for he knew the younger chameleon was the sort to want to take time to sort things out on his own. Instead, he focused on a decidedly less serious matter. _"No one has yet attempted to salvage what remains of your home. We are unsure what survived amidst all the debris."_

Decidedly relieved (again) by the change in subject from what he had been forced to discuss earlier, Espio didn't take quite as much time to reply this time. "I will look when I can."

 _"Would you accept assistance?"_ Shei asked him, one eyebrow raised. Espio thought about it, then shrugged. His father suggested, _"It would be quicker and easier if you did not do it alone, as is the case with many things in life. Coping, for example."_

Understanding that what Shei was hinting at actually had nothing to do with the house, Espio glanced around to make certain that Armaris really had disappeared before saying quietly, "I would not burden her further. She does not deserve that."

 _"And you do not deserve to suffer in silence,"_ Shei gently countered. _"Especially not when there are people around who do wish to help. However, I am not here to tell you what choice to make. I merely wanted to remind you what choices are here for you to consider."_

With a soft sigh, Espio relented with a quiet and respectful murmur of, "I understand."

Aniko returned with two ripe fruit in her hands, gently offering one to both Espio (should he want one) and the child. "This should suffice for food and drink. If I need to collect more, I am more than able."

Given that he had no need for food or drink, Espio refused the offered fruit with a shake of his head that _somehow_ managed to remain properly polite and respectful. The girl, however, took the one that was offered to her. She took a hearty chomp out of it, then suddenly pointed to the grass beneath her feet. "What is it?" she asked once she'd swallowed. "It looks soft… like a bed. Can I sleep there?"

A very short silence ensued, then Espio moved to the base of the tree his home had once been built within. "Grass," he answered briefly. In response to the rest of the question, he slowly and carefully laid her down within the stuff. She seemed quite delighted with it in a heartbeat and curled up as she took another big bite of her fruit. Seeing again how very thin she was, however, caused him to not share in her happiness right then. He was too concerned for her obviously failing health. _Had they continued to treat her the way they were for much longer, she would have perished. In their effort to transform her into a killing machine, they willfully ignored her most basic needs._

Aniko crossed her arms, frowning deeply as she watched this. She quickly came to the same conclusion and looked to Espio. "We will make sure she is looked after and properly cared for."

Espio didn't immediately respond. He instead eyed the sky for a second or two, noting that a storm would be coming in within the next day or so. The temperature was already dropping to one that would chill the younger members of society who weren't used to such weather yet, so he briefly walked over to the remains of his home and dug around in the approximate location where most of his bedroom seemed to have ended up. Unable to locate a decently intact blanket, he eventually dug out a kimono shirt made for more wintry conditions (meaning it would be warm) and walked back to his daughter with that. The makeshift blanket was big enough to easily cover her tiny body, and she curled up under it with a content sigh as she let the fruit's core drop to the ground beside her. "Warm," she whispered, seemingly as a thank-you.

About this time, Armaris walked back over and frowned at the sight before her, crossing her arms to keep herself warm. "They really… treated her that badly…?"

"Yes," Espio answered shortly. Already, the child was falling asleep, so he moved away to allow her to do so. Shei walked over with Sako and sat down, intent on keeping watch.

Armaris moved close to Espio, her eyes closed as she tried to keep herself from getting too deeply upset. "I'm glad you saved her from that. I've seen too many kids nearly die that way…" He glanced at her in subtle surprise, but said nothing. She leaned up against him, glancing to the home. "Sorry about that. We couldn't keep the demon from destroying it when she attacked us…"

He glanced over the wreckage. It was irritating, for certain, but nothing more. "It does not matter. It can be rebuilt."

"Still, it matters. It's your home. Wish we could've done better." Deciding not to dwell on that too deeply, she lightly wrapped an arm around him. "You know, I didn't miss how cold the Highlands could get," she murmured jokingly.

He huffed at her, but nevertheless forged ahead through any potential hesitation and asked, " _Are_ you cold?"

"...A bit," she admitted softly, moving a bit closer. "Fur doesn't protect from everything, and I haven't really been here in a _while_."

Another huff, and he carefully separated himself from her. "Wait here." He briefly disappeared back over to the piles of debris, digging around for something in particular that he _thought_ he might have spotted when over here earlier. Sure enough, he soon located a sweater, the only piece of modern clothing he had in this house anymore. It was a simple black hoodie, but it was thick enough to guard against the current temperature of the area. He returned to her with it in hand.

When he came back over, Armaris idly moved her hand and the hoodie flopped onto her head, seeming to pull itself down until her head popped out of the opening at the top. It was loose enough that she was able to keep her arms inside of it comfortably before nudging up against him gently. "Nice color choice, by the way." That earned a small shrug. He wouldn't admit to something as silly as having a favorite color… much less _two_ of them. She nuzzled up against him affectionately, smiling softly even as she caught Aniko's gaze. Something in the older woman's eyes seemed approving, and it only served to further increase her mood. "Hey, Espio. Why don't we go sit down for a bit so we can talk?"

Espio didn't particularly _want_ to sit, but nevertheless he conceded with a nod. "Alright."

Armaris gently took his hand with one of hers and pulled him gently to a tree before jumping up onto a branch and motioning for him to join her. He did so without comment. "A few things happened that you probably need to know so that you're all caught up." After realizing that he wasn't going to respond, she nodded slowly. "One of the big things is that the gods and goddesses are going to be showing up here soon. Li and Novei went to inform them of what happened, so we'll likely have more visitors soon."

More people. Lovely. _Just_ what he wanted. "...When?" he dared to ask.

"Sadly… pretty soon. If I have to guess, there's going to be roughly five or so more people showing up. Give or take maybe one."

 _God_ , he hated crowds. The fact that the present crowd would be growing again did _not_ sound particularly pleasant to him right now. Or at all, really. But he chose not to mention that. "Fine."

"It's mostly gonna be people that will stay out of the way, at the least. Cere will probably be the most present of them, since she's gonna try and figure out what we need to do next. _Hopefully_ , the others will stay to themselves a bit more," Armaris murmured. "I'll figure out arrangements for them so that they're not on top of us all the time, especially."

"Alright," he answered again.

"One more important thing, well… important to _me_ ," Armaris murmured. "I've talked about my dad and all, but I think you should meet him."

Turning his head, Espio briefly regarded her before finally asking, "Why?"

Armaris bit her lip before turning her gaze away. "Well, I… You know I like you and all, and I think it would be good for him to meet you properly rather than me talk to him about you. I kinda did that in the few days when I was in his realm and really upset. Talked a lot about you." She realized she was rambling on and sheepishly laughed. "And he could uh… help you gain a more fine control of your Darkness without wasting much time, since time passes slower in his realm."

Espio gave everything she'd said, mostly the first part, some thought, before coming to a decision. If only because this was clearly something that mattered to her… if _only_ for her sake, he would accept this course of action. "Alright," he murmured. Armaris very suddenly hugged him tightly in response to his agreement, spouting a few thankful phrases in rapid succession. The sudden hug startled him, as he was overall unused to experiencing much physical contact, but he was quick to force himself to relax. Given that his arms were pinned, though, he didn't do too much overall in response to her exuberant display.

Once more, Armaris realized what she was doing and pulled away, rubbing the back of her head lightly. "Er… sorry. Got excited."

He shook his head after a moment. "...It's… fine." Smiling, she settled back into her seat and the two drifted into surprisingly comfortable silence.

She was so happy he was _home_.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,124 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 7:50 p.m.) 06-04-20.**


	92. What the Future Holds

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this haunting glance into the future… especially for the ones who take charge.

 **~保護者~**

 **"What the Future Holds"**

 **~保護者~**

As they entered the massive woods that had once been tiny little Leaf Forest, known for its ability to mess with people's minds and get them hopelessly lost for seemingly no reason at all, Tails couldn't help but wonder. Specifically, he wondered about _who_ could have been here and _why_. This place had a reputation, after all, and always had. So many people had gotten lost within these trees and never come back out. Why would someone _be_ here? Was it someone with nefarious intentions? "Are you _sure_ it's not someone dangerous, Shadow?"

The hedgehog gave him a bland look. "I meant what I said."

"Just double-checking," Tails sighed. "It's just… hard to imagine why _anyone_ would come way out here, so far from the cities… much less someone who _isn't_ out to get one or all of us."

Toru frowned and crossed his arms. "I don't get why anyone would come out here to begin with. There doesn't seem to be much of anything, except for your house," he responded, glancing to Tails.

"Yeah, that's exactly my point," Tails was quick to agree. "There _isn't_ anything else out here. It's _just_ my house and workshop. ...Unless you count the lake, but most people wouldn't even _consider_ taking a trek out here just to see a normal lake."

"Well, I guess we'll be figuring out soon enough," Toru sighed. "How close are they, Shadow?"

Shadow gestured vaguely ahead of them. "They are beyond that thicket and moving slowly in random directions."

"Lost, then," Tails surmised. "That's what happens out here. Something about this place attacks people psychologically. ...Erm, _most_ people. Point being, though, they're possibly hallucinating danger on top of being lost. It's happened to all the others I've seen wander through here."

Toru frowned. "Then they might act defensively," he sighed. "Do you know if they've got anything dangerous on them, Shadow?"

"Nothing," Shadow responded simply. "She has gadgets of some kind, but nothing more."

"Then I guess we should approach cautiously, regardless," Toru murmured, slipping into the thicket quietly. Shadow followed along with crossed arms, Tails trailing somewhat cautiously behind the pair of them. Toru found his way through and frowned at the sight of a brown fox idly tapping away at a screen with a very concerned expression on her face.

Seeing another fox, an experience Tails had only had _maybe_ four or six times in his life up until now, caused Tails's eyes to light up with surprise. Any reservations he'd had flew out the window and he hurried over to the young woman with a quick call of, "Hey! Hey, are you okay?"

The fox jumped several inches off the ground, unintentionally launching her handheld device into the air. This left her to scramble to catch it, barely able to do so without stumbling over her own two feet and bumping against a tree. "Gah, who are you-" Her _very_ terrified eyes suddenly sparkled with recognition at the sight of Tails (knowing him from his reputation as the world's greatest inventor) and she quickly stowed her device onto a clip on her belt. "Oh my god it's you! I came here looking for you and I got lost because of the forest, which I knew might happen if I wasn't careful but then I just de-"

As Shadow quirked an eyebrow, Tails nervously laughed and said, "Oh, uh… Well, it's not- it's not exactly safe out here. Your head will clear up once you're inside. I mean, if you want…?" His fumbling caused Shadow to huff at him before he simply turned and began walking back to the house on his own.

The fox girl's eyes lit up with excitement and she nodded, stumbling over her own words at the offer before she blurted out a, "Yes!" Toru raised an eyebrow in amusement, clearly understanding that this girl was very excited over meeting Tails.

Another nervous laugh, then Tails reached out and very gently took her by the arm. "Here, step this way. I know it doesn't look like it, but there are lots of roots and things under all these plants. It's way too easy to face-plant, and I've done it before. It hurts." He sort of laughed at himself.

She very obviously froze up at the contact before rapidly nodding again and following behind him with no reservation. "I know all about that. I've walked around town before and accidentally tripped over people's feet or my own. Sometimes I accidentally run into things too, like light poles or sometimes even walls-" The girl realized that she was basically outing herself as a clutz and shut her mouth, laughing sheepishly. "Well, uh… Yeah, I'd know…" she summarized.

Smiling, Tails led her fully out of the thicket and began leading her back toward his house. "Oh, um, sorry, but I didn't get your name."

"Oh! I can't even believe myself-" the girl was quick to smile, albeit nervously. "My name is Wery. Kinda like wary, but with an 'e' and not an 'a'."

"My name - my real name, that is - is Miles," he divulged as they walked. "Most people call me Tails because of these," he waved his namesakes a little for emphasis, "but you can call me whichever name, really. I don't mind."

Wery seemed absolutely starstruck for a few moments before nodding again. "I guess I'll stick to Tails. It's how I refer to you normally-" She clammed up, realizing that she almost started rambling again. "Well, uh, like, in conversation when talking about tech and stuff cause I don't know you any other way except now I do-"

Toru sighed. "You're nervous. You should collect yourself a little more."

Seemingly ignoring that, Tails pointed ahead and said to Wery, "That's my house. It's nothing much, just a two bedroom one-room place, but the lab is _much_ better. If I ever have a chance, I'll show it to you, since you apparently like tech." He tossed her an easy smile.

The female fox stumbled over her words, clearly not expecting such an honor before giving a bright smile and a wordless nod. Toru managed a small smile and shook his head. "Tails. How long do you think it'll be before the effects of the forest clear up, once she's inside?"

"No more than a few minutes, if that," Tails answered. "For some people, it's pretty instantaneous."

Toru nodded before walking over and leaning close to Tails. "So… you realize that she's losing herself since she's met you, right? Or, am I just crazy?"

"I… wouldn't say crazy," Tails hedged with a nervous chuckle. He led the way up to the door and opened it up before ushering Wery in. She was quick to move inside at this, already moving to look around as she stepped into the home. Toru followed her, quickly stepping off to the side to observe what happened. Already, this girl was showing far more emotion than he was used to seeing in outsiders, much less a _chameleon_.

Once they were inside, Tails directed Wery to sit and at the same time asked, "Shadow, do me a favor? Some water might help her, if you don't mind." Shadow wordlessly disappeared into the kitchen. Tails, meanwhile, took a small device off of a nearby table and tossed it to Toru. "Here, this is a teleporter. It's got more than enough power to take you back to the Highlands, if you don't want to stick around anymore. I've got a few things to do before I go back, especially now that I've got to check up on Wery's condition to make sure she's alright."

Toru nodded, glancing over the device before seeming to understand how it worked. "Gotcha. If Shadow's ready to go back, may as well take him with me," he explained, shrugging.

Shadow returned right about then and passed Wery the glass he was carrying as he blandly stated, "I am not hanging around here."

"I didn't figure," Tails laughed. "I know you don't like how cramped it is in here. Go ahead and go with him, I won't be offended." Toru motioned for Shadow to come over, standing up straight. The hedgehog simply walked over without another word. The chameleon then idly waved to the two foxes and used the device to teleport himself and Shadow back to the Highlands.

Wery looked to Tails, setting the glass down and blinking a few times. "So, uh… sorry for getting lost in the forest…" she murmured, glancing away.

"It's no big deal," Tails told her. "It happens." He paused, then asked, "Why were you out there, though? Haven't you ever heard about what it does to people?"

"I uh…" Wery looked at the ground. "I was actually looking for you."

Surprised anew, Tails inquired, "Really? Why?"

"Well, that big attack that happened to the planet…" Wery pulled a few devices off her belt and set them down beside her. "I can't really fight, but I know how to _make_ things, and I was kinda hoping that I could get advice or _something_ so I could make stuff that protects me better."

"That's pretty brave of you," Tails told her. "I'd be more than happy to help, but… we can't spend a lot of time on it right now. See, that attack… it was part of a much larger conflict that my friends and I are involved in, and unfortunately it's not over yet by a long shot. I'll have to return to my friends before too long."

It took her a moment to fully process this before she gasped. "Wait, so there's more coming?"

"We're hoping that more won't be coming _here_ , no," Tails was quick to assure. "Personally, I'm really hoping we'll find a way to keep most of the conflict _off_ the planet. Maybe even take the fight to our enemies, if possible. Though, that may be riskier than it's worth."

"Well, to keep them off the planet a barrier could help, but they'd likely just work their way through it over time…" She entered deep thought, rising to her feet and pacing. "That wouldn't really work to keep them away for a large amount of time, unless you had a _serious_ power supply to keep fueling it."

"Barriers won't be enough," Tails sighed. "The most powerful barriers on this planet were shattered pretty easily by one of our enemy's forces, and nothing I can make compares to those barriers at _all_. Our best bet is to take _ourselves_ away from this planet, if we can, so that the targets everyone is after aren't… you know. _Here_."

Wery nodded slowly. "And from there it becomes a matter of how you're going to handle the oncoming threats, especially since they seem so varied in skill and powers, which makes it far harder to make something that handles it all. Sometimes borderline impossible, but… hm," she frowned deeply, grabbing her devices back up and clipping them back to her belt. "I suppose that you'd have to instead focus on multiple things capable of handling the various risks involved."

Shrugging, Tails stood. "Right now, I have to focus on some more _specific_ issues. My ship was destroyed with most of my weapons and other tech in it, so I have to quickly gather what I have left out of my workshop. Or, lab, whatever you wanna call it."

"Oh! Do you want help with that?" Wery asked quickly, turning to him and blinking a few times.

"Sure, if you want to lend a hand," Tails answered with a smile. "I wouldn't object at all."

She nodded. "I'd love to help!"

"Okay," Tails answered easily. "If you're feeling better, then let's go. There's an entrance to it in the house, but it's sort of blocked by boxes on the other side of the door. We'll have to take the outside entrance."

"That sounds fine," Wery answered, smiling brightly. "Let's go." Tails led the way outside without another word and at a slightly quick pace. He really did need to hurry.

 **~保護者~**

After Toru and Shadow had returned to the Highlands, a brief conversation with Aniko led Toru to begin heading toward his home. He had reason to believe his mother could aid in this war, as little as he wanted to drag her into it all. As he traveled, the chameleon found himself wondering what his father would have been doing in this same situation. He ultimately didn't allow himself to think too deeply on that, if only because he arrived home in good time. A light hop was enough to carry him into the building, his gaze falling on the very woman he sought as she sipped tea. "Mother. We need to speak on an urgent matter."

Almost blank eyes turned to him and regarded his words with faint curiosity, but nothing more. "As you wish. Take your seat, and some tea if you desire."

The onyx-colored chameleon obliged, sitting down by her and pouring himself his own tea. "You are aware of the war." This was posed not as a question, but more as a statement or assessment. "We need everyone we can get to be involved in this."

"I am aware."

"Will you help?"

She took another sip of her tea before setting the cup down gently. "No."

Toru froze up for a moment with a frown, his fists curling. "I'm sorry, but _what_ did you say?" he demanded lightly.

"I said that I will not be involved in this war. If it kills me, so be it," she murmured, blinking once at him. "Why do you even care? Is it your battle to wage?"

"There is _far_ more at stake than my own life, your life, or the lives of anyone we care about. This _war_ is about existence itself falling apart."

"Our kind was capable of bringing that manner of destruction and turmoil about at one time. What is so different now? Will a force not rise up to fight it?" she asked, turning more fully to face him.

Toru resisted the urge to stand up, a level of anger flickering into his eyes. "There _is_ a force that is rising to fight it, but they are not yet capable. They need _help_."

She shook her head at him. "You are fighting a war that does not involve you. Why care?"

"There are _people_ that do not need to die by this that _will_ if we stand idly by and let things occur as they are. The God of Demons is rampant, sending his legions to _murder_ the few that are able to very actively make a change. Another _ancient_ force is here to try and tear apart existence as it is, and now they've taken Espio, awakened his Darkness, and left him in a horrible position where he could turn and kill nearly _anyone_. Does this not sound like something to be involved in?"

The woman stared at him for a moment before pushing herself to stand. "Pour me another cup of tea. I will retrieve my weapons."

Toru sat, dumbfounded. His mother, Ekai, had always been… emotionally detached, but so skilled at rousing the feelings of others to learn of their intentions. He'd let his guard down and gotten so heated because it was his mother, but… this left him thinking. _Is there something else I am beginning to fight for…? Why did I even get so upset to begin with?_

 **~保護者~**

 _"Are you not all so fortunate…?"_

Sitting up straight, Silver looked around at everyone around him. The only one who wasn't currently in sight was Espio (who was sitting within a tree in such a way that leaves concealed him), but everyone else was visible. They all looked just as caught off-guard as he was, indicating that he wasn't the only person who had just experienced this. Nevertheless, he asked, "Did… you guys hear that, too?"

No one else had a chance to say anything. That disembodied voice did that for them. _"My lady wishes for me to share the future with you all… to use my magic and clairvoyance to show you precisely how much your efforts have helped you."_

Suddenly very nervous, Lucas tugged on Sein's arm and whispered, "What's happening?" At the same time, Shadow started carefully scanning the area for any sign of an enemy being present… but there was nothing. No one else in the village even seemed to be aware of anything going on over here.

Sein wrapped an arm around Lucas carefully, pulling him close and frowning. "I don't know, but stay close to me," he murmured softly, glancing around. Espio jumped out of the tree about then, coming to stand protectively beside his sleeping children.

Meanwhile, Shei quickly signed to Aniko, _"There is no one physically here. What do we do?"_

Aniko stood straight and signaled for him to be patient. "We'll likely find out soon enough who they are, or what they want."

When the voice didn't immediately speak again, Silver turned to face Shadow. "Uh… I don't suppose you're sensing anything the rest of us aren't?"

The darker hedgehog blinked once. "No."

Armaris was fast to return to the group within her Darkness, ready for anything to occur. "This has to be something from somewhere else. Telepathy, or something like that."

Silver pursed his lips together, then took a chance and looked over at Espio. "From what I've been told, didn't… uh, she refer to her leader as 'my lady'?"

Though his eyes narrowed slightly, Espio showed no other outward reaction beyond this. "She did," he confirmed simply.

Sein walked over with Lucas held tightly in his arms, frowning. "Then, it's most likely someone from their Army."

"It seems likely," Silver sighed. "...And, um, why is this person being so quiet now? Should we be worried?"

"Just wait for now," Toru answered. "They don't seem intent on attacking… yet."

Lucas's eyes went wide. " _Yet_?" he echoed, already terribly frightened. "Are we gonna get hurt?"

"No," Sein answered. "I won't let that happen."

The voice suddenly spoke again. _"Some of you have no business being part of this. You can just… leave."_ Without further warning, there was a brief flash of light. When it vanished, Shei, Espio's kids, Lucas, and Silver, Calypso, Kath, Rose, Cyril, Li, and Novei had all vanished.

Sein's face immediately contorted with anger, clenching his fists. "Where the _hell_ did you send them?" he demanded harshly. Other members of the group reacted with similar intensity, albeit without screaming at a disembodied voice.

Said voice laughed. _"They are in no danger right this minute. Worry more about yourselves. You cannot leave. My power will not let you move."_ Another laugh. _"I have little gifts for each of you… but who to start with?" Energy suddenly lifted Sein off of the ground. "How about you, since you have been so unafraid…?"_

The hawk gritted his teeth. "Do your worst to me, if you _dare_ ," he muttered.

 _"I will not harm you… physically,"_ the female voice all but purred. _"However… I do have some things to show you. Those people you love so dearly, the members of your family who you keep so close to your heart… they have futures. They all do. None of your efforts as of now have changed their fates. Do you wish to see?"_ Sein's angry frown only grew at this, and he said nothing in response.

 _She made good on her threat upon seeing that he wouldn't say anything else to her. A vision was forced into his mind, showing at first nothing more than blood on the ground. As the vision cleared, clumps of once pristine white fur could be seen, creating a trail to where Azerel lay lifeless and dead beside his old friend's leg. Kath lay there beside him, practically torn apart and clearly just as dead as the wolf. The two were surrounded by ravenous demons, some with blood still dripping from their teeth and claws as they moved in to feast. But she at least spared him from having to see that part._

Sein fought with his emotions at seeing all of this, wanting to keep any intense concern or fear at the sight of Azerel and Kath so… brutally murdered at bay. "What the hell are you showing this to me for?"

 _No response came. Instead, she simply forced the next vision into his head. In this one, Alana lay pinned against a cliff face, too badly injured to move much as she fought to push the hulking body that was pinning her in place away from her. Seconds after the start of the vision, however, another demon came and started tearing her apart just as had happened with Kath. The vision ended just in time to see the Sein within the vision come and kill the demon… but by then it was too late._

The hawk's muscles tensed and he fought a few tears back, shaking his head. " _Tell_ me!" he shouted, now beginning to actively try and resist whatever was happening. There was no way that letting it happen was good, that much he could tell.

This time, the voice deigned to answer him. She didn't actually answer the question, however. _"Now, how about that precious son of yours…? Do you wish to know what becomes of him, too?"_

"What do you want?" he demanded, aura flaring around him angrily.

 _She forced one last vision upon him. This time, it showed Jet laying on the remains of some large rock floating within the depths of space. He was motionless, his normally white cloak torn asunder and stained deep crimson. His eyes were open but unfocused and unseeing as a battle raged around him, one that kept all his friends and allies so preoccupied that they didn't even seem to realize what had happened. Then the vision ended._

Once more, Sein fought to keep himself under control after being shown this vision, his muscles tensing as he closed his eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he muttered. With no response forthcoming, the unseen person simply threw him aside. The hawk landed neatly, but ultimately dropped to his knees as he tried to keep himself from losing himself to his emotions.

Armaris was grabbed next and left hovering in the air just as Sein had been. Unlike before, she made it so her voice could only be heard by her current intended victim as opposed to by the whole group. It was a pattern she would continue from here on. _"Your turn… kitten."_

"Don't _fucking_ call me that, bastard," Armaris muttered already bracing herself for whatever was to come.

 _The vision forced into Armaris's mind was dark at first. Hardly anything could be made out through what seemed to be a thick, black fog that felt impenetrable. It slowly cleared and the sight became clear. Ylden sat on his knees, eyes obviously demonic. And just like that, it was over._

Once finished with her, their mysterious attacker threw Armaris aside, just as she had done with Sein before. She grabbed Shadow next and began forcibly sharing a vision with him as well.

 _The vision Shadow was shown was deceptively simple. His father, adoptive mother, brother, and nephew lay on the ground around him, all dead... and he got the distinct sense that the impossibly catastrophic battle raging in the background was to blame. He hadn't been in time to save any of them, and the force that had ended their lives was now racing toward him. Rendered numb by his discovery, he lacked the strength to dodge and the final blow was struck._

Once he was cast aside, slamming forcefully back-first into a tree, Aniko was grabbed and hoisted up into the air. Unlike with Shadow, she was actually spoken to. _"You… you were trickier to understand. The things you fear… are not so apparent to the untrained eye. But I believe I have a gift that can change your little attitude just fine."_ Aniko frowned deeply and narrowed her eyes, unmoving and wordless. The voice continued. _"I have two snippets of the future to show you. The first is a certainty if things continue on their current path. The other… let us call it a delightful possibility. And your boy is at the heart of it all." Aniko only frowned deeper, practically glaring at this point._

 _The first vision was shoved into her mind without further ado. It was brief and simple, but what it showed was nothing less than horrifying. Espio had Armaris pinned against a tree with a dagger buried deeply in her profusely bleeding throat, eyes golden in color as he watched the life fleeing from her eyes. Leaning closer, he muttered something to her that she was unable to reply to. He then twisted the dagger, reveling in her final pain, before he ripped it free and kicked her body away without remorse just as the vision ended._

Aniko tensed momentarily, but she ultimately continued to say nothing. Despite how this worried her, how much it made her fear for Espio's future, she refused to give any sort of satisfaction from her reaction. Seeming unperturbed by this, her attacker simply continued on to the next vision she had in store.

 _In this vision, Espio could only be seen for a very brief moment in time. His eyes glowed from within, clearly demonic, as he sat on the God's throne, clearly deep in thought over something. There was nothing more than that to be seen, but the implications were enough._

Yet still, Aniko remained wordless and now she had concealed her emotions, the only thing she allowed to show being mild discontent. She was thrown away without a care. The woman grabbed Espio next, almost seeming to grin as she warned, _"Your turn."_

Voice low, Espio defiantly muttered, "Piss off."

The woman let out yet another laugh. _"I think not. You see, I have such fortuitous news to share with you. While your friends' futures are rather miserable, your future is quite the opposite. I daresay it is perfect for you." _

_She hoisted him up higher into the air and turned him around so that he was forced to see all the people down below. In that same instant, he suddenly saw the village lying in ruin, littered with the bodies of its every inhabitant, no matter how young. He stood in the midst of it, covered in blood and visibly lacking any remorse. His eyes spied a lone survivor, an older child of maybe thirteen or so. Eyes cold, he stalked over and ended them with a single stroke of his sword._

As he fought to force this image out of his head, she murmured practically in his ear, _"Now focus on your little friends. I know you can see it... the great many ways you might one day take each of their lives, and the lives of all the others who are not here." _Closing his eyes, as it turned out, did nothing to make the visions cease. They remained as vivid as ever, in spite of his efforts to block them out. _"And then there are all the weak little lives that populate this planet... They would be so easy for you to destroy. But I know you and how you work. I know what it is that you truly desire."_

"You know _nothing_ ," Espio snapped.

 _"I do,"_ she all but purred. _"You enjoy a challenge. A battle where your skills are truly put to the test and your own safety is on the line... you crave such experiences. It is only natural that you do. And so many of your allies would provide you with the very challenge you seek. Who knows, perhaps even a select few of the planet's other residents can do the same." _

She forced more visions into his head, more visions of bloodshed and inflicting suffering on all manner of people. Some he knew, some he didn't, but there was no escaping that fact that it never seemed to _matter_. Throughout each vision and even after they ended, he simply couldn't shake the feeling that he had... _enjoyed_ the killing. All of it. Every _second_ of it. He strove to banish the thought, however, much to her apparent amusement.

 _"How much longer will you continue to resist yourself, I wonder? You have been entertaining these thoughts on your own, Espio, for some time now. All I did was reveal the variety of ways that you can cause your ideas to come to fruition. Is accepting your power and letting yourself_ _finally_ _kill not what you truly want?"_ She let out one final laugh. _"I recommend you think on that."_

He was thrown onto the ground and, finally, Toru was taken and lifted up. This time, the woman sounded more… puzzled. _"You… I am unsure as to why you are to be included in this group. Perhaps my lady sees you as a growing threat?"_

"You're damn _right_ I'm a threat," Toru answered easily, crossing his arms. "Have fun fucking with me, since that's what you seem to be enjoying."

She suddenly flipped him around so that he was dangling in the air by a foot like a ragdoll. _"You do not feel worth my time… I refuse to waste energy on one such as yourself. But I will say this much. Your little interest… I do not foresee a long, happy life for him. In fact, I suspect he will be gone soon, perhaps even very soon. Consider this my only warning for you."_

"Watch and see. I know _enough_ about this to understand that what you've shown us _isn't_ set in stone. I _will_ fuck this over for you, and we _will_ get revenge for your little mind games," Toru answered, despite his situation.

 _"But will your efforts be enough to change their fates?"_ she coolly challenged. _"Or will your actions only seal them? That is something you must consider when toying with the future."_

"You're trying a _little_ too hard for my liking to mess with me. If you're done here, get lost and give us the others back."

The voice only laughed and gave him a little upward toss. When he started to fall back down, he was snagged by the tail… which was an _extremely_ sensitive appendage for a chameleon. _"You are an interesting one. That you bear even the vaguest interest in the son of our enemy makes you… more so."_

"Yeah, yeah," Toru sighed, wincing deeply at being snagged by the tail. "You're not the first to call me interesting and definitely won't be the last. I'll say it once more. Bring the rest of our group back."

With one last toss, the mysterious woman batted him aside like a ball and then seemed to finally disappear. Just like that, whatever force had been holding everyone mostly still faded away. Toru landed on his feet, rolling to save himself from any injury (no matter how mild), and quickly moved back to the others. Espio was close by, and he picked himself up before helping Aniko to her feet (since she was right beside him). A good ten feet away or so, Shadow stood as well. Armaris had maneuvered herself into Espio's shadow for the time being as opposed to joining them all physically.

Sein hit his fist against the ground angrily, throwing himself to his feet. " _Damn_ them," he snapped at nobody in particular. _We have to find the others if they don't get brought back. Don't focus on what was shown, only on the present._ As if on cue, the rest of the group was transported back to them, with most of them landing in an uncomfortable pile. Thankfully, the children wound up on top of the pile. Sein was quick to rush over and collect Lucas carefully into his arms, holding the young boy tightly and close to his body. "I'm so sorry that they took you… Are you okay?"

The young boy nodded slowly, plainly confused but somehow not scared. "Uh-huh…"

Wincing, Shei carefully sat himself up so that the children were in his arms. Espio was, understandably, very quick to take them, leaving his father free to sign. _"What happened here?"_ he demanded.

Sein answered, gritting his teeth. "That person used their clairvoyance and magic to show us visions of things that could happen in the future…"

Seeing the state that this had obviously left everyone in, Silver was quick to ask, " _We're_ okay, but are you guys?"

Toru chose this moment to walk up, arms crossed. "I'm fine. The others are upset, understandably, because they were likely shown something intended to bring them anguish. She refused to 'waste time' on me, though."

Upon hearing all of this, Silver jumped to his feet. "Wait, _seriously_? You can _do_ that with clairvoyance?"

"Apparently," Shadow muttered.

Sein sighed. "I… _fuck_ ," he muttered under his breath. "What they showed me was absolutely awful. I can't even talk about it…"

"Is this stuff… anything that can be changed?" Silver asked him. "I mean, visions of the future are never concrete, right? Any little thing can change the future, and all that?"

Toru nodded. "Absolutely. We can affect the future with our choices, which is what I _intend_ to do. They're not getting away with this."

"What happened?" Lucas asked Sein, looking up at him. "I don't understand."

"Someone used their powers to show us things that would upset us, stuff that _could_ happen in the future if we don't do something," Sein explained softly. "They want us hurting so that we can't stop them as easily."

After a short and confused pause, Lucas sat up straight and demanded, "Is daddy okay, too?"

"He'll be perfectly fine. They seem to have only gone after the people here," Sein answered with a smile.

"Um… what do we do, exactly?" Silver piped up. He looked around. "...Any ideas, Uncle Shads?"

"I seem to recall asking you not to call me that," was all Shadow said in response. He picked a bit of tree bark out of his fur.

Toru sighed softly, glancing over the rest of the group. "We need to figure out what everyone was shown so that we know what to even watch out for," he answered, crossing his arms. "But that means we'll have to hear what you guys saw." He gazed at Sein, Shadow, and Aniko in particular, but still let his attention fall on Espio and Armaris as well. "Espio, do you think you can sit with the cat for a few minutes while we get everything moving?" Since she was in his freaking shadow, Espio simply glanced down at it and then silently took a seat. The onyx chameleon then turned to the others, _specifically_ Sein. "Any kids that don't need to be subject to this probably shouldn't be nearby. I don't want them to hear it."

Sein nodded slowly, turning his attention back to Lucas. "I'll need you to not try and listen in on what we're talking about, okay? I know you're probably really curious, but I don't want you upset."

Shei walked over and signed to him, _"I will take the smaller children elsewhere. He should come with."_

The older hawk nodded. "Thank you. If you need me for anything, let me know." He gently ushered Lucas along to follow Shei for now, a frown on his face. Shei simply nodded, collected Sako and his newfound sister from Espio, and then left with the three of them.

Toru glanced over everyone once more before letting his gaze fall on Sein. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to speak first. They seemed to have _really_ gotten under your skin, so talking about it may help in more than one regard."

Sein began to nod, understanding the intention behind what Toru said. "What they showed me was the future of the people I love the most. Kath and Azerel, his wolf companion, were both… _brutally_ murdered and the demons were going to eat them. I… didn't see that part, but then they showed Alana pinned against a wall by another demon. I didn't make it in time to save her from that, and…" he lowered his gaze, placing his face in his hands. "Jet… he was dead as well. Nobody noticed… or they were too busy with a battle going on at the time. It was awful." Though some people were visibly in shock over this news, no one spoke for now. They were courteous enough to hold their tongues and spare him any further questioning.

The onyx chameleon was silent, setting a hand on his shoulder and staying there for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Just for now, we need you present here so we know what's going on. I don't wanna be rude, but can you hold yourself together just until we're all done talking?" Sein gave a wordless nod, something that certainly concerned Toru. Though, it wasn't enough to make him stop. He then glanced to Aniko, a frown on his face. "What were you shown?"

Aniko's eyes clouded with some sort of emotion that obviously left her hesitating. However, she ultimately made the choice to speak, gulping softly. "I was shown… two visions of Espio. One was… him, sitting on the throne of the God of Demons. He was clearly a demon, but I didn't see anything else in the vision."

Toru noticed that the woman obviously _didn't_ want to say the other vision, leaving him to sigh. "Aniko," he murmured, frowning still. "Tell us the other one."

"Espio attacked Armaris," she hesitantly explained. "He killed her, and simply tossed her away after." As she had expected, she felt Armaris's aura change in many painfully negative ways. Espio subtly scowled and turned his head away, immediately making a concerted effort to tune this all out.

Now Toru understood why she had hesitated so much, slowly nodding before glancing to Espio and making the realization that he was trying to tune this out. "I hate to drag you into this after hearing that, but what were you shown?"

Rather than speaking, Espio made a quick one-handed sign that basically meant, _"Nothing."_ He gave no further reply.

"Alright." Toru expected this, but he certainly wasn't pleased by it. He turned to Shadow hesitantly, crossing his arms. "What about you?"

Shadow was quiet for a moment or two, but surprisingly relented. Although, he didn't go into any great detail. "My family was killed. That was all I saw."

Now came the last person he wanted to drag into this, Armaris. He could _tell_ she was upset by how her Darkness threatened to explode outward or do something. The fact that she was containing it impressed him _somewhat_ , but this wasn't the time. "Armaris. Would you mind telling us what you saw?"

A choked voice emanated from Espio's shadow, her eyes briefly visible. "They corrupted my father. He was turned into a demon."

Toru nodded gently, slowly moving to sit down and begin thinking. _This seems to happen when everyone ends up alone or somehow separated. The refusal to attack me leaves me to believe that this was all meant to unnerve the group, which makes me wonder how high the chances are that these futures occur. As it stands, though, sitting and doing nothing makes it far worse and letting them suffer through despair over the possibilities only increases the chances that these futures do occur. _He lifted his head and looked to the others. "I'm not going to give a motivational speech, but those fuckers won't decide what happens. Whatever they showed us, we'll stop it from happening."

Finally, someone who wasn't directly involved spoke up. It happened to be Silver. "Without knowing what series of events lead up to all of this, though… there's virtually nothing we can do to purposefully avoid any of these visions becoming reality."

"So we just need to do the opposite of what they _want_ us to do," Toru answered. "They showed this to us for a reason, the same reason she didn't bother wasting time on showing anything to me. They want to get into our heads, so we can't let them control us that way."

"Easier said than done," Silver sighed. "All of this is pretty demoralizing, if you ask me."

The chameleon nodded. "I understand that. It's going to fucking _suck_ , knowing that these things could happen. But if we just sit idly and let them have their way, it's surely going to go how they want it. We have to _try_ , if nothing else."

Calypso suddenly strode over the group from where she had been hanging around by the fringes of their small camp and said, "We have had plenty o' time to rest. T'ings not gonn stay quiet much longer. Now time to prepare. T'at all there is to it." She directed her focus to Aniko. "You be in charge of your people now, eh? T'ey be gat'erin' all around here. It time to take charge and prepare t'em for combat."

Li piped in. "Which means that I've gotta get moving and get to a forge so we can get them all ready, which I am _more_ than ready to do despite the injury to my hand. Just say the word, and I'll get to it as fast as possible."

Hearing this, Shadow took Tails's teleporter from Toru and tossed it to Li. "That has ample power to get you to A'latria. Jet's forge is there." He fumbled with it for a moment, accidentally having tried to catch it with his aforementioned injured hand.

Aniko took a breath and nodded. "Go, wolf. I rely on results from you for the preparations. I will begin fully mobilizing my people and get them ready for this war," she murmured, pushing herself to stand. Li nodded and teleported away with Novei using the device.

Walking back to where she had been, Calypso grabbed Kath by the wrist and yanked him to his feet, effectively startling him out of his thoughts. "You go to Babylon, make sure t'e queen and her forces be mobilizin' also. We not able to win this war out t'em."

Kath crossed his arms, but nodded. "Fine." He disappeared without another word.

Sein pushed himself to stand again. "For now, I need to stay here and watch over things. I'll be going back to Babylon when they need my help, though, which is _soon_."

Calypso rounded on him with sudden intensity. "No, you go _now_. T'e time be approachin' faster t'an you realize. You go _now_."

The hawk turned to her, frowning. "I'm going to say bye to Lucas first. I'm not dragging him into this bullshit, but he deserves to know that I'm going."

"No. He stay wit' me. He no see his fat'er like t'at. He be safer here." She waved him off. "Say your goodbye." Sein nodded and vanished quickly, intentions obvious from this point on. After that, she turned to Silver. "When he leave, you go wit' him. Your mental power may be needed." With a mumbled agreement, Silver rushed after the hawk.

Rose walked up to Calypso, a soft frown on her face. "Is there anything you would like for me to do as of now?"

With a meaningful glance toward Espio and Armaris, Calypso almost seemed to sigh. "Stay wit' t'em. T'ey be volatile, and so be t'eir emotions. Early intervention may keep t'em in control if somet'ing start to happen. You t'e only one here who can help."

The cat gave a gentle nod and smiled. "Thank you." Without another word, she walked over toward Espio and Armaris, sitting by them with a few feet separating the being of Light from the pair.

Once she was settled, Calypso shifted her focus onto Shadow. "You have business elsewhere, eh?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. "It be important, too. Go deal wit' it. I keep watch here until others return."

Shadow's ear flicked and he pushed off the tree he had been leaning against with a simple nod and went to go retrieve his guns from where he had set them down. Toru glanced to Calypso, raising an eyebrow. "Do you need me to do anything in particular?"

She gave him a peculiar sort of knowing look and shook her head. "No," she answered with a slightly meaningful glance toward Shadow. "Go where you want."

Toru rolled his eyes at her and moved to follow Shadow, crossing his arms. "So, where are you heading to?"

Crimson eyes glanced his way, then shadow answered, "A military base to the south. I need to check up on it and the people who are there."

"Mind if I come along?"

After a very brief pause, Shadow admitted, "No." He finished checking over his guns and grabbed the tiny portable teleporter he kept that specifically only transported him to the base in question. Then, since there was no other option to take Toru along, he briefly grabbed Toru's shoulder before pressing the button to take them away.

"So, first thing I'll say is that I understand little of everything I'm looking at," Toru admitted, his gaze shifting around to view his surroundings.

"That is irrelevant," Shadow answered, tucking his device away as he started to walk down a corridor. "You are unlikely to encounter technology very similar to this beyond these walls."

Toru nodded slowly, moving after the hedgehog without much hesitation. "Is it that advanced?"

"In a manner of speaking. The reason lies more with the fact that there are no other modern militaristic establishments on the planet. This is the only one, so tech like this remains here and _only_ here."

The chameleon nodded again slowly. "Gotcha. Sounds about right, considering what I've seen." With a simple nod, Shadow led the way through the base to where he needed to be. So much had to be done...

 **~保護者~**

 **7,904 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 11:20 a.m.) 06-06-20.**


	93. Of Past and Present

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this little reveal… especially for the one who just wants a drink.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Of Past and Present"**

 **~保護者~**

Tails led the way down the metal stairs leading into his underground workshop, flicking on the powerful overhead lights on his way down. They illuminated _many_ tables, shelving units, boxes, crates, inventions, and more. Many of the inventions dated back to his early years traveling with Sonic and the others, such as his now ancient remake of Sonic's original Tornado bi-plane. Even the Blue Typhoon was still stored here. There were plenty of other things as well, though. Robots, mechs, guns fueled by random energies like plasma or electricity and the like, and so much more.

Wery looked around at all of this, beyond amazed by everything she saw. So amazed, in fact, that she didn't realize she'd tripped over herself and had to throw her arms out and grab onto the railings of the stairs, chuckling sheepishly. "Whoops, eheh…" In a very flustered manner, she quickly righted herself and followed behind him. "You've made some… amazing stuff."

Once he was sure she was alright, Tails let out a sheepish laugh of his own. "I guess so," he answered. "I've… had a _lot_ of practice by now."

"That…" her gaze fell onto the Blue Typhoon and the remake of the Tornado, a thoughtful frown on her face. "That's _very_ old technology. You made them?"

"That big one was the _height_ of tech at the time," Tails smiled. "And, yeah, I did make them. The little one, though, wasn't my design. A friend of mine lived way before I did because of how his species ages, and he made the original version of that plane. I re-made it years afterward with the best equivalent material I could scrounge up."

She nodded slowly before her thoughtful frown grew. "So, how were you alive when that was the top tech? That was something like… _forever_ ago, and at this point a fox would have lived out their lifetime _quite_ a few times over. I've thought about it multiple times, and I came up with some ideas like slowing the cellular expansion and replication but that all ended up in a travesty that singed some fur off my arm. As it turns out, trying to slow that is _really_ not good for your body so I had to rule that out as a possibility-" Wery sighed, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I'm rambling again…"

Wery rubbed at her chin. "Another was to effectively change the way your cells are reproducing, essentially, by changing the way that _they_ change over time. If you were to somehow keep them from developing all of the various proteins and such that they make over time, you could technically and maybe feasibly slow down the impending doom but even then I don't think that would be the most effective, and it's _dangerous_ , since that's impeding how the body's naturally functions without letting evolution take place. I finally had to settle on something like cellular regeneration, but to make it continuously happen for so long… you'd need such an _extreme_ and constant power source to keep that kind of tech _running_ , much less functioning at full capacity."

"Well… I hate to break it to you, but the truth is way less scientific than all of that," Tails admitted. "See… there's a _reason_ why I have twin tails. Any guesses as to what that reason is? It plays into all of this, I promise."

She bit the tip of her finger, only withdrawing it when she realized what she was doing. "Well, it _seems_ to be a mutation of some sort, whether evolutionary or through some other means. If it's not super scientific… then I have to say genetically modifying it is out of the question which leaves me a bit dumbfounded as to what is doing it, but it seems like the mutation thing is the most likely?"

"It is," he agreed. "The root cause is a power I was born with but didn't know about for a long time. The very first clue was my tails. The second was when I realized I was suddenly developing _new_ powers that I have no _business_ possessing. The reason why is that I apparently possess some kind of strange radiation that I was born with, and it mutates me and my abilities. This resulted in me developing, by pure chance, _extraordinary_ regenerative abilities." He sighed. "I didn't _know_ that, though, much less the extent to which I automatically regenerate. At least, not until I was… well, _vaporized_ … only to grow back, cell by cell, from whatever microscopic bit of me was left and wind up perfectly fine after the fact."

"It's okay," Tails assured her easily as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Then he invited, "Did you have any other guesses? Your first one was really good."

Saying that the female fox was astounded was an understatement. She was absolutely aghast at the information she'd just been given, and it showed as her mind almost visibly began processing it. "Born with radiation which mutated the very DNA and structure of your body, an absolute miracle of a mutation to begin with since it has proven to be _functional_ and _helpful_." Wery paced for a moment. "The fact that this radiation was also capable of forming mutations that were capable of giving you _other_ powers is absolutely extraordinary, as you said. Have you ever looked at your own cells to see if they _continue_ to mutate?"

"Not really, but only because I already know that they are," Tails told her. "Even to this day, things continue to change. I've developed two new, albeit very minor, new powers in the last few decades alone, and one of my pre-existing powers has started drastically changing sometimes. That's proof enough, you know?"

Wery's mind continued racing before she ultimately shook her head. "That's so fascinating, but we should probably get moving along. I don't wanna wrack your brain with all sorts of questions about how all of that works right now," she said with a small laugh.

"It's no big deal," he answered with a smile. "But, yeah, we probably should get to work. Or, rather, _I_ should." He approached a crate and slid the lid off the top before reaching in and pulling out one of his radiation guns. "Hey, I don't suppose you have any weapons at all? Even if you end up just going back home or whatever after this, you're probably going to want _something_ to help keep you safe."

"I, uh, don't have any real weapons, mostly some defensive stuff," she murmured, idly messing with the devices on her belt. "I tried to stay away from inherently dangerous things, like weapons, but I suppose now isn't the time to be so reserved, considering there's a war and those creatures are just kinda coming and going."

"Those were demons," Tails helpfully supplied. "And if you're sure you're comfortable handling a weapon, I might be able to find something for you. Otherwise, I have strictly defensive things you can have, such as devices that form barriers and the like."

Wery seemed to think this over before shrugging somewhat. "I think that the time for being solely defensive is over, sadly. If these things are always as vicious as they were when they came here… defense alone probably won't hold up."

"Unfortunately, I think you're right. And, in line with that thinking, I have a question for you." Turning, Tails faced her again. "Do you have any energy-based powers that could potentially be channeled through a proper conduit?"

"Well, I do have electricity, but that's about it. I've even run tests to try and see if there might be anything else, but I never found anything, sadly." Wery answered, frowning slightly.

Tails's eyes lit up and, without any explanation, he gleefully declared, "So I was right! It _is_ still common in our modern gene pool!"

Wery suddenly began thinking and nodded slowly. "It would make sense. My father didn't ever show any sign of having it, but my mom did. Maybe something happened over time after whatever happened to our race, well… happened, but if you have it as well, that's definitely a hypothesis I'm fine with having!"

"It was _the_ power of our race in ancient times," Tails said as he moved to retrieve another gun, "so I guessed it would still be common in our people even in this day and age, but since I've barely ever seen other members of our race before… I couldn't really be sure. I don't even know if my parents had it." He picked up the gun he was after and handed it to her. "Here, this channels electricity. I hate to say that I've found electricity to not be _super_ effective against demons so far, but it's still better than nothing. It can slow most of them down, if nothing else."

She took all of this in, then her mind went to work. "Supposing that it's not normally effective, would making the outgoing current far stronger do anything to increase the damage it may deal to the demons?"

"It's definitely possible, but I don't know how you'd go about doing that," Tails answered with a shrug. "It may seem pretty silly of me, but I've never actually sat down and tried to work it out. Had too much else I wanted to accomplish, I guess."

"There's a few ways I can think of that might work. Perhaps making it so that the resistance is so high that instead of electricity, the gun is firing pure _heat_ … but they seem to have an affinity for fire so that seems unhelpful. The best thing, and most reliable, seems like it would be something akin to letting it charge over time and have it release controlled blasts from the accumulated charge. Even then, you're not really _changing_ the current coming out, so some sort of extra generation method would be needed, within or attached to the gun so that it's creating more energy to supply the… 'ammunition'," Wery explained, idly looking over the gun with her eyes. "I'd need time, but I don't think we have that much time if you're wanting to get back to your friends soon."

"I really do need to," Tails sighed. "A lot of awful things have been happening lately, so it's been safer for us to stick together. I also need to see if we have any sort of a plan of action yet, so dawdling _too_ much here isn't the best idea."

She nodded slowly, understanding his logic. "Absolutely. I can work on my ideas some other time, since I've got my tool set on me," Wery said, idly tapping her hand against one rather small device to ensure it was still there. "I should probably stop rambling so much so we can actually get something done," the female fox laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

Tails tossed her a smile. "I don't think there's too much else for me to do, honestly. I'd hoped to grab one of my ships while I was here, but… it looks to me like my proper fighter jets and such aren't actually fully built yet." He gestured meaningfully across the wide open space to the inventions in question. "Guess in the heat of the moment, I'd forgotten about that. So I'm just going to have to hope the Tornado-Z is in-tact after all that world-healing magic that Calypso did."

"World-healing… _magic_ …?" Wery asked, blinking a few times. "Wait, no, no, just explain that later. I'm sure we can upgrade the Tornado-Z once we get there, right?" She suddenly seemed to come up with an idea, blinking once. "Do you have spare parts and such somewhere?" she asked suddenly.

"Absolutely. See those little metal cubes on the table next to you?" Tails pointed. "Those are storage capsules. I keep everything I need for the Tornado in those, specifically for situations like this."

Her eyes lit up at the sight of those cubes and she _immediately_ removed a small rhombohedron-shaped device and pulled it open. "I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thought of storage compartments!" She quickly collected the cubes, smiling brightly. "As long as we have the parts, then I am absolutely certain that we can do any necessary work."

Grinning, Tails picked up a teleporter off one of his many tables. "Great minds think alike, it would seem," he quipped. Then, walking over to her, he said, "By the way… whether or not we part ways after this, I did want to leave you with some good news, if you're willing to hear _me_ ramble a little bit."

Seeming absolutely stricken with something from the quip, she only barely managed to haul herself back to reality in time to give a quick nod. "Oh, absolutely! You can ramble all you like!"

"You know how they teach in school these days," Tails started, tucking his gun away, "about these old wars that were fought a long time ago against enemies like Ivo Robotnik, the Metarex, the Nocturnians, and so on? And how there was this band of people who came together time and again to defeat those enemies?"

Already, Wery was fairly certain that she knew where he was going with this, nodding slowly. "Uh-huh? They're almost always viewed as these amazing heroes that fought off the evils threatening the planet. It's a part of why I got so… _into_ inventing."

"In those lessons, some of the names of these people are taught," Tails continued with a nod. "One of them, as _most_ people these days know, was Shadow, the world's current leader. And I can assure you he's involved in this conflict now as well and _very_ intent on putting it to a quick end." He sighed. "But… there were others, too, that most people will have heard about. Silver, Blaze, Analia, Kaden, Locke, Cream… really, there were a bunch. A few were forgotten over the years as being part of that group of friends, such as me, Amy, Charmy, and Vector, but the _biggest_ heroes of that group… they weren't forgotten. Sonic and Jet… they're _still_ around, and they're _still_ fighting. And just like they did in the past, they _will_ find a way to save all of us." He tossed her a smile. "That's something I can promise you with all my heart."

"I-" For once, she seemed at a loss of words before she smiled brightly. "I don't doubt it." All at once, it fully dawned on her and her eyes widened. "Oh my _god_ , you knew all of them, too? That's… _amazing_! No, wait, you _were_ one of them, too, oh my-" Wery shook her head to keep herself calm with a deep breath. "Oh my god," she said, seeming finished with her small awestruck breakdown.

Tails's smile gentled but didn't fade as he unexpectedly offered her a hand. "I _do_ have to go now, but you can come with me if you want. You don't have to stay, but you seemed to at least want to see the ship. I wouldn't mind taking you to it."

Her hand shook as she raised it slowly, taking his in hers with an almost trembling grasp. "I-i w-would be h- _honored_."

Smiling some more, Tails activated the teleporter and sent them away.

 **~保護者~**

Li and Novei had arrived on A'latria only a few minutes ago, and already Novei had given several expletives at having to walk through the snow for any period of time. One time, she fell over a rock hidden by the snow, rising out of the snow with all of the hatred her heart could muster and launching the offending rock into orbit before continuing to their destination. They shortly made it inside and began looking for the forge, something that luckily didn't take Li all too long.

"Alright, Novei. I… I'm gonna need a _lot_ of help from you for this. I can't do all of the heavy lifting, so-"

Novei grabbed up a hunk of metal and raised an eyebrow at him. "Shut up and do your thing. Prove to those chameleons that you are the _best_ at what you do."

Li blinked a few times and nodded, stoking the flames with his own fire (something made to be able to heat and melt down any metal that existed so he could work with it) before beginning the process. Surprisingly, the two were able to operate like a well-oiled machine, effectively keeping everything moving along in a seamless manner. Eventually, though, Li took a break and glanced up at Novei. "Hey… I have something I want to ask you."

She raised an eyebrow, setting down the hunk of metal she was carrying. "Then speak. You can just _ask_ , you know."

The wolf laughed sheepishly for a moment before continuing his work idly. "Sein said something about… you liking me or something like that. I dunno why he said that, or if I'm just missing the point, but I wanted to ask you how you feel I guess?"

The Therian blinked a few times at him before simply, wordlessly, continuing the process they'd been working at for a few minutes. Li berated himself for even bothering to bring it up until she spoke again. "...Maybe. I'm not sure."

Li almost missed his intended target with the hammer, able to correct his swing before he crushed his finger. "I, uh, huh?"

Novei shrugged softly. "I dunno. We've traveled together for years now. You taught me how to speak the so-called 'universal language' fluently, how to control the few emotions I have, and how to feel things I was not capable of prior. I suppose it isn't… _impossible_ for me to have those sorts of feelings."

"Is that why you're so protective of me? It's not really about that sword you want, is it?" Li asked, raising his gaze to hers. "I won't judge you if that's the case, but I really want to know how you feel."

She was quiet for a moment, content to stand there and listen to him hammer away at the sword he was currently working on. "Even if it is, you still owe me," she murmured, crossing her arms.

At this, the wolf seemed to smile faintly. "I sure do. Once this order is finished, I'll make sure to make good on my promise." He picked up the sword and began cooling the metal off with water, only to nearly drop it when Novei suddenly hugged him from behind.

"Make sure it is _big_ and _sharp_ , Li."

 **~保護者~**

It wasn't until she snapped awake that Zareil realized she had dozed off in the first place, looking around quickly to make sure nothing had attempted to make light of the two being vulnerable before making the assumption that they were both fine, more or less. She looked up to Kaden, a small frown on her face. At the least, she knew that his wounds were now healed and he _seemed_ to be calming down. "Kaden," she whispered softly. "How are you feeling?"

His response was abnormally irritable, even for him, as he muttered, "Leave it _alone_ , Zareil." He had his head in his hands, lightly massaging his temples in response to the migraine he had been left with after the assault on his ears earlier in the day.

"Do you _want_ anything? Food, blood, et cetera. I can go get whatever," she said, crossing her arms and pushing herself up to her feet.

"I said leave it alone." Despite his words and quiet irritability, he exerted no actual control over her, leaving her free to disobey if she wished.

She set her hands on the armrests of his throne and frowned deeper. "Answer my question and I will. I'm not backing down on this until I _have_ one."

He bared his fangs at her for a second. "I do not _owe_ you one."

"I never said you did, but you're currently not going to take care of yourself so I _will_." He growled lowly at her but said nothing in response. " _Do_ you want anything, Kaden?" she asked once more.

When he didn't answer after a long moment, the youngest of the triplets (the one named Tyrnn) quietly approached. She and her sisters had returned roughly half an hour ago, and despite having missed what went on earlier they understood what was happening now. They had seen this sort of interaction take place before. "Mother," she murmured, "Father has not fed in some weeks."

Zareil pushed herself to stand up straight, summoning her spear into her hand and moving for the exit. "Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." With a respectful nod, Tyrnn returned to her sisters and their books. She eventually returned, a demon pinned under her foot and her spear through its heart. "Kaden. This is not negotiable. I will not have you going without food."

"I'm. Not. Hungry," he bit out, baring his teeth at her again with a sudden glare.

She glared in return, ripping the beast's head off and walking closer. "You _should_ eat, regardless, if you haven't."

Alynn, the most stubborn and rebellious of their children (much like their father) could be heard muttering, "He _hasn't_."

"Quiet," Kaden muttered back at her. Then, if _only_ to avoid arguing further with Zareil, he fell silent again for the moment.

Zareil stepped a bit closer, practically sliding onto the armrest of the throne before moving herself to where she could whisper to him. "You seem to like blood. Would you be against feeding off of mine, if this filth isn't good enough for you?"

Kaden tossed her a _look_ and responded, "Now is _hardly_ the ideal time for that."

"Or is it? You're here, and so am I. We're not going after anyone for a little while, so why not have some… _fun_ in the meantime?" she murmured gently, a small smile on her face. "I'm not one of the seductresses, but I know you find me… _desirable_ enough."

It didn't take too long for Kaden to curse her under his breath, even as he moved to stand. He muttered a simple, "Remain here," to the children and stalked off out of the throne room. Zareil blinked a few times at this before idly kicking the demon carcass out of the citadel and tossing the head after the body it was previously attached to. He led the way into a private chamber he had made use of _many_ times before, waited for her to join him, and kicked the door shut.

 **~保護者~**

It was some time before Armaris finally emerged from the shadows, properly taking her physical form much to Rose's delight. Some more time passed before she bothered speaking, moving closer to Espio. "Hey, Espio?" He tossed her a barely noticeable glance, but did nothing more. "I… I wanna talk for a bit. Is that okay?" After a short pause, he almost seemed to slightly shrug, neither agreeing nor outright _dis_ agreeing. She turned her gaze down for a moment, a small frown on her face. "I know you didn't want to talk a lot about it, but… I wanted to ask about what that person showed you in those visions."

Though it seemed to take him a moment to do so, Espio soon muttered a small reply. "I said it was nothing."

"They went to the trouble of showing you… _something_." Armaris looked up at him. "I'm here for you, and that means that you can talk to me if something is bothering you." He signed a simple disagreement with one hand, something akin to a _no_. "Espio… please?" she pleaded softly. Now frowning slightly, he answered with the same sign. Deciding that he almost certainly wasn't going to talk about it, she decided to change topics. "I… why did they go through the trouble of showing us what could happen in the future? Wouldn't it be easier to watch us struggle while they know what's gonna become of us?"

After a lengthy pause, he offered a slight shrug. "I don't know." Realistically, he had a guess (that guess being the same as what Toru had said earlier about the enemy wanting them all despairing and whatnot), but the fact remained that he didn't know for _sure_. And his only guess had been stated once already, so there was no point in reiterating it.

Armaris gently leaned against him. He stiffened up, as if on reflex. "You wouldn't do anything to me if you were in control of yourself, right?"

Openly scowling, Espio immediately answered with a hard, "No."

The cat seemed to manage a smile, nodding. "I'm… really glad to hear that." She paused momentarily before glancing at Rose, then moving just a bit closer to Espio so she could whisper. Armaris would much prefer this conversation be more private, which was helped by the fact that Rose didn't seem to be listening in. "Do you think I should talk to my dad about what I saw?" she asked of Espio.

This earned another shrug. "Perhaps," was all he said.

Armaris nodded slowly. "I think I will," she murmured. "He should be in the loop about it." With nothing to really say, Espio remained silent. She glanced to him. "I guess I'll go do that now, actually," she murmured, pushing herself to stand and opening the portal. "I'll be back soon." He glanced at her and answered with a simple nod. Armaris walked through the portal without another word, letting it close behind her.

"May I ask you a question now, Espio?" Rose suddenly asked, raising her head from the book she'd been reading. As he had done now twice before, Espio swiftly signed a disagreement in reply. She didn't waver, a small frown on her face. "You stiffened up when Armaris drew close. Are you adverse to touch?"

He debated for a short time the merits of actually answering that question before ultimately hedging around the matter entirely. "What does it matter?"

The white cat turned her attention back to her book. "It is merely something that I learned to watch for with Jet when we met. I am sure you have been made aware of his case, so I simply watch to see if there are other people that I can help understand themselves better."

Frowning, Espio turned fully to face her and dared to ask, "...What are you talking about?

"In some cases… children do not receive an accurate diagnosis of issues they have while they are still young. This happens because children are so… fascinatingly different from adults that what may be seen as a mental disorder is merely personality traits, or the other way around. This leads me to try and help those I come across to understand if they also have something plaguing them that was never properly addressed."

Dare he even continue to press her for answers? Before too long, Espio decided he was too curious (perhaps even morbidly so) to just let the matter go. Taking a small breath, he went out with it and questioned again, "What are you talking about?"

"In the short time I have observed you, you have already displayed two symptoms I have grown aware of that coincide with something in the same spectrum as what Jet has, autism. I worry that there is more than I have seen that may have been… overlooked. If that is true, then you have learned to mask that which affects you. A very unhealthy tactic at times, but one almost necessary for survival in the case of someone like you. It is reasonable to believe you have done so, and more than understandable." Rose watched him with curious eyes, waiting to see if there was anything else that may add to her current thoughts.

Espio's thoughts briefly raced as he considered all of this, but he quickly found that he didn't have much to say. He didn't even really know what to think of what he'd just been told, to be perfectly honest. _This is… ridiculous._

Rose blinked once before frowning a touch deeper than she had before. "Espio, how do you fare in social situations? Do crowds leave you… anxious? Wanting a sort of escape or out, even if you are required to be there?"

With a slight and unintentional cringe, Espio managed to admit a very small, "...Yes."

She nodded slowly, taking this in. "What about when you were a child? Do you know if you took an exceptionally long amount of time to begin speaking or using basic motor functions?"

Motor skills had _never_ been an issue, but speaking was a different beast. He remembered that clearly. "...I used to be mute."

Rose nodded once more, gently closing her book. "I do not wish to spend our entire first meeting questioning you about personal matters, unless you are alright with such?" He again only shrugged, but the lack of outright refusal was probably permission enough, coming from him. The cat nodded and set her book aside. "What are you most fascinated by? Do you have anything that you could say you like above all other things?"

Though unsure why she would ask that, Espio admitted before too long, "Blades." Even he wasn't sure why he was being so forthcoming, but the truth was that he felt decently at ease right now. Maybe it was because she reminded him so clearly of Analia. That was a person he trusted. Perhaps it stood to reason that that meant Rose could be trusted as well…?

"Would you be willing to say that it is something akin to an obsession, or is it merely a fascination of sorts?" she asked softly, almost… seeming to be aware of the fact that he might trust her but not speaking on the matter.

He somewhat chafed at the idea she had presented and muttered, "I am not _obsessed_."

"Forgive me for entertaining the idea, then," she murmured, a small smile on her face. "Did you ever have any sort of item that you did not like being without? A blanket… tool, toy, anything like that would suffice."

"A certain dagger," Espio responded after he took the time to actually think back and remember. Soon, he added, "It was only when I was a child."

Rose blinked once. _So he grew out of that, then. Interesting._ "Did you have a tendency to wander off without warning and seemingly at random times?"

Recalling the _many_ scoldings he had received for that precise behavior from his mother as a child (and others since then), Espio huffed and again admitted, "Yes."

"Do you have any taste or touch sensitivities? Textures that bother you, certain types of tastes, anything like that?"

This reminder earned a subtle and unintentional wince and he looked away. He'd managed to put most of this issue out of mind, since so much of it had to do with the tastes and textures of food and he no longer had any physical _need_ to eat, but… unfortunately, physical sensations did still bother him in general. Not just in regards to food. "Yes."

"Are you capable of looking people in the eyes for any extended period of time, even if you do not know them?" She asked gently.

That was something he greatly disliked. He'd do it, _maybe_ , when he felt like he had to, or when interacting with people he was fairly comfortable around, but otherwise? "No," he answered flatly. Maybe it wasn't even that he _couldn't_ do it, he just _refused_.

She nodded in understanding. "Forgive my asking, but may I ask how you feel?"

The question was unusual and unexpected, prompting him to respond with his typical basic answer of, "Fine," before he could really consider _why_ she was asking him this. He wasn't lying, though. Right now, he really was fine overall. Or, at least, as fine as one _could_ be at this point.

"You do not seem fine, particularly," Rose answered gently. "It was something I needed to ask, however. How do you handle anxiety? Are there any actions you know of that bring you comfort when you struggle to handle emotions such as being anxious?"

Though more hesitant to do so this time, eventually Espio was forced to admit that he had no good answer for that. "No. I don't."

Rose nodded slowly. "One more thing, and I will leave this kind of questioning behind. Do you have any need to stick to a routine, especially one that dictates how your day goes?"

Didn't… Didn't _most_ people stick to routines? Maybe he was wrong, but he really didn't know why she was asking him this. "I… suppose. Somewhat."

"If you do not mind my asking, what happens if those routines are broken?" Rose asked carefully, tilting her head. Espio was at a loss for how to answer her. It was… upsetting, but he didn't really know how to explain that it was, much less _why_ it was the case. So, in the end, he just shrugged. She nodded slowly to him one last time before giving a soft frown. "I have reason to believe that you may have a similar case to Jet's… but I have to ask questions of your family and friends before I can say for sure," she admitted softly.

Espio gave that a minute or two to sink in before offering a curt nod and moving to stand. Now suddenly seemed like a great time for a drink, and he intended to go digging through the wreckage of his home again in search of any intact bottles of alcohol that may have survived. _If none did, I swear…_

"One more thing, Espio," Rose murmured softly, standing as well. "If it does seem to be that my hunch is true, then I would like to help you through these things that bother you so that you do not have to mask their effects as much. Would you be willing to work with me on that matter?"

He looked at her for a long moment before echoing, "Help?" What exactly did she mean by help him?

"The questions I asked, each is linked to a symptom. The way you answered means there is something there that has had a noticeable effect on you. I want you to be able to live your life with those things no longer bothering you or being hardly noticeable," Rose admitted honestly, casting a gentle smile in his direction.

Despite not _entirely_ knowing what he was agreeing to, Espio huffed and turned away from her with a quick, "Fine."

"I hope you find what you are looking for, Espio," she said as she watched him before quietly walking away on her own with her book in hand.

He started to ask her how she even knew about that, thought better of it, and just huffed again before walking off in the direction of his home. _Fucking Light users…_

 **~保護者~**

 **6,010 words this time. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, and I hope you all enjoyed. Posted (at about 12:01 a.m.) 06-07-20.**


	94. Black Arms

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in this brief foray into the darkness… especially for the ones who, in spite of all that they are, still worry for the future.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Black Arms"**

 **~保護者~**

Not really thinking twice about it despite having someone following along behind him, Shadow lit a cigarette in the hall as he walked. Upon recalling that he wasn't walking alone for once, he surreptitiously moved over enough that Toru would be spared breathing in any of the smoke. He knew the stuff couldn't harm a chameleon to their bodies' naturally insane resistances to toxins, chemicals, and illness in general, but he suspected that Toru wouldn't particularly appreciate breathing it in regardless. If nothing else, the smell was sure to bother him, just as it did most people.

Toru glanced over and raised an eyebrow curiously at Shadow, blinking once. "Is there any reason you do that?" he asked, purely curious and not with even a hint of judgement to his tone.

Shadow took his time debating whether or not to answer as he led the way through the hall, but eventually he relented and gave a half-response. "It… helps."

The chameleon nodded slowly, shrugging. "As long as it doesn't hurt you, I suppose it's alright," he murmured.

"It does not," Shadow confirmed simply. Given that he was a fire user, the smoke had no effect on him. As for everything else… well, he had his healing factor to thank for that. He put that out of mind, though, and walked a bit further down the hall and stopped at a holographic keypad, which he typed on rapidly to open the door. Once said door opened up, he waved Toru along and entered the room. Toru followed behind him quietly, gazing curiously at everything around him. The room they entered was very clearly a high-tech control room of sorts, filled with machines and computers and holograms of all sorts. Shadow walked over to one particular person's station and asked some questions in a low tone. They conversed for a moment, with the person gesturing at their screen several times throughout.

Toru decided to take a look around the area, casually walking the perimeter to gaze at whatever foreign technology they kept in this building. Shadow, meanwhile, got himself fully up to speed on what had been going on here and moved to a different person. Without prompting, the person said, "We haven't detected any other invaders entering the atmosphere in several days. Things have been pretty quiet up there."

"Monitor for portals as well," Shadow was quick to direct. "The enemy is fond of them."

The person nodded. "Understood. As of now, however, we haven't detected any."

So it stood to reason that Steam and Sonic hadn't managed to get themselves back to this time period, then. Unless they had somehow wound up elsewhere than Mobius in the process of doing so… which was also possible. Shadow chose not to fret over that for now. "People need to be armed. Have you finished providing the proper weapons to everyone?"

"Nearly," the person nodded. "We're having trouble getting in contact with some of our soldiers. There's a chance they may have been lost during some smaller skirmishes since the planet was mysteriously healed."

"Find them and confirm it," Shadow directed, walking away. "We need every able-bodied soldier here and ready to go as soon as possible." He headed over to an unmanned hologram and started typing on it rapidly. Toru glanced over and raised an eyebrow, watching from afar for the moment as opposed to actually approaching for now. It was interesting to see, as he hadn't pegged Shadow to be the type to lead others. He supposed he could be wrong sometimes as well. After seeming to find whatever data he was after on the hologram, Shadow returned his attention to Toru. "I have two more places to visit briefly, and I need to leave now. Are you returning to the village?"

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd enjoy tagging along. Seeing people in the field can reveal a lot," Toru revealed with a small smile.

Shadow quirked an eyebrow, but nodded. "Come, then." Without explaining anything, he simply teleported away. Toru was quick to teleport after him. They arrived in the woods on the side of a misty mountain overlooking the military base in the distance. This mountain was but one of the many that made up the impossibly massive range which contained the ruins of ancient Chun-nan. This mountain in particular was at the very outer edges of the range, and it was here that Shadow's house was located. Once at the door, he made quick work of disabling all of his security systems before stepping inside.

Toru glanced around at the surrounding area with ever-curious eyes before following Shadow inside quietly. "So, you've got tech like that one place does in your home?"

"It is necessary," Shadow shrugged, heading toward the home's single hallway.

"Makes sense," Toru answered, following him yet still. He eyed the sparse decor. "I enjoy the simplicity, though. Kinda feels… a bit like home, to a degree."

That earned him a glance. "I suppose it would," he agreed after a moment. As he spoke, he approached the one room in his house he always kept locked and began the process of undoing all the holographic locks that he revealed by simple virtue of touching them.

Toru watched this with a few blinks. "Damn. So people might not even know that it's _locked_?"

"Yes, that is the intention," Shadow confirmed. He set to work on the final lock. "Those who know better would not mess with this door to begin with. Those who would seek to try and force their way in will find themselves hurting."

"Well now I'm curious," Toru said, watching with a far more interested gaze than before.

"About?" Shadow asked, doing away with the lock and opening the door.

"What you've got behind that door."

"Hn." Shadow went through the door and into a large room full of _nothing_ but the most powerful and high-tech guns and explosives available on Mobius. Each was of his own creation and he began grabbing several of them.

Toru looked at all of this curiously, but ultimately he wasn't able to grasp the full scope of what he was looking at. Perhaps he should start looking into understanding technology like this? "What are you grabbing all of this for, in particular?"

"Aside from a single exception, I have no real _powers_ that can be utilized specifically for combat," Shadow told him. "Without weapons, I am largely useless against enemies like these." He turned and grabbed a storage cube, one of many Tails had given him over the years, and started putting his various weapons into it.

"I see," Toru murmured slowly, stepping in after Shadow. "You do well for someone who doesn't have 'real powers'."

"Perhaps," was the noncommittal response. Shadow grabbed several more weapons and stored them as well before focusing more specifically on his bombs, grenades, explosive traps, and so on.

"Most of it. A few of these will be useless. They are unfinished prototypes unfit for combat." After storing a few more things, Shadow tucked the cube away.

"Any reason they didn't get finished?"

"I lacked the time to work on them. I was building them prior to becoming involved with the people at the base you just saw."

Toru nodded slowly. "Makes enough sense, I suppose." Shadow answered with a nod of his own and started to leave. Toru glanced between him and the rest of the devices before deciding to ask, "Are they _all_ useless or unfinished?"

Shadow paused and glanced over the things he had left behind. "No," he answered after a moment. "Only a few are."

"Well…" Toru managed a faint smirk. "What if we get started on that gun training a bit early?"

Raising an eyebrow, Shadow gave that some thought. "...Perhaps." He turned and pulled several different types of guns off of their places on the wall. "These are suitable for battle and can be modified to work better for you. Pick one."

Toru turned back to the guns and gave a glance over them before picking the one he was instinctively drawn to and collecting it. "I like this one."

"That is a hand cannon," Shadow told him. "You do not get the same range as you would from a larger gun, but it does incredible damage at closer proximities. You will have to practice reloading quickly, however, as each bullet has to be put in individually with that model."

"I'm sure I can figure it out," Toru answered with a wink, carrying the gun to get a feel for the weight. "It's also not cumbersome. I like it."

Shadow responded by finding a suitable holster for the gun and tossing it to Toru. "Use this to carry it on your waist, like a blade. It will not come loose even if you are running, climbing, or the like."

Toru snatched it out of the air and fastened it onto himself before sliding the gun into it. It felt… good. It wasn't a perfect counterbalance to the weight he normally carried, but it wasn't anything that would throw off his balance. "Alright, so, we've got one more place to go to, yeah?"

Toru watched for now, not wanting to accidentally damage something by simply handling any of it wrong. He was sure he wouldn't, but at the moment he didn't want to take the risk. "So, are you gonna keep all of that with you?"

With a small sigh, Shadow retrieved one more cube (this one filled with all the tools and supplies he needed to work on his guns and such) and tucked it away. "Yes. Though, this stop is not what you might call 'safe'. It may well go south the moment I show my face there."

"Will I be allowed to practice my shooting?" Toru dared to ask, crossing his arms.

"Only if you need to," Shadow cautioned with a huff. This time, he managed a fleeting smirk of his own. "Talking may well be a waste of time, but it is necessary to attempt it before shots are fired."

"I'll sit back and watch. If they pick a fight, I'll make sure we end it," Toru answered, a smirk on his face.

Shadow let out another huff, this one vaguely colored by amusement. "Do not make me regret gifting you a gun," he casually warned, exiting the room.

"Oi, I just want to try it out," Toru huffed in return, following him. "Oh, about ammunition, though. Do I have to stick to normal bullets or something?"

"You can channel powers through it, if you have any," Shadow explained. "It is also fully loaded with standard bullets for now, however." He walked into his room briefly as he spoke and grabbed a teleporter off of his desk by the door.

Toru nodded. "Got it. You do the talking. Let's go." His excitement was _plainly_ obvious.

Crimson eyes rolled toward the ceiling. "You are just like Lia," he lightly accused. Without giving Toru time to reply or ask a question, he activated the teleporter and set them off to where he needed to go.

The pair arrived somewhere deep within space, in a place where the shining light of the stars were so distant that there was nearly no light. There was nowhere to stand, leaving them floating where they were. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then a dimly illuminated eye opened up directly in front of them and a deep voice demanded, "Why do you disgrace us with your presence, halfling?" A tentacle shot out and harshly prodded at Shadow, then at Toru. "And to bring an outsider here… you are a _fool_."

"Shut it," Toru muttered darkly, his entire demeanor flipping at the prodding. "We're here for a reason."

The tentacle flicked Toru hard across the cheek in a motion akin to a slap, but just as quickly as that happened the offending appendage was blasted off. Now glaring, Shadow lowered his gun and spoke. "Black Doom is dead. Your hive mind is gone, and _this_ is what you choose to do with your free will? Pathetic."

"Choose your words wisely, halfling," the alien creature growled back. "Leaderless those we are, we still possess the means to stomp you out. You cannot control us."

"I can," came the calm argument, "but I would prefer _cooperation_. It is less… tiresome."

"We have no _interest_ in your war," the creature responded harshly. "Let existence crumble if it will. The Black Arms have no reason to care."

"Survival and replication are _all_ you care about," Shadow countered, idly scanning their surroundings and counting energy signatures all the while. "It looks to me that various forces have been ruining that for you as of late."

"Our numbers may be thin, but we remain strong enough to survive," the creature all but snarled at him.

"Alone? I think not." Shadow glanced around one more time. "By my count, you are down to fifty-two individuals. A single horde of demons could wipe you out if they saw fit." He leveled the creature with a hard look. "You require additional strength, and I require your abilities. You either _accept_ that, or I let the demons finish you off. I do not care which you choose."

" _Insolent_ halfling!" came the furiously hissed reply. A new tentacle sprang out from the Darkness, closely followed by several others.

Toru reacted instantly, his gun practically flung out of the holster to blast the nearest tentacles without the slightest bit of hesitation. "I was looking for a good reason to use this and you've gone and made a _huge_ mistake by letting me find that reason," he muttered, drawing his sword with his other hand.

The alien let out a monstrous roar, but unexpectedly backed down. After all, it was as Shadow had said. _Survival_ was one of the only things the Black Arms cared about, alongside replication. That… and blood. Family relations. It was the last bit of actual leverage he had left. Sighing between clenched teeth, he muttered to Toru, "I need a knife."

The chameleon didn't hesitate to use his foot to slip a knife out of one of his shoes, idly throwing it into the air with practiced ease to where Shadow could easily catch it. "Don't break it."

"As if I _would_." Taking hold of the knife, Shadow turned his attention again to the alien he had been conversing with. "The blood of your leader has the power to give your kind additional life… or burn it away. Does it not?"

"You are a _halfling_ ," the alien chose to remind him yet again. "That our blood mixes so freely with the blood of another race renders it _useless_ to you."

"My blood does not mix," Shadow calmly argued. He lifted his right palm, a place where this so-called _black_ _blood_ freely circulated within him and slit his skin without a care. Blackness oozed forth immediately. "I can exert whatever control is necessary over you, by _force_ if need be. Given that you appear to be the only one _arguing_ with me, would you care to be an example for everyone else?"

"I will _not_ -" The alien's words were cut off by a pained howl with Shadow casually flicked several droplets of blood onto its face, instantly gifting it with extreme burns and the associated agony that went with it. This seemed to infuriate the beast, and yet it backed off for the first time. "Why seek us?" it demanded. "You have ignored us for the duration of your life. Why come _now_?"

"I already explained all you need to know," Shadow responded simply. "Come now, or don't. I will not ask again for a straight answer."

Things grew eerily silent, but only for a short time. Eventually, the alien seemed to completely resign itself to its fate and muttered, "You possess the true blood of the first of our kind. By that right alone do you rule us. We have no choice but to follow."

Satisfied with that response, Shadow cleaned Toru's blade off and tossed it back to him before saying, "Remain here, where you are marginally safe. I will call upon you when you are needed." With these instructions given and knowing that they may well still be attacked again if they lingered, Shadow was quick to use the teleporter to send him and Toru back to his house.

Toru idly rubbed at the spot where he'd essentially been slapped, a deeply set agitation painfully obvious on his features for a moment. "If you hadn't kept that situation under control, I _would_ have slaughtered it for such a fucking _idiotic_ move."

"I am aware," Shadow answered, moving to find something to bandage his hand with. He was careful not to let the blood drip onto _anything_ , for he knew it would irreparably destroy anything it touched in this room.

The chameleon was quick to sheathe his sword and holster the gun, crossing his arms. "So, you're half… whatever the fuck those things are?"

Shadow pulled some bandages out of his desk and sighed. "The man who made me a cyborg… did more than just that," he revealed slowly. "He created me to begin with. I was not _born_. Half of the DNA he used belonged to the former leader of that race, a creature named Black Doom."

"Well, you're by far much more intelligent and interesting than that one we talked to," Toru answered. "And I suppose it came in handy this time?"

"For perhaps the _only_ time in my life," Shadow muttered. Then he looked up from his work on his hand long enough to ask, "You keep calling me 'interesting'. Why?"

This seemed to invoke some sort of thought from Toru. In his life, he'd only ever called two other people 'interesting'. His father and Espio, both of whom he respected deeply. Though, he usually didn't say it _directly_ to them, and now what that woman had said came back to him. He _had_ taken an interest in Shadow, that much he'd said for himself upon just _meeting_ the hedgehog. It felt different now, however, and he wasn't sure as to why. "I don't know at this point. I guess I just keep seeing all this new stuff because of you." It felt like a lie, but it was the best truth he really knew at the moment.

Shadow looked at him for a long moment in silence, but eventually he just accepted the explanation with a nod and finished bandaging his hand as securely as could be managed. He made _damn_ sure to wrap it in such a way that no blood would leak out whatsoever. "Unless you have anything you need to do, we can return now."

Toru took another moment to think before shrugging. "I don't think so. Let's get back." Nodding, Shadow took yet another one of his teleporters, the one he typically used when making a visit to Espio, and went straight back to Hyale. Toru followed the hedgehog with a noticeably _troubled_ expression. What did he really feel, here...?

 **~保護者~**

Once Aniko returned from whatever cursory work she had performed with the many shinobi gathering in the woods beyond the village's territory, Shei gently set Sako and his sister down in the grass. Then, catching Calypso's eye, he sent Lucas into her surprisingly open and inviting arms. With that taken care of, Shei hurried over to Aniko and took hold of her wrist to get her attention. When he had it, he tugged on her, trying to gently guide her to the place where he had been sitting with the children, out of earshot of the others. He didn't know precisely what she had been through earlier, but he needed to find out. More importantly, she _needed_ to speak about it, for her own sake. She and their son both had such a terrible habit of bottling things up more and more until the bottle simply burst… and that would not do here.

For a moment, Aniko resisting his gentle tugging before finally relenting and following him. Her gaze rested on him as she leaned against the tree, arms lightly crossed. "If you mean for me to talk, I am in no mood to do so."

 _"You must,"_ Shei insisted after releasing her so that he could sign, _"if for no other reason than the fact that I need to know what is going on."_

"I do _not_ want to," Aniko snapped lightly, a dark frown appearing on her face. "I would like to continue being productive."

 _"We all need to be productive,"_ Shei countered, _"but I cannot while merely watching children and twiddling my thumbs. I need to know what is going on."_

Aniko's fist suddenly collided with the tree behind her as a means of _attempting_ to vent her frustration, unintentionally snapping through it and felling the tree in the process. "I do not _wish_ to remember my son killing the one who loves him or being the God of Demons, Shei! Why must I relive that sight?" she demanded before taking a deep breath and sitting. " _Fuck_ this and everything they have done to my child."

Shei signed nothing in response for a moment until he was sure that she wasn't going to also strike him, then cautiously said to her, _"That is what you saw, then."_

" _Yes_ ," she murmured softly, knees to her chest and her face resting on her knees. "That damned God of Demons leaving that taint in him has sealed such futures as possibilities." _If I ever get my hands on him, I will gladly remove his head._

"We knew it would," Shei answered with an inaudible sigh. He strove to remain neutral in his responses and demeanor, hoping to prevent his wife from further escalating. Keeping a watchful eye over the kids yet still, he sat down beside her. But, suspecting she would harshly reject it right now, he didn't touch her whatsoever.

Aniko grabbed Shei by the shoulder, taking obvious care to not injure him with this grip, and pulled him close. "We should never let our Darkness surface, should we?" she suddenly asked in hushed tones, turning her gaze just enough to look at him with a serious but pained expression. "It puts us at the same risk Espio is in, does it not?"

 _"It is never worth the risk,"_ Shei confirmed with a suddenly stern expression. _"It leaves us open to all the same corruptions that he has been exposed to, and against all but Nareish and her often missing-in-action army it would be useless against all of our enemies to begin with. You cannot harm Darkness with more Darkness. Not enough to kill. It does not work like that."_

"It is growing harder to control," she revealed softly. "Bit by bit, piece by _fucking_ piece it is trying to rise to the surface with every emotional hit I take." Aniko scowled toward the ground, trying to keep herself in control yet still.

 _"I know,"_ Shei replied. _"That is why you must take steps to calm yourself. You were trained extensively to do this. Now is the time to follow that training as closely as possible."_

She struck the ground with her free hand, the reverberations shaking the leaves of the fallen tree behind them both. " _Damn_ our heritage, and _damn_ this Darkness."

As Shei brushed several leaves off of his shirt, Sako and his sister awoke in response to the sharp vibrations that were sent through the ground. The girl simply gasped and jolted upright while Sako started to fuss. Standing, Shei walked over to try and calm the two down. Aniko lifted her head to view this and she felt the anger inside her practically dissipate. Disappointment welled within her as she made the full realization that them being awakened was _her_ fault.

She had to maintain control, lest she hurt those she cared about as well.

 **~保護者~**

In the quiet they were left with after their long-sleeping friends dispersed to fulfill the duties they had been provided with, the individual Faein who had once taken on a female form murmured, "The young one suffers so… I cannot say that I am happy to let things continue as they are." Aethra (the name she had taken on temporarily for the ease of those they interacted with) turned her gaze on her companion. "If only our kin were awake. With their aid, we could safely disrupt the energy beginning to stir within him while also not allowing it to wipe him from our precious existence."

"I have to agree," Rusen (the name he had chosen for the same reason his companion had) murmured. "Not to mention that mental anguish and control over his mind."

"There are so many ways this could all go wrong for us all… and so few ways that it could ever go right," Aethra sighed. "Without our kin, we can do little to help."

"And yet we choose to trust in the lives of those that our labors have borne into existence," Rusen answered. "What else is there to do?"

"Woefully little," Aethra lamented. "It makes me worry for him all the more. He has so much _potential_. To lose him would be… _catastrophic_ in far too many ways."

"He is more than potential. He is the closest to joining that which his kind was _meant_ to be since we allowed the Immortals to exist. Losing him would reset it all, regardless of whether everything falls down."

"That is precisely what I was referring to, Rusen. He might yet be one of us, one day… if he can manage to survive."

Rusen frowned, taking a seat by the table. "This next event may well decide the course our creations take. If she maintains control, we _will_ have to remove her before anyone _far_ more dangerous can control her actions with him."

"Yes," Aethra agreed. "We must monitor them very closely in the coming minutes."

"Do you remember where Yareis said she was leaving to?"

"She stated her intention to speak with the God of the Forge and his companion," Aethra answered. "She means to gather information from them before she attends to her duties within the demonic realms."

"Ensure she does not go… _overboard_." Rusen sighed. "She is ambitious, but often clouded with inherent disdain. If she goes too far, we will have to pull her away so she does not blow her own cover."

"I understand. I am already watching over her." Aethra closed her eyes. "If things grow out of hand, I will remove her from the area."

"What are this generation's Gods and Goddesses doing? The Forge is crafting weapons, and I can tell that Judgement is heading to Babylon with Mythical Creatures and Thieves."

Aethra gained a wistful sort of smile. "I must admit that I am quite pleased to report that our recent rescue has been a success. Young Analia is under the watchful eye of the God of Night, and Eona will soon be joining them to further ensure her safety. The Goddess of Life remains deeply rooted to her planet, as is only natural, while she watches over multiple children and the God of Runes appears to be slowly making his way toward the Hell Witch in search of intel on her current activities."

"I trust he will remain safe. The Goddess of the Stars is on her way to Mobius now… she seems intent on seeing the God of the Sun, if I recall correctly," Rusen murmured softly, frowning thoughtfully. "They are mobilizing in a very intelligent manner, I must say."

"They are," Aethra agreed.

"The young being of Light seems to be growing well, as well as…" he trailed off for a moment. "The boy of Chaos, and our wandering Balancer, they were sent through time, correct?"

"Yes, they were," Aethra answered. "A spawn of Malevolence that was captured and put under Nareish's control was told to 'get rid of them'. It rebelled enough to do so, but not quite in the manner she had intended. Instead, it used the sliver of power it had been granted to toss them through time. I believe it wants them and their allies to return and end Nareish, so it can go back to serving its true purpose. That purpose, of course, being following Malevolence itself, as all spawn are created to do."

"I am sure they will return soon. The Balancer is resourceful and knows enough to get them out of it, if they play their cards correctly. Not to say that the boy of Chaos could not do so as well," Rusen answered, a faint smile on his face. "They will not make it back for the event with Jet, however."

"No, they will not," Aethra agreed. "This will upset young Sonic immensely."

"It will, but he will be okay should this end swiftly and _properly_. What is our Walker of Shadows doing? She seemed quite upset."

"Currently, she is seeing her father," Aethra answered. "What she and those others went through was quite disturbing, and she may wish to seek his council. Or, at least, his comfort."

"He is also a bit of a wildcard in this war, much like Espio but in a different way. Should he go on to help his daughter and the one she loves, we could very well avoid much bloodshed. This may come at the cost of his life, or worse, however…" Rusen mused. "Involving himself brings far more risk than he has ever been in throughout his life."

"Yes, I understand. I will be monitoring him as well."

"Watch the one attacking Jet as well. She may well prove integral down the road as well," Rusen said gently. "Removing her from the grasp of the enemy is something that I would prefer to see."

"I will, do not worry," Aethra assured. "There are a variety of ways that she may yet be freed."

"Rose… she would do well to be reunited with her sister at last. Then her true growth can begin."

"Although, things will be complicated for a time."

"I trust that it can be worked out as time passes. Her skills, should she be allowed to use them properly, could be of aid to our group of heroes." Rusen stood once more and stood beside Aethra. "That covers the important details. Shall we continue on to our monitoring?"

"Yes, I suppose we shall." With that said, Aethra returned her full focus to her task.

 **~保護者~**

 **5,173 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed, and many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 1:00 p.m.) 06-08-20.**


	95. Ascension

**Disclaimer:** I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) throughout this mercifully short conflict… especially for the one who achieves a higher level of being.

 **~保護者~**

 **"Ascension"**

 **~保護者~**

"We might have just another hour… if we're lucky."

Dragging her gaze from her son and over to Wave, Alana let out a soft sigh. "I know."

Wave looked over Jet yet again, assessing the state he was in. _Motionless. If not for the fact that he's breathing, I might have thought…_ Swallowing thickly, she returned her attention to Alana. "I… I don't know what to do," she admitted. "I have mental powers, but they're nothing grand or especially strong. Even those that I'm familiar with who have powers far greater than mine have never done this, to my knowledge. I have _no_ idea how to combat it at all." Alana was painfully silent. It lasted too long. Wave sought to fill in the void that had taken root within their conversation by imploring, "Do you have _any_ abilities that can help us to help _him_?"

Upon hearing this, the normally stoic woman suddenly looked like… like she might cry. She quickly turned her head away in an effort to hide this, but Wave had already seen. "I have… _nothing_ ," she whispered, almost too quietly to be heard.

The reality of what she had just admitted crashed down around Wave and she found herself staring on in a mixture of shock and genuine horror. _Nothing …?_

Surprising Wave again, Alana stood and stalked over to the room's sole window. "What use are my gifts if I cannot take what is broken and render it whole again?" she asked, more speaking to herself than to Wave.

Nevertheless, Wave soon stood as well and walked over to the other woman, placing a hand on Alana's shoulder once she was there. She allowed them both to lapse into silence for a time, making a concerted effort to gather her thoughts while trying to also offer her unspoken support. It was clear that, while she herself had been the one seeking assurances in the beginning, it was now her turn to _offer_ them. _Too often I find that it's those who mask their pain the best who require comfort the most._ With this in mind, she let out a soft breath and murmured, "Alana… even though I don't know how right now, and in fact _none_ of us do, we _will_ find a way to free Jet from this. _Somehow_. And… you're right. He's very, _very_ broken, in more ways than he cares to let on. But that's why you being here is so _important_ for him."

"My _being_ here has not helped him," Alana answered a touch sharply. But then her suddenly tense shoulders sagged again and she added in a murmur, "Not enough."

"It has, more than you seem to realize," Wave insisted. When Alana didn't answer her, Wave sighed. "I can't pretend to know how you feel, Alana. You suffered loss after loss after loss before you perished, all ending in the most _crushing_ loss any mother could ever experience."

Alana's eyes slipped shut, perhaps in an effort to prevent the tears from escaping. "Why speak of this?"

"Because it _matters_ ," Wave told her softly. "It _matters_ that, despite all your pain and heartache, you and Sein both still left Jet with by far your _greatest_ gift. Your _love_. _Everything_ you two did was out of love. Love for your people, love for your parents, love for each other, love for your _son_ … and it's that very love that will get him through this, with both his parents by his side."

Her voice choking, Alana admitted to her, "I never want to see another important person die in front of me… _ever_ again."

While Wave couldn't promise everything, there was one thing she felt confident enough to say. "You won't be losing your family again," she answered. "Not Jet, not Sein, and not Kath. And even pretending somehow any of them _were_ lost, you _have_ to remember that not even the dead are ever truly gone." She managed a smile and tried to steer the conversation into safer, less turbulent waters. "I think, in the back of his mind, Jet's always known that. He spent his whole _life_ longing for parents he didn't have, love he'd never experienced. Given how quickly he's warmed up to you both, I think he somehow _knew_ , however distantly, that you two were out there, still loving him after all this time."

"We could never have _stopped_ loving our son," Alana whispered.

"That's it, right there," Wave murmured back. "That's the gift I've been talking about. That's what Jet _needs_ if he's ever going to heal. Not just from this, but from _everything_."

"That cannot be _enough_ ," Alana argued, her voice sounding choked again. She swallowed hard before continuing, "There has to be something _more_ , and I do not _have_ anything more to give."

"The power you seek is right here in your hands and in your heart," Wave gently insisted. "I believe that I already told you that. Maybe now that you've heard it twice, you'll start to believe it." Alana swiped at her eyes, trying to dry them, and Wave finally removed her hand from the hawk's shoulder. "I won't lie to you. Helping Jet _will_ require a lot from you and Sein. It will be _hard_ , maybe even _soul-crushing_ at times, to try to help him work through everything he's been through in an effort to move forward. Professional help is _certainly_ going to be required in multiple areas. But, Alana, at the heart of all of that… what he needs the _most_ is your love, and Sein's. Continue to share that with him, and he _will_ make it through. He just…" Sighing softly, Wave looked back over at Jet. "He needs his mom and dad. That's all there is to it."

Sein seemed to take this as his cue and stepped into the room, his expression immediately growing soft at the realization of what had gone down in the time before he arrived. He wasted no time in standing beside his wife and taking her in his arms with a carefully tight grip to try and further comfort her. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get back…"

Alana wasted no time in hugging him back as she murmured, "It… is alright." Wave neatly moved away to give the pair some space and reclaimed her seat beside Jet.

The blue hawk pulled away just enough to look into her eyes, a moment giving him insight into what was bothering her… as if he didn't already know. "We _will_ get him back. He will be okay, and I'll do everything I can to make sure he is."

"What can we do _to_ bring him back?" Alana asked him softly, voice full of pain.

"We'll… have to fight him and figure out how to break the control. She's on Kaden's world, so going to her directly isn't an option. We might have to watch for a weak point so we can fight it," Sein murmured. He didn't everything he could to sound sure of himself, but there were too many uncertainties in this situation. She might not display a weak point this time because she's so focused, and so many other things could go wrong… Sein shook his head to clear his thoughts and sighed. "We'll have to figure it out."

Though she hated to interrupt, Wave did so. "Astra isn't going to know _how_ to fully control him right away. His abilities aren't anything she will have encountered before, meaning that it'll be a lot like the situation we heard about with Shei and Aniko. She won't be able to make him fight at full capacity right away. The faster we act, the better."

Sein nodded slowly at this, pulling out of the hug fully but keeping an arm around Alana. "That's… actually entirely true. She obviously hasn't controlled him before, at least not like this, so she wouldn't _know_ what he's capable of immediately anyway."

"She can't have ever controlled him at _all_ , or else she'd have been able to control him much more seamlessly this time," Wave answered.

Alana, however, had a different point to make. "If she does not possess the ability to fully make use of his capabilities, we should be able to control the battle to some extent. For one thing, we may be able to prevent her from forcing him to leave the area."

"Which she might do because she has _very_ obvious targets in mind," Sein answered. "And judging from the last battle we had with her, there's a lot more of her attitude in the fighting than the person she's controlling actually fighting how they _should_. She noticeably had someone built for speed and acrobatics fight head-on. There's a good chance we won't even really be fighting _Jet_ , so much as fighting _her_. Though, I guess we kinda knew that."

"We'll still have to be very mindful," Wave murmured. "Whatever she _does_ manage to tap into will not be weak, assuming she gains full access. Jet's been training for so long that he's nearly _perfected_ many of his powers. A few, he _has_ perfected. Whatever she manages to throw at us will be lethal if we let ourselves get struck."

A frown found itself on Sein's face. "How well does he heal from injuries?"

" _Very_ ," Wave assured. "And even when he experiences a death, his revival speed is incredibly fast. Whatever damage we're forced to deal to him won't remain very long."

"And I assume he heals fast enough in battle to render some wounds meaningless?"

"Yeah. And even wounds that don't immediately heal rarely slow him down. The way he can just _ignore_ injuries most of the time is… concerning, if you ask me. It takes him too long to notice things, sometimes."

Sein sighed. "Good and bad. On one hand, we can fight him without fear of seriously hurting him. On the other… we have to deal substantial damage with each hit if we have to incapacitate him."

Alana unexpectedly buried her face in his shoulder. "I cannot _strike_ him, Sein. I _cannot_."

Just as sudden as Alana's actions had been, a few tears streamed down Sein's face. _You… had to remind me of that…_ "I don't think I can do it either, but we _can't_ die here. If he comes back from this and we've died at his hands…" Sein didn't entertain that thought long, rubbing his face gently with a hand. "We may not have a choice." A choked sob escaped Alana, rendering her unable to speak.

Wave was forced to look away, not wanting to be brought to tears herself because of what she was witnessing. However, she soon had to engage with the pair again as she quickly got to her feet. "It feels like her energy is really taking hold. She might be about to wake him up."

Sein quickly disengaged from Alana, lifting her head softly so he could look her in the eyes. "Whatever we have to do here, we're doing it to protect _him_ and _existence_. We will not kill him, but if we are forced to fight… we'll _have_ to. Can I count on you to fight alongside me so we can save our son?" Choking back another sob, Alana could only force herself to nod. Meanwhile, with no other choice but to arm herself, Wave very slowly drew her sword. Sein gently kissed Alana's forehead, whispering something gently to her and arming himself as well with his gauntlets. Left with no options left before her, Alana unsheathed her own sword.

 _"Get up,"_ Astra demanded of Jet. Of course, with no current capacity for free will, Jet immediately obeyed. His eyes were dulled and unfocused, a clear indication that he wasn't even remotely awake or in control right now.

Sein readied himself, taking a stance. "Now would be a good time to _not_ be inside, right?" he asked Wave quickly. She reacted without a word, unleashing a bright hex that practically threw all of them outside as far away from the palace's main building as she could manage at such short notice. They landed just beyond the palace's largest open grassy courtyard. Thankfully, there were no people around, hence why she had chosen this spot.

 _"Draw your weapon. Ready yourself to teleport."_ Jet did as commanded without a word. The moment Alkarus came out of its sheath and it was clear what he was about to do, Wave tensed up. Alana reacted by _immediately_ using her own power to block Jet from being able to teleport even a _short_ distance away. It would only be effective for as long as Astra remained unfamiliar with how to properly control her victim, but for now it was enough. _"Attack them. Now."_ Astra was only using this as a diversion of sorts while she probed for more powers, more ways to get rid of her enemies, and a chance to get Jet to _Mobius_.

As she was the closest, Wave was the one who suddenly found herself having to block a fierce sword stroke. Alkarus slammed into her own blade hard enough to create a small explosion of energy, and she recoiled from the second of heat before using a swift spell to knock him back just far enough for her to put some safer distance between them. Sein suddenly appeared, unsheathing his claymore and clashing with the next fierce blow that came toward them. This created a much larger explosion than before as their swords clashed.

Astra suddenly found something _promising_ , issuing another command as she did so. _"Teleport to Mobius, now."_ She had found how to control his teleportation.

"Sein!" Alana snapped, blocking Jet further as he attempted to do as he'd been ordered. She couldn't prevent him on her own, but with Sein's help _perhaps_ they could keep him here long enough for Astra to give it up. At least momentarily. Sein was quick to provide his help and, luckily, Astra gave it up almost immediately at noticing that they were blocking him from leaving.

 _"Storms, now. Tear them apart with every force of nature you can summon,"_ Astra demanded furiously, already beginning to reach further for anything else she could use against the Immortals. Her deeper digging caused him to suddenly show signs of mental pain and distress akin to what had been present earlier, but he was still by no means aware of himself as he followed her command.

Alana responded by calling upon her own storm powers to nullify his, frowning as she did so. _She orders him to utilize abilities she knows nothing about… and that renders them far too weak to be useful to her. What is she thinking?_ Wave stayed back for now, knowing full well that she would only be in the way.

"Keep the storms at bay!" Sein called, already swinging his sword toward Jet. _If I can keep her from thinking rationally, she may make a mistake. If that happens, maybe we can end this well before it escalates to the point we've all been dreading._

 _"Parry the blow, strike him with the hilt of your sword, then use your wind to launch him away."_ Jet did what he was forced to do, expertly parrying Sein's attack before hitting him _hard_ in the side of the head and blowing him some distance back with wind. Meanwhile, Astra resumed her probing, causing him ever-increasing levels of pain. There was something deep within him that she could _sense_ and she wanted access to it. _"Cut your mother down. She is in the way."_

Sensing the danger she was now in, Alana had no choice but to call upon her storm powers again, using punishing winds and fierce temperature fronts to force him to stay away from where she and Wave were standing. _Please… do not make me fight him,_ she silently begged. Sein appeared suddenly in a flash of aura, slamming his sword against Jet's to draw out a reaction.

 _"Disarm him and stab him,"_ Astra demanded darkly, growing _ever_ closer to her goal. She could almost feel it in her grasp. Just a bit further and she would have what she had always sought. Though unable to make use of his normal speed due to being controlled, Jet was able to knock Sein's sword away with relative ease. His attempt at stabbing his father, however, proved much less successful with Sein grabbing the blade using his gauntlets to hold it still. _"Throw him."_ This wasn't Jet's normal style at _all_ , but he was more than capable of following through. He physically grabbed Sein and threw him away, as commanded. Before Sein could return to the fight, Astra finally reached what had been so hidden from even her, grasping at it to drag whatever it might be to the front so she could make use of it.

The sheer _agony_ of this caused Jet's knees to buckle and he fell into a sitting position, head suddenly in his hands as he fought to cope with whatever she was doing. His eyes were now squeezed shut and his body visibly tense, fingers digging tightly into skin. As Alana and Wave ran over to try to help, before their very eyes his very image… _flickered_. The best way Wave could think to describe it was like if a hologram was glitching and trying to vanish, but that didn't make sense. Sein rushed back to them and paused at the sight, eyes wide and concerned.

Whatever Astra had found was drug closer to the surface, causing the same abnormal flickering effect several more times. Deeply concerned for everyone's safety, _especially_ her friend's, Wave took a step back and asked, "What's _happening_ to him?"

"I don't know. I didn't know something like this _could_ happen," Sein answered, summoning his sword back into his hand and making his shield appear from his gauntlet.

It appeared that Sein did this just in time. Likewise, Alana pulled herself and Wave behind the shield (and, thus, Sein) just in time as well. An impossibly bright heavenly blue aura suddenly washed over them all, never searing or otherwise hurting them like one would reasonably expect such wild energy to normally _do_. It faded away very gradually, leaving Wave and Alana both slightly disoriented as their eyes struggled to recover from the intensity of the glow they had all just been subjected to. Despite how disoriented _he_ was, Sein was quick to move forward with _unparalleled_ concern for his son's well-being evident on his face.

Clearing her vision as rapidly as she could, Alana moved so that she could see past her husband. What she saw when she looked at their son, however… made her freeze. What she saw before her was a person comprised entirely of wispy, ethereal aura forming the shape of a body. The eyes she saw glowed from within with the same heavenly blue light as the aura itself. All she could think in that moment was that what she was seeing couldn't have been _possible_. Because what she was looking at… looked _just_ like a Faein. Sein quickly came to the same conclusion, lowering his shield and watching quietly. He managed to snap himself back to reality and quickly turned to Wave. "Is he being controlled anymore?" he asked suddenly.

Wave was almost too dumbfounded to speak as she watched Jet. He seemed to be taking a moment to recover, as far as she could tell. And in regards to both Sein's question and this situation as a whole, she found she only had one thing to say. "It's not _possible_ …"

Sein turned back to Jet and took a second, steadying himself as he looked upon his son. "Jet… can you hear us?"

After a long moment, Jet seamlessly floated to his feet with the very vaguest of nods. However, most of his attention was focused elsewhere, within another realm entirely. He had an idea, a plan he could carry out only while like this. But he knew that, as he was now, he couldn't sustain this state for long. If he was to do this, it had to be _right_ this minute. He focused his newfound energies effortlessly through reality, concentrating it on Astra and pinning her to the spot and bringing her to him. Wave and Alana could only watch, too stunned to speak.

"What are you doing?" Sein asked quickly, wanting to _understand_ what was happening. "What's going on, or do you even know?"

He knew. There was no way he _couldn't_ , in this state. But there was no time to explain anything right now. Jet knew he wouldn't be able to do so later, either, but that didn't matter. He focused instead on mending many wrongs of the past… wrongs that had far too much potential to bleed into the future and tear it apart. Taking far gentler hold of Astra's mind than she had done with his own, he began _healing_ it. Healing _her_. Wiping away any and _all_ corruption to be found anywhere within her. It was the only way. Sein watched in awe at the sight, now understanding his son's intentions. If this state granted him such amazing capabilities, what did that mean Jet currently _was_?

It took no time at all for Jet to finish what he was doing. That was fortunate, for he couldn't hold out any longer. Utilizing the very last vestiges of power he could still call upon, he carefully cast Astra's limp form through reality again, sending her straight to her sister. Then, not even a second later, his normal form returned to him all at once and he collapsed. Only Wave's lunge and quick grab managed to save him from hitting the ground.

Sein was quick to teleport them all back to the palace after this occurred, landing them back in the room they had been in before this all started. "Lay him back down for now," he said immediately, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened. Wave obediently did as he'd told, thinking it best not to argue with him in light of recent events.

Finally managing to find her voice again, Alana dropped her sword (something she normally never did) and turned wide eyes onto Sein. "Sein, _what_ …?" she whispered, unable to formulate a more complete question than that.

"I… I don't know…" Sein admitted quietly, sheathing his sword back within his gauntlet and turning to her. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I have never _heard_ of anything like this," Alana answered, shifting her attention back to their son. Much to her unending relief, he appeared to be resting far more easily than he had been over the past several days.

A similar wave of relief washed over Sein and he found himself tired, dropping to his knees and simply staying for a long moment. That fight hadn't been long but the turmoil he felt throughout it all was enough to leave him feeling like he'd fought for _days_ on end. "He's okay… that's all that matters right now," he murmured softly.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Wave confirmed, "I don't know what he did, but… Astra doesn't have any hold over him at all anymore. Not even the _slightest_ fragment of her control is left. He freed himself completely."

"He _purified_ her," Sein explained. "That's the only thing he could have done to her, with what we saw. By doing that, maybe he also removed the control with it."

Alana slowly approached and sat down beside their child. She couldn't say she understood _why_ he would have gone to the trouble of freeing himself _and_ saving such a dangerous enemy at the same time, but that show of compassion somehow managed to lift her spirits somehow and prevented her from shedding any further tears for now. "He… Sein, he was… like _them_. For just a moment in time, our son was _one_ of them."

Sein understood what she meant, looking at Jet with the pride only a father could muster as he teleported beside Alana and leaned against her gently. "He was, and he used the power it comes with _well_ …"

Things grew quiet, but Alana did not allow them to remain that way for long. "Go rest, both of you. Neither of you have slept in some time and you, Sein, look ready to pass out entirely."

No complaints came from Wave. She stood and moved to one of the other couches. "Wake me once he wakes up, will you?"

"Yes," Alana murmured. Then, knowing he would likely need to hear the same promise directed toward him, she added, "I will wake you as well, Sein." Sein managed a tired smile and leaned further on Alana, his gauntlets falling off of his hands as he slowly drifted off right then and there.

 **~保護者~**

 **4,272 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed this _incredibly_ important chapter. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 5:18) 06-09-20.**


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